The sex offender API alternative is one call: 58 US registries at $0.15 a search, with a scored match you can test free.
Whichever tool you compare us with, the thing to test is the response: which registries answered, why a record matched and what it costs at your volume. Send the same names you already know the answer for.
curl https://api.offendersearch.app/v1/search \
-H "X-API-Key: $OFFENDERSEARCH_KEY" \
-d '{"query":{"firstName":"Jordan",
"lastName":"Sample","dob":"1980-04-12"}}'
{ "status": "complete",
"counts": { "sourcesQueried": 58,
"sourcesComplete": 58,
"records": 1 },
"records": [ { "matchState": "dob_match",
"matchConfidence": 0.98 } ] }Sex offender search tools compared side by side
Every kind of tool a reader might be replacing, on the rows that decide the choice. Competitor cells reflect each company’s public website, October 2026; the linked pages hold the detail.
| OffenderSearch | offenders.io | NSOPW | Family Watchdog | People-search memberships | Checkr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | Registry checks, rosters and software | A registry data API | Free public lookups | Browsing a free map | Broad reports on one person | End-to-end hiring screens |
| Price | $0.15 a search, $0.11 past 2,000/mo | $0.20 then $0.15 a call; 50 free a month | Free | Free | Membership | Packages from $29.99 a report |
| State registries in one search | 58 US registries | 184 jurisdictions incl. tribal | Incl. participating tribes | On a map | Inside a person report | Inside a candidate report |
| Match labels on each record | Score, basis and DOB match state | Not in public API docs | Review results yourself | Review results yourself | Within the report | Adjudicated in workflow |
| Which registries answered | Per-source status, every response | errors array | Grouped by jurisdiction | — | — | Within the report |
| Roster or batch | CSV or 1,000 per API request | CSV batch tool | One search at a time | Batch via its sales team | One report at a time | Per-candidate orders |
| Self-serve API | Key at sign-up, plus MCP | Yes, plus MCP | Website and mobile app | API via its sales team | Mostly consumer apps | API for platforms |
| Monitoring and alerts | Person $3/mo, address $10/mo | Build it with a date filter | Varies by jurisdiction | Free neighborhood alerts | Varies by service | Continuous monitoring |
| FCRA consumer report | Via FCRA Partner Access | Separate written agreement | Not a consumer report | Not a consumer report | State they are not CRAs | Its core product |
“People-search memberships” covers BeenVerified, TruthFinder, Intelius, Instant Checkmate and Spokeo’s consumer product. All names are trademarks of their respective owners; this comparison is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them. NSOPW is a public resource of the US Department of Justice. Standard OffenderSearch results are not a consumer report.
Alternatives to people-search memberships for sex offender checks
Broad personal-report services where registry data is one section of a larger report. If you want focused registry screening without a membership, compare:
OffenderSearch vs BeenVerified
Broad people-search on a membership vs. focused registry screening priced per search.
Compare ›OffenderSearch vs TruthFinder
A person report vs. labelled registry matches for one name or a whole roster.
Compare ›OffenderSearch vs Spokeo
A people-data platform and business API vs. a self-serve registry API and dashboard.
Compare ›OffenderSearch vs Intelius
A people-search membership vs. per-search pricing shown on the page.
Compare ›OffenderSearch vs Instant Checkmate
A neighborhood search inside a membership vs. name-or-area search with alerts and an API.
Compare ›Alternatives to sex offender maps and registry data APIs
Tools built around sex offender registries. Here the comparison is about match quality, self-service and how you integrate:
OffenderSearch vs offenders.io
The closest data-API competitor, compared on its published prices and features — honest on both sides.
Compare ›OffenderSearch vs offenders.io migration
Already decided? The compat endpoint, parameter map and a four-week cut-over plan.
Compare ›OffenderSearch vs Family Watchdog
A free neighborhood map with alerts vs. checking named people and rosters with an API.
Compare ›OffenderSearch vs NSOPW
The free national public website vs. a screening tool for teams and developers.
Compare ›Alternatives to full background check platforms
FCRA-regulated screening suites solve a different, broader problem — and the honest comparison says so:
OffenderSearch vs Checkr
A full FCRA screening platform vs. a self-serve registry-search layer you can integrate today.
Compare ›OffenderSearch vs Checkr’s competitors
Ten Checkr alternatives vs. one another, on published prices, APIs and FCRA fit.
