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In the dawn of online dating, Match.com and eharmony were the first major players. But there’s another OG dating website that you may not have heard about. 

What is Dating.com?

Dating.com is a global online dating website and app. While most dating sites only let you match with other singles within a local radius, Dating.com allows you to connect with people all over the world. 

Dating.com was launched in 1993 and has since expanded to 150 countries. 

Like other dating apps and websites, it’s a place where singles can connect in the hopes of finding love, but with a global spin. 

But is Dating.com worth it? Not if you’re looking to find a real, local connection.

[wp-review id=”27320″]

Looking for real love? If you are, we recommend eharmony.

Read my Dating.com review to find out why:

How Dating.com works

Is Dating.com safe?

Does Dating.com have fake profiles?

How much does Dating.com cost?

Is Dating.com worth paying for?

• Dating.com pros
• Dating.com cons

Reviews (including my own!) of Dating.com

Which is better, eharmony or Dating.com?

How does Dating.com work?

Like other dating websites and apps, you start by creating a profile — adding your photos and filling out your bio with interests, hobbies, and general information (such as age, location, education, etc.). You also get space to share what you’re looking for in a partner.

 There are several ways to communicate with members. However you need to pay to play:

• Sending messages
• Responding to chat invitations
• Sending a mass email to several users using the “Let’s Mingle” function 

Messages are saved in the My Contacts section, so you can always go back and respond to your matches. Unfortunately, you can only read messages if you’re a paid Dating.com user (more on that later). You can also chat in real time using Dating.com’s live chat and video chat features through credits that you purchase.

Additional features for Dating.com include the option to view live streams from other users (as well as creating a live stream) and the ability to send virtual presents to other matches.

Is Dating.com a safe dating site?

Yes, Dating.com is as safe as any other dating website or app. However, one thing that caught me off guard was the lack of a verification process it has compared to its competitors. After I signed up, I had to verify my email, but I could continue to match and chat with other people despite having an empty-looking profile.

You can request additional verification by clicking on the X next to your name on your profile. That will allow you to undergo a photo verification process to verify your identity. It takes three days to get the verification. So while they have some verification, it seems that Dating.com doesn’t enforce it like other dating apps.

Dating.com has updated its verification procedures over the years, so the process may look different for members signing up today. In 2025, Dating.com introduced additional identity verification procedures for certain members, including verification through government-issued ID and biometric liveness checks. The company has also reported a decline in fake applicants following these changes.

As always, when meeting people online, you have to use common sense and look out for any red flags. Never share personal information (like addresses or credit card information) with anyone you just met. 

Feel out your matches before agreeing to meet in IRL to make sure they’re the real deal. (I’m a big fan of the first-date FaceTime).

Before you meet in person, you can run your date’s name through a site like TruthFinder, which will pull all online public records on the person and compile them into an easy-to-read report.

And lastly, if you’re meeting your date, make it somewhere public.

Check out more tips on safe online dating.

Does Dating.com have fake profiles?

Every dating website is susceptible to fake profiles, and unfortunately, Dating.com isn’t any different. Sites like SiteJabber and the Better Business Bureau have some reviews from unhappy users that claim there are fake profiles on the website:

As I previously mentioned, Dating.com has a very basic verification process, though they do encourage users to report any suspicious-looking profiles. You can also hide any profiles you don’t trust.

How much does Dating.com cost?

While you can create a profile for free on Dating.com, you have to pay to interact in real ways with other users. Dating.com operates on a credit system rather than a monthly subscription. 

Credits are used like currency, so you pay with credits to use features such as messaging, live chatting, and more. 

Dating.com offers these credit packages:

• $19.99 for 150 credits/mo
• $150 for 600 credits/mo
• $300 for 1500 credits/mo

These are a few examples of what different features cost:

• Let’s Mingle: 5 credits per mingle
• Online chat: 1 credit per minute
• Read messages: 10 credits per email
• Send messages: 10 credits per email
• Sending presents: 49 credits per present
• Sending/receiving photos: 15 credits each

Is Dating.com worth paying for?

I don’t think Dating.com is worth paying for if you’re legitimately looking to date. The pool of matches isn’t that big compared to other dating apps like Hinge or Tinder (and I’m from New York). 

