What is Clustrmaps?
Launched in 2005, Clustrmaps is an online people search tool that allows users to look up contact information and public records data about individuals in the United States.
Clustrmaps aggregates data from government public records databases and provides it through a user-friendly web interface. With Clustrmaps, you can search for people by name, phone number or address and access details like:
- Current and past addresses
- Phone numbers
- Age and date of birth
- Known relatives and associates
- Property records
As of 2024, Clustrmaps’ database contains information on over 200 million individuals. The company positions itself as a helpful resource for purposes like background checks, identity verification, locating friends and relatives, and sales intelligence.
However, Clustrmaps’ handling of sensitive personal information has also raised some privacy concerns. Later in this guide, I’ll cover how to remove your info from Clustrmaps if you object to it being included.
How Clustrmaps Works
Clustrmaps sources its data from a variety of official public records, most of which are maintained by government agencies. This includes:
- Property records
- Voter registrations
- Court records
- Business filings
- Historical residence records
- Birth, death and marriage certificates
- Phone books
Much of this data is technically available to the general public. However, it’s often scattered across different databases and provided in raw formats that are difficult for non-experts to access and interpret.
Clustrmaps collects, cleans, analyzes and combines these disparate public data sources into a structured, searchable database. Its web interface allows any user to search for an individual and easily view associated public records data in one place.
Clustrmaps Pricing
One of Clustrmaps’ major selling points is that it provides its people search service completely free of charge. There are no premium plans, upsells, or add-on features.
You can run as many searches as you want and view full reports on individuals without paying anything. You don’t even need to create an account, although registering does unlock some additional functionality.
Presumably, Clustrmaps monetizes through advertising and/or by selling user data to third parties. But from an end user perspective, it operates on a 100% free model.
This has made Clustrmaps popular with casual users looking to do occasional people searches and background checks. However, it also means the tool is relatively basic compared to paid people search services like BeenVerified and Intelius.
Clustrmaps Pros and Cons
Advantages
- Totally free people search with no limits or upsells
- Easy to use search interface
- Provides a centralized database of scattered public records
- Good for quick informal background checks and people lookup
- Includes data on 200+ million individuals
- Finds current and historical addresses, phone numbers, and more
Drawbacks
- More basic/limited features than paid people search tools
- Records are not always fully up-to-date or accurate
- Interface can be slow with searches sometimes timing out
- Limited customer support options
- No mobile apps, mobile site is clunky
- Privacy concerns around handling of personal data
- Doesn’t offer more detailed info like criminal records or social media
Removing Your Info from Clustrmaps
Want to delete your personal information from Clustrmaps’ database? Here’s how to opt out:
- Search for yourself on Clustrmaps.com and locate your listing
- Click “View Details” to access the full report
- Copy the unique URL for your report
- Go to Clustrmaps’ opt out page
- Paste in the URL and select what info you want removed
- Submit the form and confirm the removal via email
Clustrmaps states that removals are processed within 48 hours. However, some users have reported difficulties getting their info completely deleted.
It’s also important to understand that opting out of Clustrmaps will not remove your data from the original public records sources that Clustrmaps pulls from. Your information might still be available elsewhere and could even repopulate in Clustrmaps later on if they re-scrape those databases.
Clustrmaps Alternatives
If you need to do more serious or frequent people research, it may be worth upgrading from Clustrmaps to one of these more robust paid services:
Pricing for these tools ranges from $20-30 per month. But they generally provide more complete, accurate, and detailed data than free services like Clustrmaps.
Some of them also include hard-to-find info like criminal records, financial history, social media data and more. So if your needs go beyond what Clustrmaps offers, they may be worth the investment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Clustrmaps legit?
Clustrmaps is a legitimate company that aggregates public data. However, its practices have sparked some privacy and accuracy concerns. Use it at your own discretion.
Where does Clustrmaps get its data?
Clustrmaps sources data from official government public records like property deeds, voter rolls, business registrations, and more. It does not pull info from social media.
Can I search Clustrmaps by phone number?
Yes, in addition to searching by name, you can do a reverse phone lookup on Clustrmaps to find the owner of a given number.
Are Clustrmaps reports admissible in court?
No, Clustrmaps reports would not likely qualify as verified evidence in court proceedings. The data comes from third-party public sources that could potentially contain errors.
Is there a Clustrmaps mobile app?
No, Clustrmaps does not currently offer any mobile apps for iOS or Android. Its website is accessible via mobile browsers but has some usability issues on smaller screens.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Clustrmaps is a decent free tool for basic people searches and background checks. It complies an impressive amount of public records data into an easy-to-use interface.
However, those needing to conduct more in-depth or frequent research may find Clustrmaps’ data and features lacking compared to paid background check services. There are also some privacy and accuracy concerns to be aware of when using any people search tool.
Carefully evaluate your needs and use cases to determine if Clustrmaps makes sense for you. Feel free to give it a test run, but don’t rely on it as a single authoritative source. And if you want to protect your own privacy, consider opting out of Clustrmaps and other data broker sites.
