Phone books are always a good source of information as long as they’re up to date. While some things are easier to search for on the internet, there is still some information in phone books that’s not available online.
If you ever tried finding a small local business online, you might not have had a lot of luck.
Of course, phone books can take up a lot of space, they’re heavy, and they also take time to go through, but I believe everyone should still have one.
Why?
Phone books are a great directory and source of information for local areas. And if you find a modern online version of a phonebook, you won’t ever want to go back to performing a simple Google search ever again.
US Phone Book is a great place to go to find people or contact information.
While US Phone Book is mostly associated with the phone number search, other alternatives can provide a lot more information, as long as you at least know the person’s full name.
Other US Phone book alternatives give you a lot more ability, such as reverse look-up for a phone number, finding people and checking their background, finding more communication methods, and finding people across the whole USA or just in your local area.
Making it easier for you, I’ve listed here 15 of the best US Phone Book alternatives. Not only will you find what the modern book alternatives look like, but how they perform and their benefits.
Best US Phone Book Alternatives
Most alternatives listed below are similar but different in the features they provide.
Each one might be a great fit, but I highly recommend you select a phone book alternative that includes features that might help you search.
1. US OneSEARCH
Us OneSEARCH is a great alternative to US Phone Book because it provides more features and focuses more on background checks and history.
With that being said, US OneSEARCH is the most popular alternative as it features over 650 million US criminal records in its directory.
Of course, you would need a lot more information than only the full name. You will need the full name, birth date, SSN, and state.
However, if you have this information, you can get a lot of information that the US Phone Book can’t give out.
Of course, not everyone has this information, but if you’re an employer or someone is willing to give you this information, just for your peace of mind, US OneSEARCH is a great choice.
On top of the access to criminal and public records, you will also get a person’s history, address history, and more.
US OneSEARCH is not free to use. It costs $23.95 per search.
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2. PeopleLooker
PeopleLooker is a great US Phone Book alternative because it serves the same purpose, yet it adds features that help with your search.
You can use PeopleLooker to find people via a phone number, address, or email address, but you can also find family members via their family trees. This is PeopleLooker’s biggest advantage over US Phone Book, as you can run the search in more than one way.
PeopleLooker also includes a background check feature so when you find a long-lost friend or a distant family member, you can get some basic information on their whereabouts, contact information, and more.
What I also like about PeopleLooker is that it features images of people (where possible) and age and social media profiles so you can easily find the right person and get in touch with them.
In some cases, you might even get access to criminal records and other public records.
PeopleLooker is available for use within the browser, and there’s a $1 trial. After the trial, the monthly subscription costs $22.86.
3. Instant Checkmate
Instant Checkmate is one of the easiest US Phone Book alternatives to use, and it is really powerful.
You can start your query by searching for a person using the first and the last name. If you know the area of the city they live in, that’s a bonus as it can help you narrow down the search from the start.
With only entering the name of the person you’re looking for, you can discover social media accounts, photos, access public records, perform background checks, and find all available contact information.
If you were happy with US Phone Book’s simplicity, you’ll love Instant Checkmate’s easy process.
While Instant Checkmate is perfect for looking for others, it’s also a viable tool for businesses and companies who need a way to perform background checks to learn more about potential candidates.
Even though Instant Checkmate might take a bit of your time, you can upgrade for an instant search to get results quickly if you are in a rush.
What’s also great is that you can look up yourself, fill out your information, and then use your profile to share it with others, such as a potential employer.
A 5-day trial will cost you $1, while the monthly membership will cost you $22.86.
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4. PeopleSmart
PeopleSmart is a very simple US Phone Book alternative packed with modern features to help anyone search for an old friend, family member, or people who have just entered their lives.
With that being said, PeopleSmart has a huge advantage over US Phone Book because it’s a better fit for both individuals and companies.
Designed on a minimalistic interface, anyone can research without any previous experience, and you won’t have a hard time understanding the results.
While using the first and last name is a good starting point for your search, you can also use PeopleSmart to look up professionals by using the industry/profession.
With only these two features, you can narrow down your search and get a lot closer to the person you’re looking for.
When you find whoever you were looking for, you will be able to get all of the contact information available so you know what you’re getting yourself into.
PeopleSmart offers a $1 trial that lasts for 7 days. After that, you can upgrade to a monthly subscription model that costs $29.99.
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5. Ekata
Ekata was formerly known as Whitepages Pro, and it is an improved version that helps provide smarter identity identification.
