How to find phone number owner (free and paid methods)

Ready to be a detective? We know what brings you here!

Maybe you received a call from an unknown number and wondered, “Who’s calling me?!”

Or maybe frequent calls from telemarketers have frustrated you, and you wish someone could tell you who is calling before you decide to pick up that call. 

Imagine you run a small business and miss a call from a potential customer. You don’t want to leave that call unanswered, right? But what if it was just spam? Would you want to waste your employee’s time in reaching out to confirm?

Sometimes, figuring out the phone number owner is about curiosity and other times, it’s necessary. This is where reverse phone number lookup services come in handy. They can tell you the owner’s name, address, and sometimes even more without you engaging with them.

In this blog, we’ll walk you through the best methods —both free reverse phone number lookup options and paid services—so you can easily find phone number owners and identify unknown callers.

Quick tip:

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Top methods to search phone number owner

Here are some of the top methods to search for the owner of a phone number,

Spokeo

Spokeo is a popular reverse phone lookup service used widely for tracking phone numbers, emails, and addresses. It gathers data from multiple industry-leading data sources, including public records, to help you look up unknown numbers, and search by name, phone, address, or email.

How to use Spokeo to find owner of a phone number

• Visit Spokeo’s website or download the app.
• Enter the phone number (or email, name, or address) you want to search, and click on ‘Search Now’.
• Spokeo will scan public databases and provide the owner’s details (if available).
• You can choose between a paid report for more detailed information (that will a payment  of about $0.95) or you can just stick to the basic free lookup.

Pros

• Spokeo has a user friendly interface that is pretty easy to use for any newbie. 
• It offers detailed information beyond just phone numbers, such as addresses, location history,, social media accounts, etc.
• Available as both a mobile app and website.

Cons

• Spokeo is only available to use in the U.S. 
• It has limited free features.
• Sometimes, Spokeo provides inaccurate or outdated information.

Intelius

Intelius is a premier people search tool and phone number lookup service. It scans billions of public records to give you detailed insights about the people you want to know more about. So, why keep wondering how to find out who owns a phone number? Try searching on Intelius today.

How to check phone number owner with Intelius

• Open the Intelius website or download its app on your Android or iOS device.
• Select the reverse phone number lookup service.
• Type in the unknown phone number, and click on ‘Search Now’.
• To access the information, you will need to pay a token amount of $0.95 for a 5-day trial. After the trial ends, Intelius charges you $35.90/mo for its services. Pay the amount to access the full report.

Pros

• Intelius offers detailed background reports of the landline or cell phone number’s owner.
• Intelius can be used across any device as its available in web and app format.

Cons

• If you are looking for a reverse phone number lookup free service, you may be slightly disappointed, as you will be required to pay a small token amount of $0.95 to access its services.
• Some users have reported getting inconsistent information.
• Some users have complained about its customer support not being as fast as they expected it to be.

BeenVerified

BeenVerified helps you search phone number owners along with email, address, and social media profiles. It’s commonly used for background checks.

How to check phone number owner with BeenVerified

• Go to their official website or app.
• Choose the reverse phone lookup option.
• Enter the phone number and click search.
• Browse the basic results or unlock premium data for more details. The premium plans start at $29.99/month, but all the plans come with a 7-day trial. So, you use the reverse phone number lookup for free of cost within the 7-day trial period, and cancel before you are charged for the monthly plan.

Pros

• BeenVerified offers a 7-day trial. If you want to check phone number owner name online free of cost, you can use its the 7-day trial.
• BeenVerified is trusted widely for background checks.
• It offers several subscription bundles for multiple searches.

Cons

• You must subscribe to one of its plans to access its services.
• Results may vary depending on available data.
• Occasional slow loading issues reported by users.

Truecaller

Truecaller is a well-known mobile app that identifies unknown callers in real time. It has a massive database of phone numbers worldwide.

How to find phone number owner using Truecaller

• Download the Truecaller app on Android or iPhone.
• Sign up and give it permission to access your contacts.
• Enter the phone number or wait for an unknown call to be identified automatically.

Pros

• With Truecaller, you can find out who owns a phone number for free.
• Truecallers’ main USP is that it provides real-time caller ID detection.
• It isn’t limited to just the U.S. It works globally.

Cons

• You must provide access to your contact list to start using its services. 
• Truecaller has ads. Some users find the ads intrusive.
• Not all numbers may be listed.

Whitepages

Whitepages offers a simple and effective WhitePages reverse phone number lookup service. It pulls data from public records to show the phone number owner’s information.

How to use WhitePages reverse phone number lookup to find phone number owner

• Visit the Whitepages website.
• Select the reverse phone lookup tab.
• Type in the phone number and click search.
• View the results or purchase a report for detailed information.

Pros

• Easy to use and navigate.
• Includes address and public record data.
• Available for both U.S. and international numbers.

Cons

• Detailed data behind a paywall.
• Some numbers may not be listed.
• Users report mixed experiences with accuracy.

Other free reverse phone number lookup methods

While the following methods may not always yield results, it doesn’t hurt to give them a try. Moreover, they are free reverse phone number lookup methods.

Search on social media

You might be surprised how often people link their phone numbers to social media profiles. Just enter the phone number in the search bar on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn to see if you get a match.

Contact the phone carrier

If you’re receiving spam or threatening calls, you can contact the phone carrier directly. They may not provide the owner’s name due to privacy laws, but they can block the number or investigate further.

Use social catfish

Social Catfish helps you verify people’s online identities, including their phone numbers. It’s often used to catch online scammers. Though it’s primarily a paid service, it offers free tools for basic searches.

Google search

Yes, a simple Google search can sometimes be the easiest way to find owner of a phone number. Just enter the phone number in quotes (e.g., “123-456-7890”) to see if any related information pops up.

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Finding out who owns a phone number can feel like detective work, but with the right tools and methods, it becomes straightforward. Whether you use dedicated apps like Spokeo or Intelius, or opt for free reverse phone number lookup tricks like social media searches, there’s always a way to figure it out. While paid services offer more detailed reports, free methods can also give you the insights you need. Just be sure to respect privacy rules and use the information responsibly.

Frequently asked questions