However, if you just want to make virtual pen pals with people from around the world, it might be worth buying a small credit package to try out.

There are unfortunately very few free features (basically just looking at other profiles), though some features are relatively affordable. For example, live chatting a match only costs one credit per minute, while sending messages costs 10 credits. Dating.com suggests limiting your interactions to a few matches to maximize your credit use.

Dating.com pros:

It prides itself on being a global dating app.

Dating.com is available in 150 countries, and you can match with individuals from all over the world. On other dating apps, like Tinder, you’d have to pay extra for that.

It’s not swipe-heavy.

Dating.com appears to have a more casual vibe than the other dating apps. While the swipe culture of modern-day dating apps can feel exhausting, Dating.com has a more social networking feel. One thing I really liked about Dating.com is that it allows you to update your status like Facebook 2008. You can select your mood from a dropdown menu — including pen pal, serious, and naughty.

It’s available on desktop and mobile.

Aside from being a website, Dating.com is also available as an app on Android and iOS.

Dating.com cons:

Expensive to use

This is the biggest con with Dating.com and my personal pet peeve. How can you decide if there are quality individuals on the site if you can’t talk to them? You have no choice but to pay to use the website.

There’s no algorithm to help you find matches.

I was very confused when I first logged on to find profiles of women on my page, even though I selected that I was into men. I had to manually search for profiles of men by using their search bar. For some people, this may not matter, but I’m someone who doesn’t like to spend too much time on a dating website and would like the website to put in some more work on my behalf.

The success rate seems unclear.

Dating.com is almost too casual for my liking. While connecting with singles globally is a cool selling point, I’m curious about how many actual relationships form on this dating website. To me, it just appears to be a great place to find an international pen pal (or 90-day fiance…).

Dating.com reviews

App stores

On Apple’s app store, Dating.com has 3.5 out of 5 stars. Reviewers like the app’s layout, adding that its laid-back feel takes the pressure off online dating. They also like that people from all over the world can match. Some negative reviews report spam accounts and complain about how costly Dating.com can be.

On Google Play, Dating.com has 4.4 out of 5 stars. Many reviewers think the app is too expensive, complain of the frequent charges just to navigate the app, and the lack of customer support.

BBB

Dating.com is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau. It has 1 out of 5 stars based on just 9 reviews. 

Most BBB complaints are related to payment issues. It appears the Dating.com team is responsive to their customer complaints.

Sitejabber

On Sitejabber, Dating.com has 3.2 out of 5-star reviews with more than 1,100 reviews. Some people who gave 5-star reviews claim they met their SOs on Dating.com. But negative reviews call the site a scam and claim there are many fake profiles.

Other people continue to call it a scam, saying they feel Dating.com is ripping them off for the chance of love. People are also reporting fake profiles.

Trustpilot

On Trustpilot, Dating.com has a 3.7 out of 5-star rating.

Bianca’s experience with Dating.com

I think for those who are tired of the rat race that is swiping and want to take a more casual approach to dating (or just talking to new people), Dating.com’s formula is refreshing.

I really like how it makes it easy to connect with people all over the world. Still, I wonder how many of these connections actually evolve into a relationship or even a first date. It might have a wide net of users, but if you’re taking dating seriously, you might not find anyone in your hometown.

Which is better, eharmony or Dating.com?

eharmony has an established reputation of matching millions of couples, thanks to its extremely detailed compatibility quizzes. So how do eharmony and Dating.com stack up?

First, name recognition; while Dating.com has been around longer (eharmony launched in 2000), pretty much everyone knows about eharmony. If I’m being honest, I only just heard about Dating.com.

How it works

One major difference between the two dating websites is their verification process. eharmony users must prove their identity through the site’s user verification tools, and the site is constantly monitoring for suspicious-looking profiles. 

Fun fact: eharmony specifically checks to make sure users aren’t currently married. Once your profile has been fully vetted, eharmony then curates potential matches for their members using a detailed compatibility quiz, which prevents you from having to scroll through endless, unviable options. Dating.com only confirms an email address.

Reviews

eharmony is one of very few dating websites accredited by the Better Business Bureau — it also boasts an A rating. Dating.com is not BBB accredited.

Eharmony has a 2.9 Trustpilot rating while Dating.com has 3.7 stars of 5-star rating.