The whole search engine is based on the closed-source proprietary Ekata Identity Engine that helps reduce fake accounts, fight transaction frauds, reduce payment risks, and provides users with a quick and easy-to-use search engine.
While you can use Ekata to find anyone in your life or someone you used to know, with such a powerful engine, it is a very valuable asset to businesses who are trying to improve their security. This is a huge improvement over US Phone Book which makes it a great alternative.
All you need is a full name and you can start your search, but the more information you have, the better.
While you can still access Whitepages to find simple information using either the full name or a phone number, Ekata is a much more powerful upgrade than the Whitepages Pro version.
Ekata can help you identify anyone you do business with and find everything available in the public record of the person you are researching.
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6. BackgroundChecks
BackgroundChecks is a perfect US Phone Book alternative for anyone trying to learn more about people around them and people they might come in contact with.
You can still use BackgroundChecks to find people you might be looking for, but the background checks are excellent, and it’s one of the main benefits of this service.
It’s a perfect service that allows you to do all necessary checks before hiring someone, but it can also be a great service to ensure your information is available to improve the chances of getting hired.
Since US Phone Book is only based on the phone number, you can’t get much information on people even if you had their number. That’s why BackgroundChecks is a much better alternative for getting lots of information in one report.
What’s great about BackgroundChecks is that you can create a list including all your candidates and BackgroundChecks can analyze their backgrounds and even help you with your choice.
BackgroundChecks is a go-to place for all types of screening and has three pricing models ranging from $29.59 to $64.95.
7. FindOutTheTruth
If you’re looking to replace your phone book with an alternative that’s so powerful that private investigators are using it, FindOutTheTruth is a great choice.
Not only is it a great platform to find people you are looking for, but it also combines personal and contact information with the background check and even has an investigator-assisted background check.
This includes employment records, criminal records, and almost any other publicly available record that you can get access to. With all this information, your due diligence will provide less risk and improve your experience of finding someone, hiring someone, or just tracking someone down.
In comparison with US Phone Book, you don’t need to have a phone number and a full name is good enough to get much more information.
What I like the most about FindOutTheTruth is that there’s no subscription model and you pay per search. So one search costs anywhere from $9.95 to $299.95, depending on what information you’re looking for.
8. eVerify
If you’re looking for the most secure and the most accurate US Phone Book alternative to learn more about your employees, eVerify is a great alternative.
It’s a platform enabled by the United States Department of Homeland Security that helps businesses find out everything about the person they’re doing business with or about a person they’re about to hire.
Since eVerify is run by the government, this is its biggest advantage over US Phone Book as you get the most accurate information available.
You can also find your information by using the self-check, which also increases the chances of being hired by others since you can fill out your information and improve your profile.
eVerify helps employers check the information provided by potential employees. It works by electronically checking the information and reporting it back to the employer.
This platform is free to use, but you can only use it to do a background check on your employees.
9. USA People Search
If you’re looking for a quick yet reliable US Phone Book alternative that looks more like a search engine, USA People Search is a great option to consider.
USA People Search provides a smart algorithm-powered search engine that can help you discover way more than a regular search engine.
In comparison to US Phone Book, USA People Search has better search capabilities which can help you discover more information and find people faster.
It’s mostly a phone book alternative for everyone who wants to find people, discover more about people around them, or find family members and find distant family members.
On top of that, USA People Search gives you the ability to look up public records and criminal records.
No matter where a person lives in the United States, you can get information about the person as long as you know their full name. From there, you can get the address, contact details, and more.
Another great feature is a reverse phone lookup that helps you discover who called your cell phone without even having to return the call.
10. WhoEasy
If you are having difficulties finding more information about someone and you don’t have a full name, WhoEasy is a great US Phone Book alternative you should try.
WhoEasy is a directory based on a smart search engine that helps you track and find more information by only using a phone number.
With the phone number, you can discover who the phone is registered to, the address, other contact information, and even more.
What I like about WhoEasy is that it works with cellphones and landlines, but it can also save you dozens of hours of looking through phone books trying to find more information on the number.
WhoEasy is very similar to US Phone Book, but I noticed that searching for the landline number is a lot better since WhoEasy uses a newer search algorithm technology.
However, if you have a name or location and the phone number, you can perform very accurate searches.
11. PublicRecords.com
When you’re trying to find someone in the United States, a great alternative to the US Phone Book is PublicRecords.com.
It is a public record directory that is easy to search, thanks to the updated search engine. What’s great about PublicRecords.com is that you can find people by name, phone, or even address.
