SAMHey, it’s Sam from New York. I live in Brooklyn now. Work in Manhattan most days. Back in 2023, life hit hard. My girlfriend and I had been together a year. Things were fine at the start. We grabbed bagels on Sundays. Walked the High Line when we could. But she got busy. Always late from work. One night, her phone lit up. Hinge notification. Right there on the screen. My chest tightened. Was she seeing someone? I needed to know. Not guesses. Facts.
I didn’t yell or fight. Just sat with it. Next day, I searched online. Reddit had threads. People shared stories about people finder sites. Cheaterbuster came up. Spokeo too. And TruthFinder. I read reviews. Looked at costs. Started with TruthFinder. They offer a trial for $4.99. Signed up that afternoon. Put in her name. Her phone number. Waited.
What TruthFinder Showed Me – The Good Parts
Report came back in minutes. Basic stuff first. Her address in Queens. Old jobs from college. A traffic ticket from 2021. Pulled up a relative’s name. For criminal records, it worked well. Showed a small thing from years back. Nothing major. Court records? There. A parking dispute she won. Marriage records? Clean. No past husbands. It felt thorough. Like flipping through public files at the courthouse. But what I really wanted? Secret social media. Dating apps. Hinge links. Nothing. The report stopped short.
The Cost and My One-Month Test
I paid for the full month. About $29 after trial. Canceled a week later. Was it worth it? For what it does, yes. If you need criminal history or court details, it’s solid. Data comes from public sources. Fast and clear. But for hidden online stuff, like cheating on apps, it missed. Left me hanging.
Switching to Spokeo: What Changed
So I tried 🔎 Spokeo. Their trial was 95 cents for seven days. Cheap way to test. Same info. Name and phone. Report loaded quick. Address matched. Jobs too. Then it went deeper. Listed a private Instagram. Low followers. And there—a Hinge profile from 2022. Active matches. My stomach turned. How? She posted once on her main social. Tagged the secret one by mistake. Spokeo caught it from public data. That’s their strength. Pulls social scraps better.
The Confrontation and the End
I showed her the report. Quiet dinner in. No yelling. She admitted it. Started as a look around after our big fight. Got carried away. We talked till midnight. Tears on both sides. Ended it that night. Walking home in Brooklyn rain, felt like the city chewed me up. Empty streets. Horns in the distance. Hurt bad. But truth? It set me free. No more wondering.
Two Years Later: How I Use Them Now
That was two years ago. Now in 2025, I’ve used both sites a couple times. TruthFinder’s monthly fee is $29.73 after trial. Good for serious checks. Criminal records? Reliable. Court and marriage? Accurate. Pulls from databases you trust. But for dating secrets or spouse cheating, Spokeo does better. Their trial’s low risk. Reports flag social links more often. Both use public info. No private hacks. Just what’s out there.
Is TruthFinder Worth the Money? My Straight Answer
Is TruthFinder worth the money? It depends on what you want. If it’s background for a job or rental, sure. The $4.99 trial shows enough to decide. I saw value in the details. For emotional stuff, like hidden apps, Spokeo fits more. I did a month on each. Canceled both. No ongoing cost.
Here’s the thing. These tools have limits. They skip deleted accounts. Can’t touch fully private stuff. And use them right. Don’t overdo it. Privacy counts. My story hurt. But it taught me. New York’s tough. You bounce back. Grab a coffee in the morning. Walk Central Park. Keep moving.
If you’re doubting someone, start cheap. TruthFinder trial. See the report. Worth a few bucks if it clears your head. For me, it did partway. Spokeo wrapped it up. Both helped end the what-ifs.
And that’s the deal. Tools like these aren’t magic. But they give answers when you need them. Pick one. Test it. Decide for yourself.
Note: Both TruthFinder and Spokeo pull info from public records and online sources. Neither site is FCRA-compliant—do not use them for credit, employment, tenant screening, or any FCRA-covered decisions. My intention isn’t to say one is good or bad—just sharing my personal experience. I’ve used both. Both work well. It depends on what you need.
