Comparison · Reviewed September 2026

TinEye vs PreCheck

TinEye is a reverse image search engine that fingerprints your image and looks for copies of it. PreCheck is a face search engine that looks for the person in the photo.

At a glance

TinEye

Reverse image search

PreCheck

Face search engine

  • Own face index, plus additional sources
  • $1 per search, no subscription
  • Credits never expire
  • Web, Telegram bot and developer API

The short answer

TinEye says it can recognize particular photos but not faces, and it cannot find different images of the same people. PreCheck is built for that: it matches the face across our own face index plus additional sources, for $1 per search. To trace where one exact picture has been posted, TinEye works well and is free for non-commercial use.

TinEye vs PreCheck, side by side

  PreCheck TinEye
What it is Face search engine Reverse image search (exact and edited copies)
Search with a photo Yes, upload one photo Yes, upload, paste or use a URL
Matches the same person in different photos Yes, face recognition search No; TinEye says it does not recognize faces
Finds copies of the same image When the face in the copy matches Yes, including cropped and edited copies
Where results come from Yes. Our own face index, plus additional search sources Its own crawl of billions of images; TinEye says it does not typically index social media
Match score Match score and a link to each source No score; sort by best match, most changed, size or date
Price $1 per credit, 1 credit per search Free for non-commercial use, up to 100 searches a day and 300 a week
Developer API Yes, every account includes API access Yes, prepaid bundles, e.g. 5,000 searches for $200
Removal Yes, removal requests honored Yes, after the image is removed from the site where it was found

TinEye details come from its public website as of September 13, 2026. Features and prices change, so check TinEye's site before you buy.

Why PreCheck finds more

Our own face index, plus more sources

A face search is only as good as the faces it can reach. PreCheck runs its own face index and searches it together with additional sources, so a single photo is checked against more than one place at once.

Your photo
PreCheck face index
Additional sources
One ranked result list

Our own face index

We crawl and index public images ourselves, and every search runs against that index.

Plus additional sources

Every search also runs against additional face search sources, so one search covers more of the web.

Merged and ranked

Matches from every source are combined, duplicates removed, and sorted by match score with a link to each page.

Key differences

The person, not the picture

TinEye matches image fingerprints, so it finds copies of one photo. PreCheck matches faces, so it can find different photos of the same person.

Our own face index, plus more sources

TinEye searches its own collection of images. PreCheck runs every search against our own face index and additional sources, then merges duplicates and ranks each match by score.

A score for every match

TinEye lets you sort by best match, most changed, size or date. PreCheck gives each match a score and a link to the page where the face appears.

Removal without waiting on the source site

TinEye asks that an image first be removed from the site where it was found. PreCheck reviews removal requests for results in our search.

TinEye may suit you if

  • You want to find where one exact picture has been posted
  • You want to find the original, largest or oldest copy of an image
  • You need a free tool for non-commercial image checks

PreCheck is the better fit if

  • You want to find other photos of the same person
  • You are checking a dating match or unknown profile photo
  • You want a match score for every result
  • You want face search through an API or Telegram bot

Frequently asked questions

Can TinEye search by face?

No. TinEye says it can recognize particular photos but does not recognize faces, and cannot find different images of the same people. PreCheck is a face search engine built for that.

Is TinEye free?

TinEye says it is free for non-commercial use, up to 100 searches a day and 300 a week. Commercial use requires its paid API.

How much does PreCheck cost?

Each search uses one credit, and credits are $1 each. There is no subscription, and credits never expire.

Should I use TinEye or PreCheck?

Use TinEye to trace copies of one exact image. Use PreCheck to find where a specific face appears online, even in different photos.

See what PreCheck finds

Upload one photo. We search our own face index and additional sources, then show every match with a score and a link. $1 per search, no subscription.

More comparisons

Sources for TinEye, reviewed September 13, 2026: How does TinEye work? , Can TinEye find this person? , Is TinEye free to use? , Search limits , About the TinEye index , Removing an image from TinEye .

TinEye is a trademark of its respective owner. PreCheck is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by TinEye. This page compares publicly available information and is not a statement about how TinEye operates beyond what it publishes.