Compare ›OffenderSearch vs the Checkr API
Ordering a report vs. a lookup answered in the request, object by object.
Compare ›How to choose a sex offender search tool
The right tool depends on the job. Sometimes the honest answer is not us.
| If you need | A good fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A broad personal report on one person | A people-search membership | Contacts, relatives and history beyond the registry |
| A free, one-off public lookup | NSOPW, the national public website | Free, government-run, one search at a time |
| A map of your neighborhood | A free registry map | Visual pins and free alerts for an area |
| Registry checks on people or rosters, with official links | OffenderSearch | Labelled matches across 58 registries, per search |
| Registry search inside your own software | OffenderSearch API | REST API, batch, monitoring and webhooks |
| Tribal registries or facial search in an API | offenders.io | Both are on its published feature list |
| Hiring or tenant screening | An FCRA-regulated screening company | Consumer reports with notice and dispute rights; ours run through FCRA Partner Access |
Questions to ask any sex offender search provider
Whichever tool you choose, these answers tell you whether a result can be relied on.
Which registries does a search cover?
Ask for the list by name. A search that covers some states can return “no match” for a person registered in another.
How do I know if a registry did not answer?
Registries go offline. A good result says which ones answered; otherwise an outage looks like a clean record.
Why did this record match?
Look for the match basis: full date of birth, birth year, age or name only. A name alone is not an identification.
Can I see the official record?
Each record should link to the registry entry that published it, so a person can confirm before acting.
What may I use the result for?
Awareness and safety checks are one thing. Hiring and tenant decisions need an FCRA-regulated consumer report.
What does it cost at my volume?
Compare a per-search price, a membership and a contract at the number of searches you actually run.
Switching to OffenderSearch from another sex offender search
From a people-search site there is nothing to migrate: sign up, run your next check and compare the answer. From a registry data API, the compatibility endpoint accepts the common legacy request and response shape, so an existing integration can switch by changing the base URL and key, then move to the native API at its own pace — see the offenders.io migration page and the migration guide. For a roster kept in a spreadsheet, upload it to the dashboard and each row gets its own result.
Whichever route you come from, run a handful of names you already know the answer for. Compare what each tool returns, how it labels the match and whether it tells you which registries answered. Twenty-five free searches are enough for that test, and no card is needed.
Sex offender search pricing without a subscription
| What you run | What it costs on OffenderSearch |
|---|---|
| Your first 25 searches | Free, no card |
| A registry or criminal-record search | $0.15 |
| Each search past 2,000 in a month | $0.11 |
| Live re-verification at the registry | +$0.02 per registry, capped at $2.00 a search |
| A verification PDF | +$0.02 |
| Watching a person / an address | $3 / $10 a month |
No subscription, no seats and no minimum on search. See pricing; competitor prices are on each comparison page, attributed and dated.
Sex offender monitoring: a standing watch, not a one-time search
A search answers once, the moment you look. OffenderSearch also offers recurring monitoring: watch a person by name and date of birth ($3 a month), or an address and radius across the 58 US registries ($10 a month), and get an email or signed webhook when a matching registry record is added, changes or is removed.
Monitoring is for personal awareness and safety. It is not a consumer report and must not be used for FCRA-governed hiring, tenancy or credit decisions — those run through FCRA Partner Access.
See monitoring and alerts ›Making a hiring or tenant decision? Use an FCRA workflow.
FCRA workflows are built primarily for tenant screening and hiring decisions. If a result will help decide whether to hire someone or rent to them, the check has to run as an FCRA-regulated consumer report, with a permissible purpose, consent, accuracy controls and a dispute path for the person. Our standard search and API are not a consumer report. FCRA workflows run through FCRA Partner Access, for background check companies and screening platforms under a written FCRA agreement.
FCRA pricing is quoted per partner, so contact us for pricing.
Contact us for FCRA pricingHow FCRA workflows workSex offender search alternatives FAQ
What is the best alternative to a people-search site for sex offender checks?
Is there a free sex offender search?
Which alternative has an API?
How is OffenderSearch different from a free sex offender map?
Do I need a subscription to search sex offender registries?
Which option is best for a school, league or nonprofit?
Does OffenderSearch cover criminal records too?
Can any of these be used for employment screening?
Where are the competitor facts on these pages from?
See the difference for yourself — free
25 free searches, no card and no subscription. Search 58 US registries from the API or the no-code dashboard the moment you sign up.