Offendersearch vs Family Watchdog
Need more than a free neighborhood map? A Family Watchdog alternative for checking specific people and screening rosters, Offendersearch searches all 58 US registries and returns scored matches with a link to every official record — through a no-code dashboard or an API, with no ads. Start free with 25 searches.
Family Watchdog is a free map for browsing your area. Offendersearch is a tool for checking specific people and rosters, with scored matches and an API.
| What matters | Offendersearch | Family Watchdog |
|---|---|---|
| Best at | Checking specific people, screening rosters, and integrating registry checks into software | Free, casual browsing of registered offenders near your own home on a map |
| Cost | 25 searches free, then $0.15 per search — no ads | Free to the public, supported by on-page advertising |
| Match quality | ✓ Matches are scored and de-duplicated across all 58 registries, with an official-record link | A map and list of nearby records to browse yourself |
| For developers & teams | ✓ Self-serve REST API, no-code dashboard, and a hosted MCP server for AI agents | A consumer map; commercial/batch access is arranged through their team |
| Screen a roster | ✓ Upload or paste a whole list and check everyone in one pass | Oriented to browsing an address or a name on the map |
| Audit trail | ✓ Every search is stored with the results returned, for a trail you can show later | A browsing tool without an account-level search history |
| Consumer-report status | Not a consumer reporting agency; results are not a consumer report | A public-awareness map, not an FCRA consumer reporting agency |
Family Watchdog is a trademark of its respective owner; this comparison is for informational purposes and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Family Watchdog. Offendersearch is not a consumer reporting agency and results are public-record data, not a consumer report — do not use them for employment, tenancy or other FCRA-covered decisions without the process the law requires.
Built for the one job you came for
An answer, not just a map
Instead of browsing a map yourself, you get a scored, de-duplicated answer across all 58 US registries with a link to each official record — so you can check a specific person and verify it, not just look around your block.
Built to check people and rosters
Screen one person or a whole list of volunteers, staff or members in a single pass, from a no-code dashboard or your own code — the workflow an organization needs, not a neighborhood map.
Ad-free, with an API
No advertising between you and the result, an instant self-serve API key, and a hosted MCP server so an AI agent can run the search — with pricing you can see up front.
Switch to Offendersearch if…
- You need to check specific, named people — not just browse a map
- You screen volunteers, staff or members and want to check a whole list at once
- You want scored matches and a link to each official record to verify
- You want an API or a no-code dashboard, and no advertising
- You need an audit trail of what was searched and what came back
Stay with Family Watchdog if…
- You just want to see who is registered near your own home, for free
- A quick map browse meets your need and you do not need to verify or integrate
- You are not screening people or keeping a record of checks
We would rather you pick the right tool than churn in a week. If that is Family Watchdog, this page did its job.
A free map is great for a glance around your block. When you need to check a specific person or a whole roster, verify against the official record, and integrate it — Offendersearch does that across all 58 US registries, ad-free, with an API and a dashboard. Start free with 25 searches.
What people ask before switching
Is Family Watchdog not free?
Family Watchdog is free for the public and is a fine way to casually browse offenders near your own home. Offendersearch is a different kind of tool — for checking specific people, screening whole rosters, and integrating registry checks — with scored matches, official-record links, a no-code dashboard and an API, and no ads. It is free to start (25 searches), then $0.15 per search.
Why pay when a map is free?
Because the jobs differ. A free map is for browsing your neighborhood; Offendersearch is for checking a named person or a whole list with confidence, getting the official record on every match, keeping an audit trail, and wiring it into your own systems.
Can I use it for hiring or tenant decisions?
Offendersearch is not a consumer reporting agency and its results are not a consumer report. Do not use them for FCRA-covered decisions without the process the law requires. It is built for awareness, safety, and registry checks inside a compliant process.
What does a search cover?
All 58 US sex-offender registries — every state, DC and the territories — in one search, each match cited to the registry it came from.
Search every US registry in one place — free to start
25 free searches, no card and no subscription. Your API key and the no-code dashboard both work the moment you sign up.
Alerts, head-to-head
Family Watchdog can notify you about your own neighborhood on its map. Offendersearch monitoring does that and more — watch a specific person too, get scored matches with a link to every official record, add recipients, and manage it over an API.
Watch an area · $10/mo
An address and a radius across all 58 US registries. An email names the change — a new registrant nearby, a changed record, or one removed — checked every morning against our continuously updated data.
Watch a person · $3/mo
By name and date of birth — the watch a map cannot offer. Know if a specific person is ever added to a registry. Set it up in the dashboard Notifications section or via POST /v1/monitors.
Monitoring is for personal awareness and safety. It is not a consumer report and must not be used for FCRA-governed hiring, tenancy, or credit decisions.