Spokeo vs Intelius

Spokeo and Intelius represent two different philosophies in people search. Spokeo is breadth-first: the largest possible database, the lowest price, and the fastest results. Intelius is depth-first: fewer records overall but courthouse-verified data and the most thorough background check reports available to consumers. Both are excellent services — the right choice depends entirely on what you're trying to accomplish.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Database Size and Accuracy

Spokeo's database of 12B+ records is approximately 50% larger than Intelius's 8B+ records. This directly translates to higher hit rates on reverse phone lookups: Spokeo returned a name for 82% of our test numbers vs. Intelius's 79%. The gap is consistent across number types — Spokeo is more likely to have data on recently registered numbers, unlisted numbers, and numbers that have changed hands.

However, this comparison inverts when you look at per-result quality. When Intelius returns a result, that result is more reliably accurate and more thoroughly verified — particularly for background data. Intelius's smaller but more curated database means less outdated or conflicting data. If Spokeo returns an address that's two years out of date, Intelius is more likely to have caught the change (assuming it has the record at all).

Background Check Depth: Intelius Wins Decisively

This is where the comparison decisively tilts toward Intelius. The company's flagship product is its comprehensive background check, which pulls from a network of county courthouse data providers covering all 50 states. In our comparative testing on subjects where we had ground-truth background data, Intelius surfaced 2–3x more criminal records than Spokeo for the same subjects. Spokeo's criminal records are pulled from aggregated public data and are less complete than Intelius's direct courthouse sources.

Intelius also includes data points that Spokeo simply doesn't offer: professional license verifications (medical licenses, contractor licenses, law licenses), OFAC and national watchlist searches, detailed bankruptcy and lien records, and education history. For vetting someone seriously — a contractor, a potential tenant, someone you met through an app — Intelius's depth is the main differentiator. Spokeo's background check is useful for a quick overview; Intelius is what you use when the stakes are higher.

Pricing: Comparable at Full Price, Spokeo Wins at Entry

Interestingly, both services cost the same at their full-featured plan: $19.95/month. The difference is in what you get at that price. Spokeo's $19.95 people search plan gives you unlimited phone, name, email, and address searches with moderate background check data. Intelius's $19.95 Premier plan gives you all search types with the deepest background checks available.

At the entry level, Spokeo wins: $6.95/month for phone-only searches vs. Intelius's $9.95/month basic plan. If you primarily want to identify unknown callers and don't need full background checks, Spokeo's entry plan delivers better value. If you want background checks from day one, you'll need Intelius's $19.95 Premier plan anyway, at which point the cost is identical.

One advantage both services share over BeenVerified: neither requires an annual commitment. Both bill monthly with easy cancellation.

User Experience

Spokeo's interface is noticeably more modern and consumer-friendly. Search results load in roughly 3 seconds, the layout is clean and mobile-responsive, and the results preview (showing city/state before you pay) is a helpful transparency feature. Intelius's interface is functional but feels dated — it hasn't received a major design update in several years. Results take 10–20 seconds, which becomes noticeable when running multiple searches. Intelius's advantage: it offers genuine PDF downloads of reports, which Spokeo doesn't.

When to Choose Each Service