Best Background Checks Before a Date

What separates the picks on this page?

All three sites were tested the same way: searching the same ten consenting people. The scores come from accuracy (35 points), coverage (20), compliance and transparency (15), usability (10) and value (20).

BeenVerified scores 8 and costs $26.89. It returned the current address for 9 of 10 people and a working phone for 8, with 2 false records across ten people. It also runs reverse phone, email, username and licence-plate lookups. It is not FCRA, so personal use only, and reports load in stages with upsell interstitials.

TruthFinder scores 7.7 at $28.05. It found the known misdemeanour and traffic records for the two test people who had them, and address history and relatives were correct for 8 of 10. It includes a dark-web scan of your own details. Expect theatrical "this may be shocking" loading screens and 3 false records across ten people.

Instant Checkmate scores 6.5 at $35.12, the highest price here. It found the known arrest record and registry checks correctly, offers unlimited reports, and runs on the same data backbone as Intelius. The loading screens are long and dramatised.

What should I check before buying a background check for dating?

Start with accuracy, since it carries the most weight. A site that returns a current address for 9 of 10 people is more useful than one that returns an address history for 8 of 10 but misses the current one.

Then check what you actually need:

• Criminal and court records: TruthFinder found the known misdemeanour and traffic records; Instant Checkmate found the known arrest record and registry checks.
• Contact details: BeenVerified returned a working phone for 8 of 10.
• Your own exposure: TruthFinder includes a dark-web scan of your details.
• Volume of searches: Instant Checkmate offers unlimited reports.

Compliance and transparency matter too. BeenVerified is not FCRA, so it is for personal use only, not for employment or tenant screening. False records are worth weighing: BeenVerified had 2 across ten people, TruthFinder had 3.

BeenVerified

For someone who wants the most accurate contact details and the fewest false records, at $26.89.

TruthFinder

For someone who needs court and criminal records plus a dark-web scan, at $28.05.

Instant Checkmate

For someone who wants unlimited reports and arrest and registry checks, at $35.12.

BeenVerified suits a dater who wants the most accurate current address and phone details at $26.89. TruthFinder fits anyone who needs court and criminal records plus a dark-web scan at $28.05. Instant Checkmate is for unlimited reports and arrest and registry checks at $35.12.