Intelius is an online platform that allows you to access US residents’ public records and in-depth background reports on them. The information you’ll find on the platform includes everything from a person’s address and phone number to their criminal and arrest records. If you want to learn more about someone in your life, Intelius will surely help you find all the info you need.
In this article, you’ll learn all you need to know about Intelius’s services, pricing, and company policies. This Intelius review will discuss all important details about the platform and explain how you can use it to perform various types of searches and get the information you’re looking for.
Pros & Cons
Pricing Plans
Premier Membership
$19.95/month
Premier Plus Membership
$29.95/month
Features, Courses, and Materials
Intelius is a private company located in Seattle, Washington. It began operating in 2003 when Naveen Jain and a team of collaborators from his previous company — Niraj Shah, Chandan Chauhan, Kevin Marcus, John Arnold, and Ed Petersen — decided to branch out and start their own business. Abani Heller currently serves as the company’s President and CEO.
With almost two decades of experience and more than 50 million created reports, Intelius is the leading platform in its field. Using its website or app, you can quickly generate a comprehensive and highly accurate background report on any adult US citizen.
If you’ve read any Intelius reviews online, you probably already know it doesn’t offer consumer reports to other businesses. Instead, it focuses exclusively on providing background information for personal use. Among other services, its portfolio includes the following:
- People searches
- Phone number searches
- Public record searches
- Background checks
- Reverse address searches
- Criminal record searches
Besides the website, Intelius also has a mobile app that allows you to conduct searches from your Android or iOS device. The company’s A rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) clearly shows Intelius is not a scam.
With almost two decades in the business, Intelius is among the leading companies in its field. As one of the top people search platforms around, it provides a wide range of services, including background checks, phone and address lookups, and criminal and arrest record searches — all based on publicly available information from local, state, and federal databases.
Let’s take a closer look at each service the company offers.
Intelius People Search
People search is the platform’s basic service. It grants you anonymous access to billions of public records about US citizens. Depending on the available data and the specific information you’re looking for, your reports can include a person’s full name, past and present address, phone numbers, age, date of birth, aliases, relatives’ names, and more.
With more than 20 billion available public records, you’re very likely to find the person you’re searching for. The Intelius people finder and the company’s easy-to-use website are great for reconnecting with an old friend you’ve lost touch with. Enter all the information you know, and you’ll receive a report containing their latest address and phone number.
You can also find a lost family member and use Intelius to create your family tree. If your contact list needs an update, Intelius can help. The people search service will help you find the missing addresses and up-to-date phone numbers for all your contacts.
Intelius Background Check
If the platform’s people search report doesn’t contain enough information on the person you want to learn more about, conducting an in-depth background check is your next best option.
Once you launch the background check, you’ll receive a report with the essential info, such as the person’s name, address, and phone number. For a one-time fee, you can also gain insight into their criminal records, lawsuits, marriage status, bankruptcies, and other important facts.
The company has so far provided its users with more than 50 million background reports. This is one of the handiest Intelius features if, for example, you’ve met a person online and want to get more info on them before meeting in person. It’s also very useful if you want to learn more about your mysterious new neighbor or find out if your kids’ new teacher is hiding something from their past. You can even use this feature to look up yourself and check what information is available.
Intelius Reverse Phone Lookup
If you’ve received a call from an unknown number, you can easily find out the caller’s ID using the platform’s reverse phone lookup feature. That way, you’ll know if it’s a scam or just an old friend calling from a new number, so you can decide if you want to return the call.
Whether it’s a personal cell phone, a landline, or a business number, Intelius will return plenty of useful info. You’ll learn the owner’s name, address, age, possible relatives, carrier, and location.
Intelius Criminal Records
If you’re curious to know whether someone in your life has a criminal record, you can conduct a thorough check on Intelius. You’ll get a report on any felonies, misdemeanors, and DUIs they’ve been charged for nationwide, not just in a specific state. This service is excellent for vetting your new neighbor or love interest and keeping yourself and your family safe.
Intelius Reverse Address Lookup
Are you moving to a new area or city and want to learn more about your future neighbors? Thanks to the platform’s reverse address lookup feature, you can do this very quickly.
Just enter your new address and generate a report. The report will include, when available, the list of all current and former residents, their contact info, ownership details for each house, its value, and its sales history. You’ll also get information on any sex offenders living in the area, plus satellite and street view maps of the neighborhood.
Intelius App
Intelius also has an app you can download and use on your mobile devices. It operates on both Android and iOS platforms, and you can use it to search for anyone and look up their criminal records, addresses, and phone numbers — all online features are also included in the app.
The app is free to download, and the basic background reports are always free to view. This app’s functionality is another reason for Intelius’s glowing online reputation.
With the app, you’ll get a report that may contain the following:
- Full name and aliases
- Date of birth
- Age
- Public photos posted online
- Potential relatives
- Contact info
- Education
If this is not enough and you need more info on a particular person, you can pay a fee for a more in-depth report. We’ll discuss the company’s pricing in much detail later in this review.
