hello everyone, i was just searching around a few person finder tools lately mainly for some side projects and helping friends track down some shady Craigslist contacts and yeah it’s been interesting
i’m starting to wonder are there actually any solid free person finders left, or is that just wishful thinking now? Every one I’ve tried teases free access, but then locks anything useful behind a fortune to pay so anyone out there using something that doesn’t feel like a scam or require an extra money subscription? I’m open to any kind of tools plugins or browser hacks cuz im just trying to put together a reliable way to find people without blowing my budget
Any advice would be awesome!
I have been in the same boat recently trying to reconnect with someone from years ago and stumbled into the same paywall trap a lot of these sites are just data aggregators with flashy promises
Honestly social media deep dives still work better than half these person finder tools people forget how much is public on Facebook or LinkedIn
The free tools are mostly bait these days i started using browser extensions that help link usernames across platforms not perfect but they’ve helped
If you are just trying to find someone i’d say stick with basic email reverse lookups and maybe a Google Voice to contact them safely
I noticed local forums and even neighborhood Facebook groups are underrated for finding people especially if it’s in your area
Depending on how serious your search is there are open source tools that ethical hackers use but they have a learning curve
Been burned by paywalls too if you’re doing multiple lookups sometimes it’s cheaper to get a one week trial and cancel fast.
You’re definitely not alone i spent way too much time testing different person finder sites, only to run into the exact same problem free at first, but then they throw everything behind a paywall i even signed up for a few free trials, but that’s risky unless you remember to cancel on time
I think it’s kind of wild how many of these sites are almost identical they all promise full reports and background checks but the second you click view detailsmthey hit you with a subscription prompt i have also noticed that many of them use the same backend data sources, so you’re not really getting anything new by hopping between sites
You are not alone i have probably spent more hours than i want to admit trying to find a reliable person search tool that doesn’t feel like a scam the ones that offer just enough info to get your hopes up and then demand payment are the worst
Totally hear you on this i tested tons of tools and plugins for side projects like background checks and reconnections and most just regurgitate public data behind a fancy paywall what’s worked for me is combining techniques public voter records Google Maps and even obituary archives
I totally feel your frustration some tools feel more like traps i have started compiling a spreadsheet of the ones that actually give some free info
I used a few Reddit tools to search usernames across subreddits and got some surprisingly accurate results not always useful but cool
I totally get where you’re coming from i have been helping a friend look into someone they met through Marketplace and honestly almost every tool out there that says free ends up locking the useful info behind a subscription wall
