A Family Watchdog alternative for registry and criminal checks: Family Watchdog vs OffenderSearch, feature by feature.
Family Watchdog is a free map for browsing an area. OffenderSearch checks specific people and rosters, with labelled matches and an API.
| What matters | OffenderSearch | Family Watchdog |
|---|---|---|
| Best at | Checking named people and whole rosters, and registry checks inside software | Browsing registered offenders near an address on a free map |
| Price | 25 searches free, then $0.15 a search | Free to the public |
| Neighborhood search | ZIP, or an address and a radius up to 100 miles, returned as records | An address search on a map |
| Address alerts | Family Watch: $34.99 a year for up to 3 addresses, with email alerts | Free alerts when offenders move in or out of your area |
| Watch a named person | A Background Check, $9.99: the name plus where the person lives or works | Oriented to places |
| Match labels | Every match labelled: full date of birth, birth year, age or name only | A map and list to read yourself |
| Screen a roster | Self-serve CSV upload, or 1,000 people per API request | Batch processing of name lists, through its sales team |
| API | Self-serve REST API, key at sign-up, plus an MCP server | An API, arranged through its sales team |
| Team history | Every search stored with its results, shared with teammates | A browsing tool |
| FCRA status | Not a consumer report; FCRA-regulated use via FCRA Partner Access | A public-awareness map, not a consumer reporting agency |
Family Watchdog is a trademark of its respective owner; this comparison is for informational purposes and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Family Watchdog. Statements about Family Watchdog reflect its own public website. Standard OffenderSearch results are public-record data, not a consumer report; employment, tenancy and other FCRA-covered decisions run through FCRA Partner Access.
Why people switch from Family Watchdog for registry checks. The registry question, asked on its own and priced on its own.
An answer, not just a map
Search a name and get a clear no-match or a short list of labelled possible matches, each with the official registry link.
Built to check people and rosters
Upload a volunteer, staff or member list and get one result per person. See bulk sex offender search.
Watch a person, not only a place
A person monitor follows a name and date of birth and tells you when a matching registry record appears or changes.
A record of every check
Searches are stored with what they returned and which registries answered — the file a program keeps behind a safety policy.
One schema for every state
Each record comes back in the same shape whichever registry published it, so a team reads every result the same way.
What Family Watchdog and OffenderSearch have in common
Parity stated plainly. These are not reasons to switch, and we do not pretend they are.
- Both search registered sex offenders near an address
- Both offer email alerts for an address
- Both show photographs where the registry publishes them
- Neither standard product is an FCRA consumer report
- Both work in a web browser
- Both offer an API and batch name checks for organizations
When to choose Family Watchdog instead of OffenderSearch. We would rather you pick the right tool than switch twice.
Choose OffenderSearch if…
- You need to check specific, named people — not just browse a map
- You screen volunteers, staff or members and want a whole list at once
- You want labelled matches and the official record to verify
- You want an API or a team dashboard
- You need a record of what was searched and what came back
Choose Family Watchdog if…
- You only want to see who is registered near your own home, for free
- Free address alerts cover what you need
- You are not screening people or keeping a record of checks
We would rather you pick the right tool than switch twice. If that is Family Watchdog, this page did its job.
A free map is great for a glance around your block. When you need to check a specific person or a whole roster, verify against the official record and keep a record of it, OffenderSearch does that across the 58 US registries, with an API and a dashboard.
How to switch from Family Watchdog to OffenderSearch. A key, a first search, then your list.
Keep the free map for browsing if you like it. Add OffenderSearch for the people checks a map cannot do.
- 1
Create a free account
25 searches, no card.
- 2
Check your area
Enter the address you would have looked up on the map.
- 3
Check the people
Search names, or upload the roster as a CSV.
- 4
Set a watch
Monitor an address or a person and get an email when records change.
Family Watchdog alerts vs OffenderSearch monitoring
Family Watch · $34.99 a year
Up to 3 addresses — home, school, grandparents — across the 58 US registries. The email names the change — a new registrant nearby, a changed record or one removed. Or $6.99 a month.
Background Check · $9.99
The name plus where the person lives or works: registry matches with photos, and criminal records in those states. $19.99 for 3.
Family Watch is set up in your account; businesses manage monitors over the API. See monitoring and alerts.
Who needs more than a free sex offender map
Youth programs and leagues
Check every coach and volunteer by name each season, with a stored record of each check.
Property managers
Check the area around a building by address and radius, then watch it. See sex offenders near me.
Apps and platforms
Run a registry check at sign-up with one API call, and act on the match label.
Deciding whether to rent to someone? Use an FCRA workflow.
FCRA workflows are built primarily for tenant screening and hiring decisions. If a result will help decide whether to rent to someone, 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 workFamily Watchdog alternative FAQ: what people ask before switching
Is Family Watchdog free?
Why pay when a map is free?
Does Family Watchdog send alerts?
Can I search a person by name?
Can I use it for hiring or tenant decisions?
What does a search cover?
Does the radius search find everyone?
Is there a mobile app?
Beyond Family Watchdog: what else OffenderSearch searches
Try a Family Watchdog alternative free — 25 searches, no card
No subscription. Your API key and the no-code dashboard both work the moment you sign up.