BeenVerified and TruthFinder are both subscription people-search services for personal use, and both state that they are not consumer reporting agencies — so neither can be used to screen a tenant, an employee, a borrower or an insurance applicant. They differ in the searches each one lists, how each membership is set up and how you remove your own listing. Each point below is based on the companies’ own statements, as checked on September 30, 2026.
The short version: if you’re starting from a vehicle or a VIN, BeenVerified lists a lookup for it and TruthFinder doesn’t list one. If you’re starting from a name, phone number, email or street address, both list a search for it, so the deciding factors are the membership terms and how well each report keeps apart people who share a name. You can test that second part with your own name before you commit.
BeenVerified vs TruthFinder at a glance
| Point of comparison | BeenVerified | TruthFinder |
|---|---|---|
| Searches it lists | People, phone number, email, property, vehicle and VIN, social media, unclaimed money, dark web scan | People, reverse phone, reverse email, reverse address, background check reports, dark web scan |
| Consumer reporting agency? | No — its FAQ says it doesn’t provide consumer reports and isn’t a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA | No — says it doesn’t provide consumer reports and isn’t a consumer reporting agency |
| How you pay | Recurring subscription; its App Store listing shows several report plans, some covering both app and web | Membership with unlimited reports; its App Store listing shows plans by report type, such as phone or email reports, as well as all-access tiers |
| Cancelling | Its FAQ says you can cancel from your account, by emailing support with your membership ID, or by phone | Cancel online from the Subscriptions page in your account, or by phone; you’re billed for the current cycle and keep access until it ends |
| Mobile apps | iPhone and iPad, and Android | iPhone and iPad, and Android |
| Removing your own listing | Opt-out page: find your listing and ask for it to be removed; it says other listings about you may need their own opt-out | Help center points to its privacy center and identity verification; says records typically stop appearing within a few days |
| Company behind it | The Lifetime Value Co., which also runs brands such as Bumper and Ownerly | PeopleConnect, which also runs Intelius, US Search and Classmates |
Two things stand out. The search menus overlap heavily: both list people, phone, email and address or property searches, and both offer a dark web scan. The memberships are organized differently, so read what a plan covers, not just its name, before you choose.
How to choose between them
Start with the clue you actually have. A service can only work from the input it accepts, and a report built from a weak clue is more likely to describe the wrong person.
| You’re starting from | BeenVerified lists | TruthFinder lists | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|---|
| A full name | People search | People search | Confirm the person with two independent details, such as an age range and a city |
| A phone number | Phone number lookup | Reverse phone lookup | Numbers get reassigned, so check the name another way |
| An email address | Email search | Reverse email lookup | An email can be shared, old or abandoned |
| A street address | Property search | Reverse address lookup | Residents change; look at the dates attached to each name |
| A vehicle or VIN | Vehicle and VIN lookup | Not among its listed searches | Vehicle history answers a different question from who someone is |
Once the clue is settled, weigh the practical terms:
- How often you’ll search. A one-off question and a month of lookups call for different plans, so check what each plan includes and when it renews.
- How you’ll cancel. Know the cancellation route before you enter a card, and put the renewal date in your calendar.
- Phone or desktop. Both have iPhone and Android apps, so this rarely decides it.
- Your own listing. If privacy matters to you, look at how each one handles removal before you sign up.
What neither one is for
Both companies say they are not consumer reporting agencies. TruthFinder spells out the consequence: you may not use its service to make decisions about credit, employment, insurance, tenant screening or any other purpose that requires FCRA compliance. BeenVerified states that it doesn’t collect or provide information for the purpose of furnishing consumer reports.
That limit applies to you, too. A decision about a job, a lease, a loan or a policy calls for a consumer report from a consumer reporting agency, the applicant’s written permission for employment checks, and notices before and after any adverse decision. The FTC has also made clear that a disclaimer doesn’t shield a company that has reason to believe its reports are used for screening: just saying you’re not a consumer reporting agency isn’t enough.
Test both with your own name first
You know your own addresses, age and relatives, so your name is the fairest test of how a report handles real people. Run it on whichever service you’re considering, and check the report against this list:
- The addresses are places you actually lived, with none you didn’t.
