use cases / who checks usernames and why
Username lookup use cases
A username lookup shows where a handle has public profiles and where it is still free, across 300+ sites. Teams use it to screen signups, catch fake accounts that copy a brand, document public profiles in an investigation and secure a name before a launch.
Two teams that use lookups every day
Username verification for signups and KYC
Check the handle a new user picks through the API. See how many public profiles use it, whether they look like one person, and whether it imitates a known brand, as one more signal next to payment and device checks.
Social media impersonation monitoring
Watch lookalike handles of your brand and executives every hour. New fake support and giveaway accounts arrive as alerts with evidence and a pre-filled link to the platform report form.
Other ways teams put lookups to work
Security investigations
Security researchers and investigators start from a handle seen in a phishing kit, a leaked forum post or a scam report, and need to know where else it appears in public. A lookup lists every site with a public profile at that address, with links and response times, and keeps the history between runs.
On the Investigator plan the confidence score explains which profiles likely belong together, and case notes, evidence snapshots and a PDF report keep the work documented. Read more on OSINT username search.
Agencies
Social and PR agencies manage brand presence for several clients at once. One workspace holds a monitor per client brand, each with its own alert channel, and the case board shows what was found and reported for every client.
Before a pitch, one lookup of the prospect's brand name shows how many lookalike and squatted handles already exist. See brand impersonation monitoring for plan capacity.
Founders and creators
Naming a product or channel means checking the same name on many platforms and domains. An availability check marks each platform free, taken or unknown and tests 25 domain extensions in the same run, so you can claim the whole set in one sitting.
Start with username availability, then watch your new handle for copies once the launch is public.
The same lookup underneath every workflow
Whether the question is risk, brand safety, research or naming, the work starts with the same live check of public profile addresses. Each site is read with the signal it uses for a missing profile, and anything that does not match is reported as unknown instead of guessed.
Results are available in the dashboard, as CSV on Pro and above, as a PDF report on Investigator and above, and as JSON through the API on every paid plan.
- found, free, unknown A clear state for every site that was checked
- profile link A direct link to each public profile that answered
- response time How long each site took, useful when a result looks odd
- history Differences between runs of the same handle over time
Which plan matches which use case
| Use case | Usual plan | Key features used |
|---|---|---|
| Founders and creators | Pro | 300 lookups and availability checks a month, 3 watched usernames |
| Security investigations | Investigator | Confidence score, bulk lookups, evidence snapshots, PDF reports |
| Trust and safety | Investigator or Brand Monitoring | 10,000 or 50,000 API calls a month |
| Brand teams | Brand Monitoring | 10 brands every hour, executive watch, Slack and webhook alerts |
| Agencies and large brands | Brand Enterprise | 50 brands every 15 minutes, single sign-on, audit log |
All plans are self-serve and billed yearly by default at half the monthly price. See username lookup pricing.
Questions about username lookup use cases
Who uses a username lookup service?
Trust and safety and fraud teams checking new signups, brand and social teams watching for fake accounts, security researchers and investigators documenting public profiles, agencies protecting client brands, and founders securing a name before launch.
Which plan fits which use case?
Founders and creators usually start on Pro. Investigators and trust and safety teams choose Investigator for the confidence score, bulk lookups, evidence snapshots and 10,000 API calls. Brand and agency teams use Brand Monitoring or Brand Enterprise for hourly or 15 minute scans of many brands.
Is there a use that is not allowed?
Yes. Stalking, harassment, doxxing and profiling of private people are forbidden by our acceptable use policy. The service checks public profile addresses only and never tries to identify the person behind a handle. Anyone can opt out their own username.
Run your first lookup
Search a username across 300+ sites and see found, free and unknown results with links.