Cost

eharmony offers plans priced for 6-months, 12-months, and 24-month subscription plans with discounts for first-time users.

It does not have a free trial.

As of September 2025, eharmony costs per month:

• Free basic account: $0
• Premium Light: 
  • $38.94/ month for 6 months
  • $23.94/ month for 12 months
  • $17.94/ month for 24 months
• Premium Plus:
  • $44.94/ month for 6 months
  • $26.34/ month for 12 months
  • $20.34/ month for 24 months
• Premium Unlimited:
  • $47.94/ month for 6 months
  • $29.94/ month for 12 months
  • $21.54/ month for 24 months

As mentioned, Dating.com users pay for credits. Below again is the breakdown of cost:

• $19.99 150 credits/mo
• $150 600 credits/mo
• $300 1500 credits/mo

Which is better?

If you want my opinion about which dating website is better for legitimate dating, my pick is eharmony. 

While both dating websites will cost you money to interact with other users, Dating.com seems like it’s built more for casual interactions with people around the world rather than helping you find compatible matches — which is what eharmony does best.

Check out our full eharmony review and our reviews of other top dating sites and apps:

Whether you want to find out more about an elusive neighbor, see what the internet has to say about you, or track down a former boyfriend or girlfriend, using a background check service is a simple way to quickly get the information you need.

TruthFinder is one such online service you can use to dig for information on someone. You can even use it to find out what others see online when they search for you. 

Keep reading for our TruthFinder review to find out:

How TruthFinder works

What info Truthfinder provides

• Does TruthFinder reveal SSN?
• How far back does TruthFinder go?
• Is TruthFinder precise? Does it work?
• TruthFinder background check
• TruthFinder’s people search
• TruthFinder for public records search
• TruthFinder’s reverse phone lookup

If Truthfinder is legit

TruthFinder reviews

• BBB rating
• Trustpilot reviews
• Reddit reviews
• Our own experience with and TruthFinder review 

Is TruthFinder incognito?

• Does TruthFinder tell the person?

TruthFinder reviews FAQs

Pros and cons of TruthFinder

Bottom line: Is TruthFinder worth it?

What is TruthFinder and how does TruthFinder get your information? 

TruthFinder is a background search service that crawls public records and aggregates the information into a report. You can use it to search for just about anyone in the United States by typing in their name, phone number, email address, or physical address. 

What information does TruthFinder provide?

When you run a background check on someone using TruthFinder, you may be able to see the following:

• Contact information (phone numbers, email addresses, social media profiles)
• Possible relatives and acquaintances 
• Career and academic history
• Present and past addresses
• Criminal and traffic records
• Marriage and divorce records
• Birth and death certificates
• Property records
• Professional licenses
• Bankruptcies
• Sex offenders in the area

Does TruthFinder reveal SSN?

TruthFinder won’t reveal someone else’s social security number to you in any of their background reports. However, they do have a section on their background reports that lets you know when and where someone’s Social Security Number was issued.

How far back does TruthFinder go?

According to Consumer Affairs, a customer review platform, the information included in a TruthFinder report goes back as far as 15 years — although results vary by person. I was able to see my aunt’s childhood address, where she lived in the 1960s, in her report. 

Keep in mind that convicted crimes, including felonies and misdemeanors, will stay on someone’s records indefinitely until the person files a request to have their criminal and traffic record expunged or sealed, according to the Center for American Progress. 

TransUnion credit reporting agency reports that bankruptcies will stay on someone’s record for seven to 10 years, depending on which type of bankruptcy they file. 

If you are trying to find a career and have a spotty record, check out our list of no background check posts.

Is TruthFinder precise? Does it work?

Customer reviews say that TruthFinder is mostly precise and that the service works relatively well.

However, what you’ll be able to find really varies from person to person. Some customers complain that the information in reports isn’t totally up-to-date or is pretty basic.

From my experience of doing background checks on myself and family members, TruthFinder was simple to use and provided precise results, although there was nothing surprising in any of the reports I ran. 

They have different types of searches you can conduct on their website: 

• Background check
• People search
• Public records search
• Reverse phone lookup service

TruthFinder searches can reveal someone’s contact information, criminal and traffic records, marriage and divorce records, career history, current and previous addresses, and social media profiles. 