Intelius Opt-Out
The platform has an easy opt-out policy in case you want your personal info removed. On the opt-out page, you’ll have to confirm whether or not you were a customer. Then you can simply enter your data and decide which records you want removed. Intelius will receive a notification and send you an email to confirm your request.
Intelius is also compliant with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). If you live in The Golden State, Intelius will remove the information you want wiped out and email you once done.
Some users have complained about their data reappearing in the Intelius database even after they’ve had it successfully removed. To ensure your info is unavailable, check back after a few weeks and look up yourself to see if your opt-out request has been fulfilled.
In case your information is back on the platform, file a complaint with the company’s customer support and ask them to remove your personal details again. Based on Intelius user ratings, the company will help you out.
Ease of Use
The official Intelius website works just like any other search website. Upon entering the platform, you’ll land on the page with the tool that helps you look for people by their name, city, and state. There, you can also use the known address or a phone number for a search.
Based on another Intelius review, Intelius also offers Fast Pass, which lets you skip the line and gain access to unlimited reports. While you’re searching, Intelius will ask you additional questions to try to refine your results. Overall, the website is fast and the results are easy to read and comprehend.
Plans & Pricing
In case you’re worried about the platform’s pricing, you can always look for Intelius promo code offers and discounts. Depending on when you’re looking, you might find deals for up to 50% off or various promotions. Don’t ignore the emails the company sends you, as they might contain a special offer.
When you start generating your report, you might also get a 5-day trial offer, allowing you to get that report along with unlimited reports for $1.99.
With the online promo codes, email discounts, and occasional sales and promotions, you won’t have to worry about these hidden costs.
Intelius plans are as follows:
- Intelius free trial
- Premier Membership – $19.95 per month and is available as a standalone product.
- Premier Plus Membership – $29.95 a month
With a Premier membership, you can conduct unlimited name, phone, and email searches and receive instant results in an easy-to-read format.
The platform’s Premier Plus tier grants you unlimited searches plus one background check per month. This option unlocks access to all public records, criminal records, and people and address searches.
Unfortunately, you can’t buy a membership as a standalone product.
Refund Policy
Intelius customer service is available via phone at 888-245-1655, and you can also reach out to the support team via email at support@mailer.intelius.com in case you need a refund. According to Intelius refund policy, if you purchased its service via the mobile app, you’ll have to ask for a refund for an in-app Intelius premium purchase.
Otherwise, based on the Terms and Conditions, all fees relating to paid services, including the initial and subsequent automatic renewals, are non-refundable. If you initiate a chargeback with your bank, your paid services will be canceled.
Online Ratings
According to many Intelius testimonials, users are uniformly satisfied with how the support team handled their issues, problems, and requests. Users agree that the Intelius support department members are knowledgeable, professional, and very quick to resolve any issues they may have.
Most customers reach out to the support team because of issues related to the company’s pricing policy. In their online reviews, some say that Intelius’s pricing and plans weren’t clearly explained on the official website, which resulted in unexpected charges to their credit card.
To avoid this, you should head over to the bottom of the company’s website and click on Terms and Conditions to read more about its services. If you’re still confused, you can reach out to the customer service with any questions you may have before purchasing your report. This is very important, as the Intelius refund policy clearly states that all payments and fees related to its paid services — including any automatic renewals — are non-refundable.
Still, BBB has some extremely negative customer reviews regarding poor service. Intelius BBB rating is 1.43. ConsumerAffairs rates it with 3.7, TrustPilot with 3.4, and TechRadar with 2.5. If you face issues, it’s best you reach out to customer support directly.
Intelius Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Outstanding report quality – you’ll receive in-depth information
- Access to billions of public records – Intelius collects correct data from multiple public sources
- Regularly updated data – since the sources are public, data will be adequately updated across the sources
- User-friendly interface – excellent website that’s fast and straightforward
- iOS and Android apps available – you can conduct searches on your mobile as well
- Rated A by the Better Business Bureau – BBB recognized Intelius as an accredited business
Cons:
- Unclear pricing policy – you’ll have to spend time to learn the details about pricing
- Mandatory cancelation fee – depending on your subscription, you might have to pay the fee to stop the service
Intelius Review: Value for Money – Final Verdict
Intelius is a platform that lets you learn more about US citizens based on their name, phone number, address, or other info. The company has been in the business for almost two decades, and its impressive A rating from BBB speaks volumes about its credibility. There are also many positive customer reviews online citing the platform’s trustworthiness and data accuracy.
Even though some Intelius reviews point to hidden costs, if you’re careful enough when purchasing your reports, you shouldn’t have any issues. That said, pricing transparency is something the platform should work on in the future. Still, with more than 50 million reports and background checks performed so far, quick and reliable customer service, and millions of satisfied clients, the company is an undisputed leader among people search platforms.