What Is The Best One Time Background Check?

March 16, 2023

Looking for the best one time background check service? We’ve put together a list of the very best based on criteria such as:

• Information quantity and quality
• Features
• Value
• Customer support
• Legal transparency

We also go into more detail about how we selected these background checker services and reviewed them extensively to help you make the right choice. We even include some tips on how to find the best background checking service and plenty of other relevant information.

Read on to learn more about the top one time background check companies in our extensive guide!

The Top 10 One Time Background Check Companies

Here are our top ten best background check services and a short description of their strengths:

1. Intelius – Top choice for one-time background checks
2. InfoTracer – The best pick for accuracy
3. Verispy – The best free background check firm
4. GoodHire – Ideal for pre-employment checks
5. TruthFinder – Includes a dark web scan
6. Instant Checkmate – Top choice for criminal background searches
7. USSearch.com – Best for tenant screening
8. BeenVerified – Best background search app for mobile
9. PeopleFinders – Excellent choice for dating checks
10. PeopleLooker – Ideal for personal background checks

This selection is based on several stringent criteria, as mentioned above. Read on to learn more about why these services beat out the competition.

Reviews of the Top One Time Background Check Companies

Here’s a closer look at our ten best background check services:

1. Intelius

Best background check service overall

Intelius is easily our top pick for the best background check firm around. Accurate, reliable, and affordable, it is an especially good background checker for conducting personal research.

Intelius provides an extensive range of data in its results. Reports include everything from personal information and social media profiles to relationships and relatives, address history, phone numbers, and even criminal records.

Keep an eye out for deals on the company’s Premier Plus plan. It is usually priced at $29.95, but it occasionally goes for $14.95.

You could also conduct a one time people search and a reverse phone lookup for $0.95. Statewide criminal records are considerably more expensive at $19.95.

2. InfoTracer

Best for: Accuracy

InfoTracer is our top pick for accuracy. It is also one of the cheapest one time background check services around, which is always a plus.

For the price of just under $4, you get a 7-day unlimited pass that includes unlimited reports. This background checker site even has a deep web search feature which is ideally suited for finding out if your identity has been compromised.

A one time report will cost you $19.95, which is the same cost as its monthly subscription. But you could also try out the background check company for five days, which will only cost you $2.95.

3. Verispy

Best for: Free background checks

Verispy is our go-to choice for accurate data and fair pricing. It also doesn’t renew your subscription automatically, which is a plus. Extensive search options and a highly intuitive interface make it a good background check company for one time searches, especially for first-time users.

Verispy also generates accurate and detailed information much more quickly than other services, which is helpful if you need detailed reports fast.

A one time report will cost you $19.95, but you can get a one-week pass for only $24.95 with unlimited background reports. You could also spring for the 30-day pass, which costs only $29.95 with unlimited searches.

4. GoodHire

Best for: Pre-employment verification

Employers who need to conduct background checks on prospective applicants’ employment history and criminal history should definitely check out GoodHire. Apart from being the best background check site for employment verification, education verification, drug screening, and credit checks, it is also one of the very few that are FCRA approved.

GoodHire offers a pretty extensive range of search types. You can find everything from credit histories to civil court backgrounds, social media, education and employment history, and even drug, sex offense, and criminal records.

What GoodHire doesn’t have is a free trial period or money-back guarantee. You can perform a basic check for $29.99 or run a more detailed check for $54.99. A premium check will cost you $79.99.

5. TruthFinder

Best for: Dark web scans

In terms of features, TruthFinder comes in at the very top of the list. It offers a comprehensive range of features and even dark web monitoring and reverse phone lookup feature.

The easy to use interface makes it remarkably easy to unearth personal and social media information, family members, address history, property records, and even criminal record and civil judgment histories.

Amazingly, TruthFinder is very easy to use, relying on only a few search parameters to give you the information you’re looking for from criminal records, court registers, and other sources. The results are also consistently accurate, which should be expected from a reputable background checker.

A monthly membership with TruthFinder costs $30. You could also sign up for a 3-month plan at $26 per month. Both plans offer unlimited reports.

6. Instant Checkmate

Best for: Criminal background searches

Instant Checkmate has gotten an A+ rating from the BBB, a sign of its accuracy and reliability for a criminal background check. Instant Checkmate offers a wide range of public information search features, with many different search parameters to delve into someone’s criminal history or financial records.