TruthFinder background check

With TruthFinder’s background check, you can pull a background report on an online date, cheating spouse, family member, friend, co-worker, neighbor, or co-tenant — but not on a potential employee or tenant. You’ll need to input into TruthFinder the person’s first name, last name, city, and state to run a background check.

Once you do this, TruthFinder will run the background check and compile it into a report, which may include: academic historyemic history, career history, relatives, and more.

Learn how to run background checks for the following reasons:

• Background checks for babysitters
• Background checks for dating

TruthFinder’s people search

TruthFinder’s people search allows you to find someone’s contact information, whether you’re looking to reconnect with an old friend or get in touch with an estranged family member.  

You can search just by first and last name, but you’ll get the best results if you also include a city and state. Once you input their information, TruthFinder will run the search and compile the results into a background report, including all of the same information listed above.

TruthFinder for public records search

You can use TruthFinder’s public records search to find public records, arrest records, or information about a legal case. 

After typing in a person’s first name, last name, city, and state, TruthFinder will run the public records search and compile the information into a background report. Just like the background check service, the report may include the following information:

• Birth records
• Death certificates
• Arrest records
• Criminal and traffic records
• Marriage records
• Divorce records
• Bankruptcies
• Property records
• Professional licenses 

This is a good option if you’re dating someone and notice some red flags or if you’re trying to find people online.

TruthFinder’s reverse phone lookup

If you want to look up a spam number or find out who’s been texting your partner, you can use TruthFinder’s reverse phone lookup. 

All you have to do is type in the phone number, and TruthFinder will create a report telling you the name of the person associated with that number and any other known aliases that person has. 

The report may also include a photo of the person, links to their social media profiles, and career and academic history. 

Is TruthFinder legit?

TruthFinder is a legitimate, Better Business Bureau-accredited company based in San Diego. They currently hold an A+ BBB rating. The business launched in 2015 and holds favorable ratings on consumer review sites like Trustpilot and Consumer Affairs.

TruthFinder reviews

Here is what people have shared about their experiences with TruthFinder on major review sites like BBB and Trustpilot:

BBB rating

TruthFinder has an A rating from the BBB and has been an accredited business since 2018. Customer reviews are mixed, with the company holding a 2.81/5-star customer rating.

Positive customer reviews note that the reverse phone lookup is a great tool to identify scam callers. They also highlight TruthFinder’s good customer service and how simple it is to cancel a subscription.

Negative customer reviews claim the information found is inexact, costly, or basic enough to find in a Google search.  They also complain about spam when you provide your cell number and email address.

Trustpilot reviews

TruthFinder has more than 500 customer reviews on the BBB website and over 1,200 customer reviews on TrustPilot. Although customer reviews on both platforms are mixed, they’re mostly positive, with 56% of TrustPilot reviewers giving TruthFinder 5/5 stars and 14% rating them 4/5 stars.

Reddit reviews

Reddit users have mixed reviews about using TruthFinder. Some call it a scam while others find it useful. 

Our own experience with and TruthFinder review 

I signed up for the $1 five-day trial to see how TruthFinder’s background check service works. Once I put in my payment information and verified my email address, I was able to use TruthFinder. 

I wanted to find out what information other people could see about me, so I started by running a background check search on myself. I entered my name, city, and state, and in about a minute, my report was ready. 

The results were precise, albeit underwhelming (although I guess I should be happy that there isn’t more about me out there for other people to find). 

I was able to see my age, birth month, possible relatives (including my boyfriend), possible associates (these included my boyfriend and friends of my parents), my parent’s home phone number, my current and previous addresses (with the dates I lived in each place), and a list of sex offenders in my neighborhood. 

Next, I tried searching for my estranged aunt whom my parents and I haven’t seen or spoken to in five years. I knew her name and address, but I had lost her phone number and had no idea what she’d been up to since we last saw each other. 

In her report, I was able to get her possible aliases (versions of her name including her maiden and married last names), home and cell phone numbers, and a few possible email addresses. 

I was also able to see her possible relatives (which included her husband, son, and in-laws)  as well as her current and previous addresses — all the way back to the address where she and my dad grew up (in the ’60s and ’70s!). 

I also learned that my aunt sold my grandmother’s house, which had been in her possession since my grandmother died, in 2018.  

