TruthFinder vs BeenVerified: Owners, Billing, FTC History, Opt-Outs

TruthFinder vs BeenVerified comes down to a few checkable differences, not a clear winner. Both are paid people-search subscriptions that say they aren’t consumer reporting agencies, so neither can be used for tenant, job, credit or insurance screening. TruthFinder belongs to PeopleConnect and settled FTC charges in 2023. BeenVerified is run by The Lifetime Value Co. LLC and BeenVerified, LLC, publishes its prices and trial terms on its own site, and a limited search of ftc.gov found no FTC action naming it.

This comparison sticks to what can be verified from each company’s own pages, app store listings, California’s data broker registry and ftc.gov, as of September 2026. It doesn’t rate data quality, because that varies by person and can’t be checked from the outside. truthfinder.com blocked our automated checks, so a few TruthFinder details are marked unconfirmed. Check current terms on each site before you pay. We don’t sell people searches or background checks.

TruthFinder vs BeenVerified at a glance

	TruthFinder	BeenVerified
Run by	TruthFinder, LLC, San Diego (registry). A PeopleConnect brand, alongside Instant Checkmate, Intelius and US Search	BeenVerified, LLC, provided by The Lifetime Value Co. LLC (privacy policy). Founded 2007, New York City
iPhone app seller	Truthfinder, Inc.	BeenVerified, Inc.
Free search	Not confirmed. Full reports need a paid plan	No free reports. Its “Is BeenVerified Free?” page says it has “$1 trials for new customers”
Published web price	Not confirmed (site blocked). The FTC described “monthly subscription fees to view the full reports”	7-day trial capped at 100 reports, then $36.89 a month or $71.94 every 3 months, plus tax (pricing page)
Renewal	Not confirmed on its site. The FTC described monthly subscriptions	Renews to the same term “until cancelled”
FCRA status as stated	“Not a consumer reporting agency” (App Store listing)	“Not a consumer reporting agency” (FAQ and pricing page)
FTC history	$5.8 million settlement, with Instant Checkmate, of FTC charges (the charges are allegations, resolved by a stipulated order), announced September 11, 2023	None found in a limited ftc.gov search, September 2026. Not a clean bill of health
Removing your own listing	PeopleConnect’s Suppression Tool	BeenVerified’s own opt-out
Our guides	Is it legit, cancel, opt out	Is it legit, cancel, opt out

Who owns each one

TruthFinder is part of PeopleConnect. PeopleConnect runs TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate, Intelius and US Search, according to its own site. PeopleConnect’s terms of use (last revised November 24, 2025) name The Control Group Media Company LLC, doing business as PeopleConnect. California’s registry lists TruthFinder, LLC in San Diego, with truthfinder.com and several other domains. The App Store lists a separate app called “Truth Finder”, with “Scan & Search” in its name, from SMARTERAPPS.COM INC, a different company, so check the seller before you pay.

BeenVerified says it was founded in 2007 and is based in New York City. Its privacy policy says the site is provided by The Lifetime Value Co. LLC, acting through BeenVerified, LLC. California’s registry lists BeenVerified, LLC and its affiliates with a long list of sites, including PeopleLooker and PeopleSmart. In short: The Lifetime Value Co. LLC and BeenVerified, LLC run BeenVerified, PeopleLooker and other sites, according to each site’s privacy policy and California’s data broker registry.

The practical point: each company runs a family of sites. If you’re trying to get your details off one, check its sister sites too.

Pricing and trials

BeenVerified publishes its terms on its pricing page. As of September 2026, both plans start with a 7-day trial limited to 100 reports. After that you’re billed $36.89 plus sales tax a month, or $71.94 plus sales tax every 3 months, with 100 reports a month either way. The pricing page says you can cancel “on the web, by emailing support@beenverified.com or calling 1-844-823-2869.” Its separate “Is BeenVerified Free?” page says it “doesn’t offer a free trial” but has “$1 trials for new customers.” The pricing page doesn’t state a price for the trial itself, so check the trial price on the checkout screen.