Instant Checkmate allows you to do a thorough background check on search subjects simply by typing their names. You can also perform email and social media searches, check phone numbers and family members, look up criminal records and even sex offenses.

Although Instant Checkmate doesn’t offer free background checks, you can try out the service for five days for only a dollar. You can also perform a one time search for $19.99 or sign up for a monthly subscription for $22.86.

7. USSearch.com

Best for: Tenant screening

US Search is another background check service that offers an extensive range of features. The site provides multiple search options, and results are more accurate and reliable than most background check services.

US Search is especially suitable for tenant screening and performing criminal and property searches. Criminal reports are detailed and data-rich yet laid out remarkably well.

The site doesn’t offer a free trial period, and one time background searches are a bit expensive at $39.95. But you can go for the much more affordable basic people search for only $2.45.

8. BeenVerified

Best for: Mobile searches

BeenVerified is the best background check service for mobile devices. The app is well laid-out and extremely easy to use, allowing for a surprisingly wide range of search types.

Highlights include a username search and a vehicle lookup option, both of which provide consistently accurate results. But the service also allows you to find an extensive range of other data by typing in names, addresses, phone numbers, and social media details.

You can use BeenVerified to perform a one time background check, but you will have to pay for a membership plan to see the results. A one-month membership costs $26.89, while a three-month membership costs $52.44, which comes out to $17.48 per month.

9. PeopleFinders

Best for: Dating checks

For dating checks, few services compare to PeopleFinders. Of course, you can use it for many other types of searches as well, and you always get detailed results.

PeopleFinders gathers information from more than 43 billion public records and over 6,000 data sources. Its extensive network of data sources ensures accurate and verifiable results every time.

You can perform one time background checks with PeopleFinders via their affordable trial periods. A trial of the standard plan costs only $0.95, while the premium plan trial costs $3.95. You could also sign up for a monthly membership for $24.95 per month (standard) and $29.95 per month (premium).

10. PeopleLooker

Best for: Personal background checks

PeopleLooker is possibly the easiest background check service around. The site is extremely well laid-out, and it’s clear that a lot of effort went into ensuring a smooth and streamlined user experience.

All the essential search features for doing your own background checks are available, and search results are periodically updated with the latest information from civil records. Processing times can be a bit long, but the comprehensiveness of the background report makes it worth the wait

PeopleLooker doesn’t offer a free one time background check. But you can try out the service for five days for only a dollar. Monthly membership costs $22.86, while a three-month membership costs $18.28 per month.

How We Selected the Best One Time Background Check Sites

Here’s how we settled on the background check services in this rundown:

We first did an extensive search on the internet for background checking websites and services. We then did a quick but thorough look at some review sites to see which ones consistently ranked.

This was no small feat. There are literally hundreds of background check services out there, and most seem to offer pretty much the same features and functionality. Nevertheless, a few stood out against the rest and consistently topped the lists.

Our next step was to sign up for accounts with twenty or so of the best background check services. This was the hard part. We tested each one thoroughly to see if they delivered on their promises. Some did and ended up in our top ten list; others fell short.

We also went back and read more detailed reviews to see if customer experiences supported our findings. Those that consistently received favorable reviews were among our top picks as well. These were eventually shortlisted and made our top ten list.

Throughout our tests, we were always mindful of weighing the value of a particular service from an end-users standpoint. Although we took note of the technical and legal aspects of each service, we were firmly focused on how each would be helpful to the user.

Ultimately, we made our selection based on the following criteria:

• Information accuracy
• User-friendliness
• Value for money
• Customer service quality

What to Look for in One-Time Background Check Sites

Most background check sites offer very similar services, so it can be difficult to choose the right one for your needs. And considering that many charge a fee even for trial periods, it is essential to know what to look for when doing preliminary research.

Consider the following when choosing a background check site:

Accuracy

Accurate data is the bare minimum a background check site should provide. After all, what good is a search service if the background report is incomplete, inaccurate, or collected from out-of-date public records? Thankfully, all the services reviewed here have excellent reputations for accuracy.

Search Options

A good background check service will allow you to search for a person based on different criteria. Most sites allow you to type in a person’s name to generate a comprehensive background check report.