Finally, I signed up for a month of TruthFinder’s reverse phone lookup service ($4.99) to check if any of the random calls I get on my cell phone daily were people I knew or if they were just spammers. 

I was able to get names, email addresses, and physical addresses for many of the phone numbers spamming me and could even see their more detailed background report with information on career and academic history. 

After confirming that the last few random numbers that called me were indeed not people I knew, I blocked them from contacting me again. 

After three days, I first canceled my five-day trial and was refunded the $1. The cancellation process was relatively simple. All I had to do was go to my membership settings, select Cancel Membership, and go through a few prompts to confirm I wanted to cancel. (TruthFinder offered a discounted subscription and asked me a few times if I really wanted to cancel). Once I confirmed that I did, it was canceled immediately. 

I also canceled my subscription to TruthFinder’s reverse phone lookup service, which involved the same process as canceling the five-day trial; I had to pay for the month and still have access to my account and am able to make phone searches until the 30-day subscription period is over. 

Is TruthFinder incognito?

Running a report on someone on TruthFinder is incognito. According to the company, the person you’re searching for won’t be notified that you’re searching for them. 

Does TruthFinder tell the person?

TruthFinder won’t tell the person you’re searching that you’re searching for them. According to the company, “You don’t need to worry about an email or push notification alerting them that you’ve been doing some poking around.”

TruthFinder reviews FAQs

TruthFinder cost: Is there a fee for TruthFinder? 

Yes, you’ll need to pay a fee to use TruthFinder. They offer a monthly subscription plan for $28.33, or you can prepay for two months at $47.03, which works out to $23.52 a month. With both plans, you get unlimited reports.

TruthFinder also offers the following subscription and add-on options:

• Reverse phone lookup feature for $4.99 a month for unlimited phone number lookups
• Reverse email lookup subscription for $29.73 per month that provides unlimited reports on emails
• PDF and report monitoring for $3.99 per month to get access to downloading PDFs and monitoring reports
• Dark web monitoring at $2.99 per month to make sure your personal information is not being misused on the dark web

Is TruthFinder hard to cancel?

TruthFinder isn’t hard to cancel. You can cancel your subscription at any time with no early termination fees. 

To cancel your subscription, log into your account, click on the “Account” tab in the upper-right corner, and select “Membership Settings.” From there, click “Cancel Subscription” and submit your request. Your cancellation request will be processed immediately. 

You can also cancel over the phone by calling TruthFinder’s customer support team at 800-699-8081 during normal business hours or emailing them at help@truthfinder.com. 

Just note that if your membership is between billing cycles, you’ll be charged the full amount for that period even if you cancel before it ends. 

Is TruthFinder free?

No, you can’t use TruthFinder for free. You must pay for one or two-month membership to access background reports and to be able to look up phone numbers. 

Is there a TruthFinder app?

Yes, TruthFinder is available as an app for Android through Google Play and for iOS through the App Store. It has a 4.5 out of 5 rating on Google Play and a 4.6 out of 5 rating on the App Store. Both versions are regularly updated.

Pros and cons of TruthFinder

TruthFinder has its pros and cons. On the positive side, it can help you vet people and see what kind of information others can find out about you. 

Plus, it’s simple to use and results are pretty precise. All you need is a person’s name or phone number to run a background report on them, and any information TruthFinder finds will be compiled into an simple-to-read report. 

Because TruthFinder aggregates public data from many sources, you don’t have to go digging around multiple websites or spend a ton of time tracking down information on someone. When I ran a background check on myself, it took all of a minute for the report to be completed. 

On the negative side, because all of the information you can get from TruthFinder is from public sources, the information isn’t unique. It’s possible to find this information elsewhere for free. 

According to customer reviews, sometimes the information included in a report isn’t up-to-date or can be scarce — so you might be disappointed, depending on what information you’re hoping to find about someone.

TruthFinder also isn’t free. You have to pay to access information — $28.33 for a monthly subscription or $47.03 for two months.

Bottom line: Is TruthFinder worth it?

If you’re not interested or don’t have the time to search a bunch of different places to try to find information on someone, then it may be worth signing up for TruthFinder.

