TinEye is a reverse image search engine that uses recognition technology to track an image and find its original source by searching through a database of photos. 

Offering proprietary features like Real-Time Image Search, TinEye Alerts, Browser Extensions, and Mobile Image Recognition, TinEye provides a unique photo-digging experience.

How does TinEye work? Is it free?

While being a helpful tool for image lookups—mainly for finding exact matches to a photo—drawbacks like its restricted database, limited free features, and absence of facial recognition make TinEye less than ideal for accurate and effective face-searching.

TinEye’s non-commercial plan offers 100 free searches per day and 300 free searches per week. However, it doesn’t include features like alerts, duplicate image identification, and MobileEngine.

In order to unlock these features and procure high-volume, commercial-use searches, TinEye offers 4 pricing plans:

1. Starter: 5,000 searches for $200; $0.04 per search
2. Basic: 10,000 searches for $300; $0.03 per search
3. Corporate: 50,000 searches for $1,000; $0.02 per search
4. Enterprise: 1,000,000 searches for $10,000; $0.01 per search

Through in-depth research and testing, I sorted through a large number of websites similar to TinEye to give you the best, most efficient, and affordable alternatives.

1. ProFaceFinder — The best overall performance and price value

ProFaceFinder uses AI-powered facial recognition and advanced reverse image searching to detect facial features with precision and search through billions of images online. 

– It’s better for personal use: while TinEye’s pricing structure is designed for businesses and professional users, ProFaceFinder’s packages are better suited for individual use, offering a smaller number of searches for a lower price:

• Pro Plan – 2 searches for $4.95.
• Premium Plan – 7 searches for $9.95.

– Better facial recognition: seeing as TinEye is unable to detect or identify faces, ProFaceFinder holds a significant edge thanks to its advanced facial recognition technology.

– Better image matching: unlike TinEye, which falls short with low-resolution images, our tool excels in finding matches, even from partial or blurry photos.

– It’s more accurate: while TinEye performs pixel-based searching and finds exact matches to an image, ProFaceFinder focuses on matching facial features, even with changes in image background, angles, or lighting.

– It scans social media: based on my own testing, ProFaceFinder includes social media platforms in its search, contrary to TinEye, which doesn’t generate results from social networks.

ProFaceFinder results from Instagram and LinkedIn 

2. Google Images — The best free alternative

Google Images is a reliable visual search tool that uses reverse image searching to find similar images and identify the source of an image across the web.

– It’s free: while TinEye charges for large-scale searches and extra features, Google Images is completely free to use.

– It has a larger database: compared to TinEye, which only searches its limited data archive, Google Images scans the entire web and constantly updates its search indexes.

– It has better search features: with Google Images, you can find visually similar matches, related searches and text within the photo. Furthermore, Google’s \“About this image” feature provides additional information.

The unique search features of Google Images

3. Bing Images — The best for accuracy

Bing Images is a reverse image search engine that lets you search the web and find matches by uploading an image.

– It’s free: Bing offers unlimited free searches, while in contrast, TinEye requires payment to unlock additional features and conduct a larger number of searches.

– It has text and object recognition: Bing is capable of detecting text, buildings, animals, plants, and vehicles in an image. It allows you to find similar products by clicking on an object within your image and offering links to shopping sites.

– It’s more accurate: based on user reviews and my own testing, Bing Images is more precise than TinEye, better at identifying cropped or low-resolution photos and generating fewer false positives.

Bing Images: accurate results from a cropped image

4. PimEyes — The best exhaustive search experience

PimEyes is a face search engine that uses reverse image search and facial recognition software to find out where your image is published online.

– It’s better for personal use: the PimEyes pricing plans offer fewer searches for a lower price, making it a better alternative for casual, non-corporate users:

• One-time access: one search for $14.99.

• Open Plus: 750 searches for $29.99.
• PROtect: 1200 searches for $34.99.
• Advanced: unlimited searches for $299.99.

– It offers extra features: PimEyes offers an enhanced, comprehensive experience by offering unique search features, like: PimEyes’ alerts, multiple faces scan, takedown requests, deep search, and PDF/CSV results exporting.

– It’s more efficient in exposing fake profiles: unlike TinEye, PimEyes utilizes advanced facial recognition, allowing users to search for faces even if the image has been altered or modified. This makes PimEye a great tool for identifying catfishers and romance scammers.

A known romance scammer identified by PimEyes

5. Lenso.ai — The best for face matching

Lenso.ai is a great reverse image search tool that uses complex algorithms to employ facial recognition on the images you upload. 

– It has unlimited free searches: contrary to TinEye’s limited number of free searches, Lenso.ai offers unlimited searches at no charge. 

– It offers cheaper pricing plans: to unlock sources, you have to purchase one of Lenso.ai’s paid plans; they offer prices and services suitable for everyday use:

• Starter: 50 unlocked results for €15.24/month.
• Professional: 500 unlocked results for €57.16/month.
• Developer: 5000 unlocked results for €190.56/month.

– It’s better at matching faces: through its advanced facial recognition, Lenso.ai analyzes facial features and accurately matches faces even if the person has aged or changed their looks. 

Based on a photo at age 18, Lenso.ai found matches of this actress in her older years

6. Copyseeker — The best search range

Copyseeker is an AI-driven image search platform, useful for finding copies of your photo across the internet. 

– It’s free: Copyseeker offers unlimited free reverse image searches with full access to search result sources and links.

– It has a wider search range: compared to TinEye, Copyseeker digs deeper by searching through social media, business platforms, and stock photo websites.  

– It’s better with altered images: while TinEye falls short at matching modified photos, Copyseeker faultlessly generates results for edited or blurry images.

Is there a better reverse image search service than TinEye?

TinEye is good, but there are better alternatives out there if you’re unhappy with the service—depending on what you’re looking for, of course.

If you want a free alternative, Google Images and Bing Images are the best options, but don’t rely on them too much as the facial recognition of free reverse-lookup features isn’t perfected.

If you’re looking for an AI-proof alternative with tons of features, go for PimEyes; just know that it doesn’t offer a free trial, and the social search isn’t too honed. 

If you want AI-based help in your investigation to help with face matching, Lenso.ai should get things done, but not wholly for free.

If you prioritize search range, Copyseeker is recommended…as long as you don’t mind ads and a lack of real-time results.

However, if you want the best overall alternative in terms of effectiveness, convenience, and price, ProFaceFinder takes the cake!

To help you find the best fit according to your needs, we compared TinEye with the 6 alternatives we suggested. The table below shows how each platform performs across key categories.