A TruthFinder alternative for registry and criminal checks: TruthFinder vs OffenderSearch, feature by feature.
TruthFinder compiles a person report on a membership. OffenderSearch answers the registry question per search, for one name or a list.
| What matters | OffenderSearch | TruthFinder |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A focused search of the 58 US sex offender registries, as a dashboard and an API | A consumer background-report membership: criminal records, contact details, social profiles and more |
| How you pay | $0.15 a search, 25 free, nothing renews | A consumer membership; see TruthFinder for current plans |
| Registry search | 58 registries in one search, duplicates merged across states | Part of a broader person report |
| Match labels | dob_match, year_match, age_match or name only — on every record | Shown within the report |
| Screen a roster | CSV in the dashboard, or 1,000 people per API request, one result per row | Designed for one report at a time |
| Stored history | Every search stored with its results, shared with your team | A personal history of reports you have viewed |
| Developer API | Public REST API, batch, webhooks and an MCP server | A consumer web and mobile app |
| Criminal records | A separate search on the same key, with arrests and convictions kept apart | Included in its person reports |
| Broad personal data | Not offered | Contact details, relatives, social profiles and more |
| FCRA status | Not a consumer report; FCRA-regulated use via FCRA Partner Access | States it is not a consumer reporting agency |
TruthFinder is a trademark of its respective owner; this comparison is for informational purposes and is not affiliated with or endorsed by TruthFinder. Statements about TruthFinder 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 TruthFinder for registry checks. The registry question, asked on its own and priced on its own.
One job, done deeply
The registry question only: 58 jurisdictions, duplicates merged, every match labelled and linked to the official record.
Pay for searches, not a plan
$0.15 a search, $0.11 past 2,000 a month, 25 free. A quiet month costs nothing.
Made for organizations
Teammates, a shared history and roster uploads, so a program can show who was checked and when.
Labels a reviewer can use
Each match says whether the full date of birth, the birth year, the age or only the name lined up.
An API when you need it
Wire the same search into your sign-up or onboarding flow with the sex offender API.
Gaps are never hidden
Each search lists the registries that answered, so an outage is never read as a clean result.
What TruthFinder and OffenderSearch have in common
Parity stated plainly. These are not reasons to switch, and we do not pretend they are.
- Both show whether a person appears on a sex offender registry
- Both include criminal-record information
- Both return photographs where the registry publishes them
- Neither standard product is an FCRA consumer report
- Both work in the browser with nothing to install
- Both start from a name
When to choose TruthFinder instead of OffenderSearch. We would rather you pick the right tool than switch twice.
Choose OffenderSearch if…
- You screen volunteers, coaches, members or staff
- You need one labelled result per person on a list
- You pay per search and run checks in bursts
- You want a shared history your whole team can see
- You want an API for your own sign-up flow
Choose TruthFinder if…
- You want a broad report on one person
- You need contact details, relatives or social profiles
- You prefer a membership for many personal reports
We would rather you pick the right tool than switch twice. If that is TruthFinder, this page did its job.
For the registry question — on one person or a whole roster — OffenderSearch searches the 58 US registries, labels every match and links the official record, per search and with nothing to cancel.
How to switch from TruthFinder to OffenderSearch. A key, a first search, then your list.
Nothing to migrate from a membership. Upload the list you would have checked one name at a time.
- 1
Create a free account
25 searches, no card.
- 2
Upload your list
Names, with dates of birth where you have them, as a CSV.
- 3
Review the labels
Clear no-matches; review year-, age- and name-only matches.
- 4
Keep the record
Every search is stored with its results and which registries answered.
A focused sex offender search vs a full TruthFinder-style person report
A person report is built to be read as a whole: addresses, relatives, phone numbers, social profiles, court records and registry data, compiled into one document about one person. That suits curiosity about a single individual. It is less suited to a question an organization asks again and again, such as “is anyone on this volunteer list on a sex offender registry?”
OffenderSearch answers that one question in depth. A search covers the 58 US registries, removes duplicates when the same person appears in more than one state, and returns a short, labelled answer. It does not look for phone numbers, relatives or social accounts.
How OffenderSearch labels a sex offender match
Every result carries a match state, so a reviewer knows how much weight a record can bear.
| Match state | What lined up | How to treat it |
|---|---|---|
| dob_match | Name and full date of birth | Strong: confirm on the official record |
| year_match | Name and birth year | Likely: check the photograph and address |
| age_match | Name and published age | Possible: verify further |
| no_dob_age_year | Name only | Weak: never act on a name alone |
Searching with a full date of birth gives the strongest answers.
What it costs to screen 25, 500 or 3,000 people
| Volume | Cost on OffenderSearch |
|---|---|
| First 25 searches | Free, no card |
| 500 people | $75 |
| 2,000 people in a month | $300 |
| 3,000 people in a month | $410 (the 1,000 past 2,000 at $0.11) |
No subscription and no minimum on search. See pricing.
TruthFinder alternative pricing: a 500-person roster is $75 at $0.15 a search, with no package to buy.
| Registry searches / month | OffenderSearch |
|---|---|
| A 500-person roster | $75.00 |
| 2,000 | $300.00 |
| 10,000 | $1,180.00 |
| 50,000 | $5,580.00 |
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 workTruthFinder alternative FAQ: what people ask before switching
How is OffenderSearch different from TruthFinder?
Is there really no subscription?
Is a TruthFinder report the same as a registry search?
Can I screen a volunteer list?
Can I screen employees or tenants with it?
What does a search cover?
What should I do with a name-only match?
Does OffenderSearch find phone numbers or relatives?
Beyond TruthFinder: what else OffenderSearch searches
Try a TruthFinder alternative free — 25 searches, no card
No subscription. Your API key and the no-code dashboard both work the moment you sign up.