TruthFinder’s website blocked our checks, so we couldn’t confirm its current prices, trial or refund terms. What’s on record: the FTC’s 2023 release described TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate as services that let users search unlimited reports and “charge monthly subscription fees to view the full reports”, and the TruthFinder Search app sells report plans as in-app purchases. Read the price, billing period and renewal wording at checkout, and screenshot it.

With either site, set a reminder the day you start a trial. Low-cost trials on people-search sites typically renew into a full monthly plan.

What each says about its data

BeenVerified’s “Our Data” page lists government, court, property, vehicle, directory, social media and license records as sources. It says “some information may be outdated by the time it reaches us” and recommends using reports “as a starting point for your research rather than the sole basis for important decisions.” Its FAQ says the person you search for “is not notified” and that it covers US-based people only.

We couldn’t read TruthFinder’s own data pages. Its app describes reverse phone lookups and public records search. The FTC’s 2023 complaint alleged that TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate advertised the “MOST ACCURATE information available to the public” while the data came from third parties that disclaimed its accuracy.

For both, treat a report as a lead. Same-name mix-ups and old addresses are common across people-search sites, and anything serious should be confirmed with the court or agency that holds the original record.

Neither one is for screening

TruthFinder’s App Store listing says you may not use it “to make decisions about consumer credit, employment, insurance, tenant screening, or any other purpose that would require FCRA compliance.” BeenVerified’s FAQ says you may not use it for decisions about “employment, admission, consumer credit, insurance, tenant screening” or other FCRA purposes. Both told California’s registry they aren’t regulated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

If you need to screen a tenant or job applicant, use an FCRA-compliant screening company, with the person’s written permission where the law requires it. Our guide to the best background check site explains how that route works, and our people search sites hub compares the wider field.

FTC history

On September 11, 2023, the FTC announced that TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate would pay $5.8 million to settle charges that they “deceived consumers about whether consumers had criminal records” and violated the FCRA “by operating as consumer reporting agencies while, among other things, failing to ensure the maximum possible accuracy of their consumer reports.” The named defendants were Instant Checkmate, LLC, TruthFinder, LLC, The Control Group Media Company, LLC, Intelicare Direct, LLC and PubRec, LLC, and the stipulated order is dated October 11, 2023. The FTC’s release notes that the Commission files a complaint when it has “reason to believe” the named defendant is violating or is about to violate the law. The case was resolved by a stipulated order rather than a trial, so the complaint’s charges are allegations.

When we searched ftc.gov’s press releases and case listings in September 2026, we didn’t find an FTC enforcement action naming BeenVerified. That was a limited search. It doesn’t cover state actions or private lawsuits, and it isn’t a clean bill of health or an endorsement.

How to cancel each one

• BeenVerified: its FAQ and pricing page list canceling in your account, by live chat, through the Contact Us form, by email to support@beenverified.com, or by phone on 1-844-823-2869. The cancel guide linked in the table above has the steps.
• TruthFinder: we couldn’t confirm its current cancel steps from its own site. The TruthFinder cancel guide linked in the table above covers the routes we could document.
• App store subscriptions: for either one, if you subscribed through Apple or Google, cancel in the store. Deleting the app doesn’t stop billing.

If you’ve used sister sites, cancel each one separately. PeopleConnect’s brands each have their own terms, and BeenVerified and PeopleLooker run separate billing.

Getting yourself off both

If you’re on one, you’re probably on both, plus their sister sites. The opt-outs are separate from any membership.

• TruthFinder: PeopleConnect’s terms describe a Suppression Tool for sites that “currently include TruthFinder.com, InstantCheckmate.com, Intelius.com, USSearch.com, as well as additional affiliated websites.” You verify an email address or phone number, which consents to emails or texts, so consider a separate address. See the opt-out guide linked in the table above and our PeopleConnect opt-out guide.
• BeenVerified: its FAQ says it offers a way to remove your information, and warns that other details might still appear “because it can’t conclusively be associated with the information you previously opted out.” Search again afterwards. Use the BeenVerified opt-out linked in the table above, then work through the PeopleLooker opt-out and PeopleSmart removal too.

