How to do a background check in 2026? Best Tools & Advice

How to do a background check?

Before we move on to specific tools and their purposes, follow this short step-by-step guide:

Gather basic information. Collect as much as you can about the person you want to verify (photo, full name, phone number, email etc).
Check social media presence. Review public profiles and posts for work history, interests, mutual connections, and possible connections.
Do a web search. Run a basic Google search (try quoted names and add location or employer keywords) to see what’s publicly available.
Use specialized tools. Do a background check with the best tools for your needs (people-search, criminal- and credit-check platforms, facial-recognition services, etc.).

Best tools for background checks in 2026

The best way to run a background check is by using reliable, high-quality tools. Options include facial recognition services, name, phone, or email lookup tools, and specialized platforms for criminal or credit history checks.

Here are the top tools in each category:

1. Lenso.ai for face search

Lenso.ai’s facial recognition engine can uncover a complete information package from just an image. Simply upload the photo, select the “People” category, and explore all matching results along with their source URLs.

What is Facial Recognition and How to Search For Faces Online?

You’ll be able to see:

The website where the information was originally published
Details available directly on that site
The image title, which can sometimes reveal the person’s real name or other identifiers

best-background-checks

Pro tip: If you know certain websites you want to check, filter results by a specific domain. You can also filter by keywords such as catfish, potential fraud, or any term relevant to your case.

No matches? Create an image alert, and whenever new results appear, you’ll get an email notification - perfect for ongoing or long-term investigations.

As an alternative to lenso.ai, you can also try eyematch.ai.

2. Pixalytica for KYC and background verification

Pixalytica is another background check tool that combines facial recognition with report generation. Thanks to this, you can easily check the full background of a specific person using only an image.

In less than 20 seconds, you will receive a full KYC report, which will include:

Facial search results
Name and surname of the person
Any criminal or suspicious associations
PEP status
A short summary

3. Spokeo for name/email lookup

Spokeo is a powerful people-search tool that works with just a name, mobile phone number, or email address. Even if you have only one of these, it’s enough to run a basic search and generate a detailed report.

It’s especially useful when combined with other methods. For example, if you run a reverse image search and uncover new details about a person, you can use Spokeo to verify and cross-check that information.

People Finder as a must-have tool for OSINT investigations

4. ClearCheck for criminal records

ClearCheck offers a full suite of background screening tools, with a strong focus on criminal record checks. If you need to check a potential client against general or specific criminal records, ClearCheck is a reliable choice.

Their reports can include:

National and federal criminal records
Civil court records
Civil judgment searches

5. Backgroundchecks.com for education & degree verification and employment verification

BackgroundChecks.com is a versatile screening platform, but it’s particularly valuable for degree and education verification. This makes it ideal for employment screening or any situation where verifying academic credentials is a key consideration.

6. Namescan.io for PEP and Sanction checks

Namescan.io is especially useful for advanced and specific background checks. It allows you to see if your potential prospect appears on PEP (Politically Exposed Persons) or sanction lists. This makes it invaluable for investors, banking institutions, or any situation where major decisions depend on thorough risk assessment.