When you enter the needed information, while the process searches through the public directory, it also asks you questions that you can answer to help narrow the search and get results faster.
After you answer a couple of questions, you will notice that the progress bar moves faster as it gets closer to your results.
PublicRecords.com is a great alternative to US Phone Book because it allows you to search for people in three different ways.
What’s also great about this is that you won’t get many possible hits, yet you’ll get only one or a couple of hits that match the provided information.
Not only can you get information on the person, but you can also learn someone’s history, location history, work history, find social media profiles, and much more.
12. Inteligator
If you feel like you need to do some digging and discover as much as you can on someone, just like detectives do, Inteligator is a great US Phone Book alternative you can use.
With Inteligator, you can investigate anyone with the help of their advanced search engine that can find criminal records, arrests, marriages, legal documents, contact information, court records, and much more.
All you need to provide is a full name and their location. Then, Inteligator takes it from there while you wait.
I like Inteligator because you don’t need to know the state, but you can select the United States and still do the search using the full name only.
If you don’t have a phone number and you only have a full name, this is a great US Phone Book alternative because that’s all you’ll need to get loads of information.
Inteligator is also based on a couple of databases and public records, so it can help you discover information on about 95% of the population in the United States.
Whether you’re trying to find a friend you haven’t been in touch with for a long time or you’re trying to stay cautious and do your research on your new friends, Inteligator has your back.
13. Spokeo
You can think of Spokeo as an all-in-one directory that has everything sorted out and waiting for you. With so much information covered, you can easily discover anything on anyone, and all you need is a full name to begin your search.
Spokeo organizes white page listings, social media profiles, and telephone numbers and digs into public records to find and compile all information in one report for every search.
Spokeo’s mission is to provide a simple, fast, and efficient way of getting access to all data you might need to either reconnect with someone or find more information on new people in your life.
I like Spokeo because it also provides a smartphone app that helps you find information on the go.
While both Spokeo and US Phone Book can search for phone numbers, Spokeo allows you to search people with an email address which is a great feature that’s hard to find and is Spokeo’s biggest advantage over US Phone Book.
A reverse phone number search is now a standard feature you find in phone book alternatives. However, unlike most similar tools, Spokeo takes things to another level by allowing users to report suspicious numbers or telemarketers.
14. Pipl
If you are having a hard time finding someone worldwide, Pipl is a great solution and a perfect phone book alternative.
You can think of Pipl as a worldwide phone book that helps you find more information on people no matter where in the world they are.
Pipl started as a solution for businesses working on improving their security by finding more information on the identities they’re doing business with.
However, being one of only a few worldwide phone book alternatives, Pipl became one of the most popular platforms to search for old friends who might have left their lives in the United States to go live abroad.
So if you are not sure if your old friend still lives in the United States, Pipl is a much better alternative to US Phone Book as it can search worldwide databases.
Therefore, you can choose between information for organizations or information for individuals. From there, you get to test out the super powerful engine that’s connected by hundreds of worldwide databases.
While only the full name and country of residence are needed to start your search, the more information you know, the better and quicker your search results will be.
15. Infotracer
Infotracer is an in-depth US Phone Book alternative that is a great fit for everyone who wants to dig a little deeper and find a lot more than only contact information.
This US Phone Book alternative allows you to find and discover almost everything in the public record about anyone in the United States.
With Infotracer, you can quickly start your search by using the full name or a phone number. In return, you’ll get reports on at least a couple of hits that might be relevant to your search.
Each report will contain anything from the basic information and contact details, all the way to the individual assets, criminal records, police report details, probation information, and much more.
Infotracer is an advanced alternative to US Phone Book and its features make it a great alternative.
By providing so much information, Infotracer has to be as accurate as possible which is a big advantage for everyone who’s doing in-depth research on someone they know or don’t know.
Conclusion
Phone books have evolved, and while it was great sifting through the pages only to get excited when you find what you were looking for, modern phone book alternatives are a much better choice.
There are different alternatives, yet all of them integrate more than one feature and allow you to speed up your search. On top of that, you get to find much more information than one phone book can give you.
Depending on your needs, I recommend you choose a phone book alternative that will give you as much information as you need and yet won’t take too much of your time.
Keep in mind that most phone book alternatives pull information from various databases before compiling it into one report, so sometimes you will have to be patient.
Have a great time exploring the modern “phone books”.
Tom loves to write on technology, e-commerce & internet marketing.
Tom has been a full-time internet marketer for two decades now, earning millions of dollars while living life on his own terms. Along the way, he’s also coached thousands of other people to success.