TruthFinder is simple to use, simple to cancel, and relatively precise. It can help you track down basic information about someone, including phone numbers, current and past addresses, and career and academic history. But you may be disappointed that all of the information isn’t up-to-date or doesn’t go beyond the basics.

TruthFinder is just one of many background check sites. You can also try options like BeenVerified, Intelius, or Instant Checkmate. Check out our review on Instant Checkmate: 

Instant Checkmate reviews: Is it worth paying for?

Or, check out TruthFinder to access billions of public records in one place.

Want to vet a potential online date, track down a long-lost friend, or see what kind of information other people can find out about you? Using a background check service is a quick and simple way to find out what you want to know. 

Instant Checkmate is one such online service you can use to find out information about someone — including what others see online when they Google you. 

What is Instant Checkmate, exactly? It’s a public records search service that aggregates a large amount of public data, allowing you to see everything from a person’s contact information to their career history and traffic records. 

Keep reading for our Instant Checkmate review to find out if it’s legit, how much it costs, and whether it really works:

Is Instant Checkmate legit?

Instant Checkmate reviews

• BBB rating
• Our own experience with Instant Checkmate

What does Instant Checkmate tell you?

• Is Instant Checkmate safe?
• Does Instant Checkmate notify the person?

Instant Checkmate cost

• Is Instant Checkmate hard to cancel?

Pros and cons of Instant Checkmate

Bottom line: Is Instant Checkmate worth paying for?

Is Instant Checkmate a legitimate site?

Instant Checkmate is a legitimate company based in San Diego. They’ve been in business for 12 years and have been accredited by the Better Business Bureau since 2014 (they currently have an A+ rating).

Instant Checkmate is clear about the services they offer and how their services can and can’t be used. For example, on its FAQ page, Instant Checkmate notes you can’t use their service to do an career or tenant screening. However, you can research:

• Online dates (including a friend with benefits)
• Your current partner (especially if you are seeing red flags or suspect he/she is cheating)
• Your ex
• New friends
• Neighbors
• Family members
• Yourself (like if you’re worried you won’t pass a career background check)

Instant Checkmate also clearly displays contact information for their customer support team on their website along with their hours of availability.

Additionally, on their Terms of Use page, they spell out how their subscription plans work, what their subscription plans cost, and how to cancel your account. 

Is online dating safe? Experts share 7 safety tips

Instant Checkmate reviews

BBB rating

Instant Checkmate has an A+rating from the BBB. However, customer reviews are mixed, with the company holding a 2.9/5-star customer rating. 

Positive customer reviews note that customer service is friendly, professional, and quick to resolve issues such as canceling subscriptions. 

Negative customer reviews claim the company tries to upsell customers with more expensive subscription packages and that the information included in background reports is outdated or incomplete. 

Our own experience with Instant Checkmate

I signed up for the $1 five-day trial to see how Instant Checkmate works.

Once I put in my payment information and verified my email address, I logged into my account and was taken to a dashboard where I could search for someone by name, phone number, email address, or mailing address. 

I started by running a background check on myself to see what kind of information was out there about me. I entered my name, city, state, and age, and in about 10 seconds, my report was ready. 

My report included the names, ages, and locations of close relatives (my parents, sibling, and partner), my parents’ home phone number, various personal email addresses I’ve used over the years, my current and former addresses, and neighbors associated with each of those addresses. I also saw sex offenders in my neighborhood. 

However, my report included no photos, academic history, career, or information from social media profiles. Given that I’m a writer, often promote my work online, and have public social media profiles, I was actually quite surprised at the lack of information in my report.  

I ran two more background reports: one on a family member and one on a celebrity (Brad Pitt). My family member’s report was similar to mine — I was able to see the names, ages, and location of close relatives, various phone numbers and email addresses they’ve used over the years, and neighbors associated with each of those addresses. There wasn’t any other information included in this report — no images, career history, or academic history. 

The report I ran on Pitt at least proved to be a little more robust. For starters, I was able to see his academic history and learned that he graduated from Kickapoo High School in Springfield, Mo., and was even awarded a master’s degree from Missouri State University. 

Next, I scrolled through his location history and found a number of addresses in Missouri and California that he’s been associated with. I also saw a few phone numbers he’s been associated with in Missouri and California (apparently he’s an AT&T user — who knew?). 