- The age range fits.
- The relatives and associates are really connected to you.
- No court matters, licenses or profiles belong to someone else with your name.
- It says what it couldn’t check instead of implying there’s nothing there.
- You know the renewal date and how to cancel before you pay.
What a namesake mix-up looks like
Illustrative example: you search your own name, Daniel Reyes, and the report shows a Phoenix address you never had, next to a small-claims case filed there. The age range fits you, but the case lists a birth year fifteen years off, so two people have been merged. The case isn’t yours — and anyone who searches your name will see the same merge until it’s corrected or removed.
A report that passes your own test is more likely to handle someone else fairly. One that fails it will fail in the same way when you look up a date or a seller, and with any people-search result, the original record held by the court or agency settles anything important. Our guide to confirming a record belongs to the right person shows how to check.
Removing yourself from BeenVerified and TruthFinder
The two companies handle removal separately, so a request to one doesn’t touch the other.
- TruthFinder. Its help center sends you to its privacy center, where you complete identity verification steps, and TruthFinder says records typically stop appearing in its search results within a few days. Its opt-out web address redirects to the PeopleConnect Suppression Center.
- BeenVerified. It lists an opt-out page on its own site for privacy requests. The company behind it, The Lifetime Value Co., runs other people-search brands as well, so ask whether your request covers them too.
Keep a note of each request and its date, then search for yourself again after a few months. Our guide to removing your information from people-search sites sets out an order that saves repeat work.
Where Recordwell fits
Recordwell is a people-search service too, built for a narrower job. You search by first and last name only; there is no phone, email, username or photo lookup.
It keeps people who share a name apart and treats a match as confirmed only when two independent details agree, such as an age range and a city. When they don’t, the result stays unresolved rather than guessed. If your clue is a phone number or an email, both services list a search for it, and BeenVerified also lists a VIN lookup; Recordwell doesn’t search by any of these.
Like both of them, Recordwell is not a consumer reporting agency. Checking your own name is free, and so is removing your information. For more comparisons, see BeenVerified alternatives, TruthFinder alternatives, BeenVerified vs Spokeo and our people-search sites comparison.
Questions people ask
Is BeenVerified or TruthFinder better?
Neither is better across the board. Both list people, phone, email and address or property searches; BeenVerified also lists vehicle, VIN and unclaimed-money lookups, while TruthFinder describes unlimited reports with plans split by report type. Pick by the clue you have and the membership terms, then test the service with your own name.
Can I use BeenVerified or TruthFinder to screen a tenant or an employee?
No. Both say they are not consumer reporting agencies, and TruthFinder expressly bars use for employment, tenant screening, credit, insurance or any other FCRA purpose. Use a consumer reporting agency that gets the applicant’s permission and sends the required notices.
Are BeenVerified and TruthFinder owned by the same company?
No. BeenVerified is one of the brands of The Lifetime Value Co., and TruthFinder is one of the brands of PeopleConnect, which also runs Intelius, US Search and Classmates.
Do BeenVerified and TruthFinder have mobile apps?
Yes. Both have apps in Apple’s App Store for iPhone and iPad and in Google Play for Android, in addition to their websites.
How do I cancel a BeenVerified or TruthFinder membership?
TruthFinder says you can cancel online from the Subscriptions page in your account or by phone, and that you’re billed for the current cycle, with access until it ends. BeenVerified’s FAQ says you can cancel from your account, by emailing support with your membership ID, or by phone. Check your renewal date either way.
How do I remove my information from BeenVerified and TruthFinder?
Make a separate request to each. TruthFinder’s help center sends you to its privacy center, with identity verification, while BeenVerified’s own opt-out page lets you find your listing and ask for it to be removed. Keep the dates, and search for yourself again after a few months.
Which one is more accurate?
Neither can promise accuracy — TruthFinder’s help center, for example, warns that its information may be incomplete, inaccurate or out of date. The fairest test is your own name: check the addresses, age range, relatives and any records that belong to a namesake, and rely on the original record held by the court or agency for anything important.