But what if all you have is a phone number, address, or social media profile? The best sites offer multiple search types of phone records, court records, medical records, social media accounts, and other public records.

Speed

The speed at which a site returns reports can be crucial. In some cases, you may need to perform background screening or credit checks on a potential employee or tenant quickly, which means you can’t afford to wait for hours to get background check reports. The best sites give you results in just a few minutes.

Cost

Background checking services vary considerably in terms of cost. Some charge only a few cents for a trial period or forego the trial fee altogether. Monthly rates can vary from $5 to $11 a month, which could be an important consideration if you have to perform regular searches.

Legality

The legality of background reports is a touchy subject, so we’re going to delve into it in more detail.

Background checks for a criminal record might seem like a standard part of screening a tenant or interviewing a prospective employee. But there are times when running a check on a person’s criminal history or arrest records is inappropriate and even illegal.

The main issue when you run a background check is running afoul of a federal law known as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

FCRA essentially governs the collection, dissemination, and usage of consumer data. It is intended to ensure fairness and accuracy in matters involving specific persons. FCRA ensures that any data gathered when you run a background check won’t adversely affect a person’s ability to obtain the following:

• Employment
• Medical services
• Consumer credit
• Insurance and banking services
• Housing

FCRA and Pre-Employment Background Checks

Knowledge of the FCRA is especially critical when running pre-employment background checks. The law states that prospective employees can’t be denied a position in a particular firm based on information discovered via an online background check service of social media accounts or other data sources.

Misinformation isn’t the only issue. Anyone subject to a background check has the right to refute any findings and conduct their own investigation to clear their name. But they shouldn’t have to do that when applying for a job, getting insurance, or renting an apartment.

FCRA essentially protects prospective employees from being penalized for information that may not be accurate or relevant anymore. If they have already settled their debts, for example, court records shouldn’t be used as a basis to be rejected for a company position.

Furthermore, the FCRA doesn’t consider background check sites as Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRA). Consequently, most can’t be used to determine an individual’s eligibility for employment, insurance, credit, or tenancy.

Legal Use of Background Checks

Background check services can be used for legitimate purposes. But doing so should always consider fairness and conformance with federal law, particularly the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

How can you ensure the legality of background checks you conduct on someone? Firstly, only rely on information that you get from a consumer reporting agency or an FCRA-complaint background check service.

Using either of these services ensures that you don’t utilize irrelevant or unlawful information that would be detrimental to the search subject. These include:

• Misdemeanor criminal records from seven or more years ago
• Bankruptcy records from ten or more years ago
• Unpaid tax liens from seven or more years ago
• Account collections from seven or more years ago
• Inaccurate and wrongful accusations

The second way to ensure the legality of a background check is to always get permission before running a background check. Doing so will help you avoid a potentially costly lawsuit.

It is also advisable to present the search subject with a disclosure signifying adverse action. These should explain the planned action, along with a statement of FCRA compliance.

The disclosure should be accompanied by an adverse action notice. This notice should include the background check service’s company name, address, and phone number.

Finally, consider sending the subject a notice for dispute. This provides them the opportunity to clarify possible errors and issues with the report. For example, they could prove they were acquitted of a particular charge or clear up multiple reports involving a single case.

 

Conclusion

Background check services can be very valuable and helpful resources for identity verification. They can be used by employers, landlords, insurance investigators, law enforcement personnel, professional background screeners, and anyone looking for background information, contact details, or arrest records of a particular person.

One-time background check services are especially useful for those that need to conduct background searches only occasionally. They are more cost-effective than monthly site subscriptions, and the comprehensive report can be just as effective.

Any of the services reviewed here should help you find the results you are looking for. Whether you want background information on yourself or someone else, education history, previous addresses, contact details, or criminal records of a prospective tenant, employee, or even a date, these services should be helpful for your research.

Contact EraseMugshots Today

If you’ve performed a background check on yourself — or are worried a prospective employer, financial services group, or individual will find your personal details during a background check — we can help.

If you need help erasing your sensitive and personal information online, it’s time to take action. Contact us now and learn more about how to remove your information online with our proven background check service.  We also provide a cutting-edge reputation monitoring service to help you stay abreast of emerging threats in the digital environment.

Learn more about how to remove harmful content online by calling 866-601-6803 . If you need help protecting your privacy online, contact us now.

 

Free Mugshot Removal Analysis