Finally, I got a list of Pitt’s potential relatives, who were located in New Jersey, Missouri, and California. Surprisingly, his ex-wife, Jennifer Aniston, was on the list. (I did hear rumors they might be rekindling their relationship, so maybe Instant Checkmate is onto something here…)

Speaking of Aniston — there was shockingly nothing available in his report on either his separation with Aniston or Angelina Jolie. I was pretty disappointed with this part of the report. 

One important thing to note is that you can’t download a PDF version of any report without paying an additional, one-time fee of $3.99. I opted not to pay for this additional service. Any reports created are still saved in your account so you can access them at any time — so long as your subscription is still active. 

After three days, I canceled my account. The cancellation process was very simple: I simply went to my membership settings and selected cancel. I received a confirmation email 10 minutes later and was refunded the $1. After canceling my account, I no longer had access to my reports.

What does Instant Checkmate tell you?

When you run a background check on someone using Instant Checkmate, you may be able to see information like:

• Present and past addresses
• Career history
• Criminal background
• Traffic records
• Vital records (birth certificate, death certificate, dissolution decree)
• Alternative phone numbers
• Relatives and acquaintances 
• Sex offenders in their neighborhood

Is Instant Checkmate safe?

Instant Checkmate is a safe and secure website. According to the company, their website is encrypted with https, which helps protect your data from being hacked or accessed by cybercriminals. 

They also use 256-bit encryption for payment data, which is one of the more safe and secure encryption methods. 

Does Instant Checkmate notify the person?

Instant Checkmate doesn’t notify the person you’re searching that you’re searching for them. According to an article on the company’s website, “The subjects of the background reports you pull will not receive any notice be it via email, push, or otherwise.” 

Instant Checkmate cost: Is Instant Checkmate free?

Instant Checkmate isn’t free. You’ll need to pay if you want to use this service. They offer a monthly subscription plan for $35.12, or you can prepay for three months at $84.28, which works out to $28.09 a month. With both plans, you get unlimited reports. 

Not interested in a monthly subscription? You can sign up for a five-day trial for $1, which includes unlimited reports. If you cancel before the five days are up, you’ll receive a refund. 

Just note, if you fail to cancel before your five-day trial is over, you’ll be enrolled in the monthly membership plan and be charged $35.12 every 30 days until you cancel.

Is Instant Checkmate hard to cancel?

You can cancel your Instant Checkmate subscription at any time with no early termination fees. Note that if your subscription has already started, you’ll be charged the full amount for that period even if you cancel before it ends. 

The easiest way to cancel is by doing so online. Log into your account, click on “Account,” and navigate to “Membership Settings.” From there, select “Cancel Subscription” and submit your request. 

Your cancellation request will be sent to a customer support representative. When they receive your request, they’ll cancel your subscription immediately.

You can also cancel by sending an email to support@instantcheckmate.com or by calling customer support at 1-800-222-8985. You’ll need to provide your first and last names and the email address associated with your account to cancel. 

Pros and cons of Instant Checkmate

Instant Checkmate has its benefits and drawbacks. On the plus side, it’s simple to use and costs just $1 for a five-day trial (which is refunded if you cancel before the five days is up).

It can help you vet people and see what kind of information others can find out about you. Because Instant Checkmate aggregates public data from many sources, this means you don’t have to go digging around and spend a ton of time to find information on someone. 

On the other hand, the information you can glean by using Instant Checkmate is all from public sources, so it’s not information you couldn’t find anywhere else. 

And as I experienced when I ran a few reports myself, the information included in these background reports can often be disappointing and incomplete. This is something many customers complain about in reviews. You may be able to find more information about someone by searching yourself. 

You also have to make sure you cancel your trial before the five days is up, otherwise you’ll be charged $35.12 for a monthly subscription. 

TruthFinder reviews: Is it worth paying for?

Bottom line: Is Instant Checkmate worth paying for? Does it work?

If you don’t feel like digging around a bunch of different places to try to find information about someone, then it may be worth signing up for Instant Checkmate’s $1 five-day trial  — especially since you’ll be refunded the cost if you cancel before the trial is up. 

The service is simple to use, simple to cancel, and does a good work of providing basic information about someone, like phone numbers, email addresses, and current and past addresses. However, you may be disappointed if you’re looking for anything beyond that.