The FTC’s consumer guide says opting out is free, done one site at a time, and that listings can reappear when your public records change. Our data broker opt-out list and guide to removing yourself from people-search sites cover the rest, and our guide to a free data removal service covers no-cost help.

BeenVerified vs TruthFinder: how to decide

If you’ve searched BeenVerified vs TruthFinder, you’re probably choosing one to pay for. Decide on what you can check, not on claims about data quality:

• You want to see the price before you start: BeenVerified publishes its trial and renewal terms on its pricing page. For TruthFinder, you’ll see them at checkout.
• The FTC history matters to you: TruthFinder’s 2023 settlement is public, and the FTC said the order bans misrepresenting the accuracy of its reports. Our limited ftc.gov search found no action naming BeenVerified, which isn’t a clean bill of health.
• You need a check for hiring or renting: neither. Use an FCRA-compliant screening company.
• You only need one lookup: check free official records first, such as county courts, property records, PACER and the National Sex Offender Public Website. You may not need a subscription at all.

A worked example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real client.

Jordan wants to find a former college roommate and is choosing between TruthFinder and BeenVerified.

1. He tries free routes first: a search engine, social platforms and the roommate’s hometown newspaper. He finds an old employer but no current contact.
2. He reads BeenVerified’s pricing page, notes the 7-day trial and the $36.89 monthly renewal, and sets a reminder for day six.
3. He finds a likely match, confirms it against the employer he’d already found, and sends a friendly message through a social platform rather than turning up at an address.
4. He cancels before the trial ends and screenshots the confirmation.
5. He searches his own name, finds himself on both sites, and opts out of each.

Common mistakes

• Picking a “winner” on accuracy claims. Neither site’s accuracy can be checked from the outside.
• Forgetting the trial renews. Set a reminder the day you sign up.
• Buying the lookalike app. TruthFinder’s app is sold by Truthfinder, Inc.
• Using either for tenant or job screening. Both forbid it.
• Assuming canceling removes your listing. Billing and your profile are separate.
• Opting out of one family only. PeopleConnect and The Lifetime Value Co. run different sites with different opt-outs.

Our free Reputation Scanner is launching soon. It’s a self-search tool, not a people-search tool: you search your own name, or your child’s as their parent or guardian. It will show the top 10 negative results, ranked by how serious they are and how likely they are to be about you, and draft removal requests you review, edit and send yourself. It will be free to use, with no account and no billing. Read how the scanner will work. If people-search listings are part of a wider problem with your name online, our personal reputation management team can look at it through a free audit.

Frequently asked questions

Is TruthFinder or BeenVerified better?

We don’t declare a winner, because data quality varies by person and can’t be verified from outside. The checkable differences are ownership (PeopleConnect vs The Lifetime Value Co.), published pricing (BeenVerified shows its trial and renewal prices on its site), and FTC history (TruthFinder settled FTC charges in 2023; a limited ftc.gov search found no action naming BeenVerified, which isn’t a clean bill of health).

Are TruthFinder and BeenVerified owned by the same company?

No. PeopleConnect runs TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate, Intelius and US Search, according to its own site. The Lifetime Value Co. LLC and BeenVerified, LLC run BeenVerified, PeopleLooker and other sites, according to each site’s privacy policy and California’s data broker registry.

How much does BeenVerified cost compared with TruthFinder?

As of September 2026, BeenVerified’s pricing page lists a 7-day trial capped at 100 reports, then $36.89 a month or $71.94 every 3 months, plus tax, and its separate “Is BeenVerified Free?” page says it has “$1 trials for new customers.” The pricing page doesn’t state a price for the trial itself. We couldn’t confirm TruthFinder’s current web prices because its site blocked our checks. The FTC described it as charging monthly subscription fees for full reports.

Can I use TruthFinder or BeenVerified for a background check on a tenant or employee?

No. Both say they aren’t consumer reporting agencies and forbid FCRA uses such as employment and tenant screening. Use an FCRA-compliant screening company.

How do I remove myself from TruthFinder and BeenVerified?

Use PeopleConnect’s Suppression Tool for TruthFinder and its sister sites, and BeenVerified’s own opt-out for BeenVerified. Then check PeopleLooker and PeopleSmart, and search again in a few months.