Reverse phone lookup sites allow users to type in an unknown phone number and receive information about the caller and their use of the number. This can be helpful for people screening those calls to avoid cold callers, spam, and fraudulent or threatening communications.
So many reverse phone lookup services exist that choosing between them without help is challenging. Many reverse phone lookup services lure users in with offers of excellent results and ease of use, only for them to find that this is anything but the case. Not only that, but they typically say they are free and then ask users to pay, sometimes significant amounts, for minimal information.
In this comparison of free and paid reverse phone lookup services, we will start with the obvious difference — price — and then explore the many and important differences between these two levels of service.
1. Price
One of the major problems with reverse phone lookup services is that they claim to be free and then stiff users with a paywall before they can get simple information. At best, this can be irritating. At worst, it wastes people’s time and can lead to long-term loss of trust. Sometimes, users find it more convenient to use openly paid services. They do so because they are more likely to find the number they seek while avoiding the time-sink of sifting through supposedly-free websites.
2. Reliability
Services that charge a fee may be more reliable. One reason is that they can invest in the service and its infrastructure to keep it consistent. Among the problems with paid lookup sites, however, is that it can be challenging to find one that offers a reasonable fee for a reliable service.
Realizing that working out who called you is big business, many reverse phone lookup services —- free and paid — are appearing to meet the growing demand. Newer services can lack the database sizes and reliability of players that have been in the market longer, so it can be worth focusing on organizations with experience rather than focusing solely on cost.
3. Quality / Ease of Use
Premium phone lookup services tend to have more money to spend on their websites and software development, so it is natural for paid sites to have more user-friendly designs than most free alternatives. A slick interface isn’t everything, of course. What matters is that the service works. With unknown callers affecting many cell phones, users need a service that will work well on portable devices. They need to be able to look up the number that called and make a judgment about it quickly. Paid services often have easier-to-use web interfaces that are usable across devices and operating systems.
4. Database Size
The size of the reverse phone lookup service’s database should be a vital part of anyone’s decision-making process, especially before spending money to retrieve a phone number. It doesn’t matter how good a reverse phone lookup site looks or how beautiful its interface is if it does not have the database size to support its claims. Always check out a firm’s database size before investing time or money into a service.
5. Background Check
Some reverse phone lookup sites demand fees for providing additional or deeper services. Such services include background checks, which are useful for many reverse phone lookup users. The facility to perform a quick background check can be helpful, and it makes sense to get this information, if required, from the same place and at the same time as looking up the unknown number.
6. Social Media Details
More pricey reverse phone lookup services also offer users social media details for the unknown numbers they look up with the service. However, free services may provide this information, too. The provision of social media platforms gives users an extra dimension with which to identify and make judgments about the owner of a phone number.
7. Speed
More money can tend to mean better equipment, including servers. If a free lookup service is sluggish, this might be because the site owners are making do with an overworked server that is struggling to deal with requests. Paying for a premium reverse phone lookup service is more likely to have you connected to a fast server that can handle requests.
8. Security
As well as server speed, network security is a major issue. Many people looking up unknown phone numbers are trying to find out if a legitimate individual has called them or whether the caller was a marketer or scammer. Unfortunately, many cybercriminals know this and create fake or malicious reverse phone lookup services to prey on users’ fears and vulnerabilities. They may do so by charging too much, misusing payment information, or spreading malware via their websites.
Paid or otherwise, a reputable reverse phone lookup site appreciates that customer safety is paramount. It is likely to use end-to-end encryption, signified by https in the URL bar instead of http. The “S” shows that the SSL encryption technology is used, which necessitates the purchase of an SSL certificate. A paid reverse phone lookup site is more likely than a free one to invest in this technology and maintain certificates to protect its users.
Conclusion
Before throwing money at solving the mystery behind an unknown number, remember that many reputable free options exist.
PhoneHistory is one of the few free services that does not entrap users. Individuals and businesses can use it without hidden charges for details about an unknown phone number, including those useful social media platform details and deeper information regarding the use of the phone number.
Numlooker is another free reverse phone lookup service that offers confidential searches and has a good reputation. Like PhoneHistory, you can expect growing databases and access to deep details regarding who owns phone numbers and how they use them.
If you want to pay for your information, TruthFinder may be able to help. They require a rolling monthly membership, and you can see the current fees on their pricing page.
Whichever phone lookup service you use, the best sites balance free and paid services and offer secure, reliable, and easy experiences. Just remember that with experienced, quality phone reverse lookup sites available online, there is no need to settle for anything less than reliable, good-quality service.
