How to Find Social Media Profiles

Finding someone’s social media profiles has evolved from casual curiosity to business necessity. However, a good social media finder can save you hours of time-consuming searching, Whether you’re reconnecting with old contacts, verifying customer identities, or conducting market research.

This guide covers both traditional and automated social media finders that can save your time and improve work efficiency.

A social media finder is a tool that locates online profiles across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn using identifiers such as phone numbers, email addresses, or names or existing page URLs.

Such tools serve various professionals, including recruiters who verify candidates, sales teams that research prospects, security investigators conducting background checks, and researchers gathering social media data.

While individual users might search for one profile at a time, professionals across different fields face the challenge of processing large datasets. For instance, recruiters need to verify dozens of job applicants, sales teams research hundreds of leads, and investigators may need to analyze multiple subjects simultaneously.

This demand for bulk processing has created the need for automated social media finding solutions that can handle large-scale operations efficiently. In the next section, I’ll give you an overview of the 8 best social media finder tools that will simplify profile lookup.

Octoparse

Octoparse is a no-code web scraping tool that can extract live data directly from social media platforms, unlike traditional finders that rely on limited databases. Best of all, it offers powerful free features that can handle most social media finding needs.

Why Octoparse excels for social media finding:

Real-time extraction: Scrapes current data directly from Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter
Pre-built templates: just paste any URL to extract profiles, emails, social links and more automatically
Batch processing: Handle hundreds of phone numbers, images, and company names simultaneously
24/7 cloud automation: Runs continuously without keeping your computer on
Multiple export options: Export to Excel, databases, or cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3)

With just one click, the template below will help you extract social media profiles, phone numbers, emails, and contact details from any website instantly. Try it below right now.

https://www.octoparse.com/template/contact-details-scraper

Bright Data

Bright Data offers enterprise-grade web scraping infrastructure but requires significant technical setup:

Application scenarios: Large-scale competitor analysis, market research, enterprise data collection
Advantages: 150M+ residential IPs across 195+ countries, high success rates for protected sites
Disadvantages: Complex setup process, requires coding knowledge, expensive for small-scale operations
Pricing: Web Scraper API starting at $0.001/record, but costs add up quickly with enterprise features

Scrapfly

Scrapfly specializes in anti-detection scraping but with limited social media focus:

Application scenarios: General web scraping, anti-bot bypass, technical data extraction
Advantages: 95.9% success rate, advanced anti-bot protection, browser rendering capabilities
Disadvantages: Credit-based pricing complexity, requires API integration skills, no pre-built social media templates
Pricing: Free tier with 1,000 credits only, paid plans from $20/month with limited functionality

ParseHub

ParseHubprovides visual web scraping but lacks automation depth:

Application scenarios: Basic web scraping, small-scale data collection, educational projects
Advantages: Visual point-and-click interface, no coding required for simple tasks
Disadvantages: Limited scalability, no cloud automation features, restricted social media capabilities
Pricing: Free plan limited to 200 pages, paid plans from $149/month for basic automation

Pipl

Pipl sspecializes in deep web searches, aggregating data from public records, social networks, and professional databases:

Application scenarios: Background checks, identity verification, investigative research, professional networking
Advantages: Deep web coverage, comprehensive public record searches, high data accuracy
Disadvantages: Limited to individual searches, no bulk processing, requires manual input for each query
Pricing: Custom pricing model, typically starting around $0.10 per search, enterprise plans from $3,000+ annually

Social Catfish focuses on identity verification and scam prevention through reverse searches:

Application scenarios: Online dating verification, scam prevention, reverse image searches, catfish detection
Advantages: Specialized in fraud detection, reverse phone/email/image lookup, user-friendly interface
Disadvantages: Limited social media coverage, subscription required for detailed reports, no automation features
Pricing: Monthly plans starting from $27.48, with trial searches available at lower rates

Spokeo

Spokeo combines public records with social media data for comprehensive people searches:

Application scenarios: Reconnecting with contacts, background verification, address/phone lookup, social media discovery
Advantages: Extensive public record database, multiple search methods (name, phone, email, address), location history tracking
Disadvantages: Results quality varies by region, subscription-based access, limited real-time updates
Pricing: Trial searches from $0.95, monthly subscriptions at $19.95/month, annual plans available

PeopleLooker

PeopleLooker offers basic phone number searches with social media connections:

Application scenarios: Contact verification, basic background checks, social media account discovery, personal investigations
Advantages: Simple interface, quick phone number lookups, basic social media linking
Disadvantages: Limited data depth, basic features compared to competitors, subscription required for full access
Pricing: Monthly subscriptions starting at $22.86/month, limited free results available

Most social media platforms allow direct phone number searches, though privacy settings affect visibility.

Facebook:

Use the Facebook search bar
Enter the phone number (with or without country code)
Check results – profiles may appear if phone numbers are public
Try the “Find Friends” feature by syncing contacts

Instagram:

Go to “Discover People” in settings
Sync contacts to find accounts linked to phone numbers
Check suggested follows for matches

LinkedIn:

Use advanced search filters
Import contacts to find professional profiles
Search by phone number in the main search bar

Now that you have collected a lot of social media accounts, you can document the corresponding URLs of each social media account page. Simply paste them into Octoparse’s pre-built contact details scraper templates. After setup, click “Start” to extract key information such as email and addresses from each profile.

The fastest way is that you can use Octoparse to extract the URLs of each social media account at the very beginning and then extract the information you want on those pages.

Conclusion

Social media finding has evolved from manual searches to automated bulk processing. While traditional tools work for individual lookups, professionals handling multiple profiles need automation solutions.

Octoparse offers the best balance of functionality, ease-of-use, and cost-effectiveness. Its free tier and pre-built templates make it accessible for any scale of operation – from single searches to enterprise-level data collection.

Ready to automate your workflow? Try it for free to collect social media accounts information!

How can I verify if the profiles found belong to the correct person?

Cross-reference multiple data points: profile photos, location information, mutual connections, employment history, and posted content. Look for consistency across platforms and verify through mutual contacts when possible.

What privacy concerns should I be aware of when using social media finder tools?

Respect platform terms of service, avoid harassment or stalking, and ensure legitimate business purposes. Some jurisdictions require consent for data collection. Always prioritize ethical usage and consider privacy implications.

How to find social media accounts by email?

Use the same tools mentioned above but input email addresses instead of phone numbers. Many platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn allow email-based searches. Automated tools like Octoparse can extract email-linked social profiles from websites and directories.

How accurate is HyperWrite’s Social Media Profile Finder for different names?

HyperWrite’s AI-based finder works better with unique names and additional context. Common names may return multiple results requiring manual verification. Accuracy improves when combined with location or professional information.

What are the limitations of AI-based social media search tools like HyperWrite?

AI tools struggle with privacy-protected profiles, may miss newly created accounts, and can confuse similar names or usernames. They work best as starting points rather than definitive identification methods. Combining AI searches with traditional lookup services improves overall accuracy.