shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Public Access to Court Electronic Records | PACER: Federal Court Records?

PACER provides information about accessing and filing federal court records electronically. Find resources for using PACER. - pacer.uscourts.gov

Depends. Buy only if you litigate, research, or file in US federal courts — PACER is the sole official electronic channel. Skip it for casual or state-level lookups; RECAP and other free sources cover much of that for $0.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~20 public sources: official pages, news coverage, and policy commentary. No structured user reviews found.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

Pay per use

$0.10/page, capped at $3.00 for most items

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Litigators tracking federal dockets
  • Journalists and academic researchers
  • Firms e-filing in federal courts
  • Bankruptcy and background research

Not for

  • Anyone wanting free records — try RECAP first
  • State or county court lookups — PACER is federal only
  • Casual users; fees and clunky UX add friction
  • Orgs needing strong security assurances post-breach

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

2025 intrusion reportedly exposed sealed criminal records and confidential informants

high

Ageing system flagged as cyber-attack risk since 2022

medium

Per-page billing adds up on document-heavy dockets despite the $3 cap

medium

Check RECAP first — many federal filings are mirrored there free

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Only official electronic access to US federal court dockets and filings
  • Available 24/7, including weekends and holidays
  • $0.10 per page, capped at $3.00 for most searches
  • Public API for programmatic nationwide case locator searches
  • Fee-free access options for those who cannot afford it

Cons

  • Dated interface; critics call it the government's worst website
  • Per-page fees on records many argue should be free
  • Breached in 2025; sealed records reportedly accessed
  • Each court maintains its own data, complicating searches
  • Only alternatives: visit the Clerk's office or use free mirrors

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/26/2026 - 15 sources - Breached in 2025 with sealed records reportedly accessed; 2017 CSRF flaw was patched; ageing infrastructure long criticized.

official x8review x2security x1news x4
  • 2025 breach of PACER and CM/ECF, Sweeping cyber intrusion reported August 6, 2025; Russian government hackers allegedly behind it.
  • Sealed records reportedly accessed, Reports say the intrusion reached sealed criminal records and confidential informant files.
  • 2017 CSRF vulnerability (patched), Free Law Project disclosed a cross-site request forgery flaw allowing actions on behalf of users; PACER patched it.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 3/5

    Rating

  • $0.10/page, capped at $3.00 for most items

    Starting price

  • 15

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 3/5. 10¢/page is cheap; free-access advocates still push back
  • Ease of use: 2/5. Long mocked as the government's worst website
  • Feature depth: 3/5. Nationwide locator, developer API, e-filing — but dated
  • Support quality: 3/5. Phone support and 24/7 access documented; no SLAs
  • Security posture: 1/5. 2025 breach, 2017 CSRF flaw, ageing stack
  • $0.10/page Starting price capped at $3.00 for most items
  • Yes Free tier options if you cannot afford fees
  • Since 1999 Records coverage all US appellate, district, bankruptcy courts
  • 24/7 Availability including weekends and holidays

Pricing

Pay per use

$0.10/page, capped at $3.00 for most items

  • Nationwide case locator search
  • Dockets and documents billed per page
  • Free-access options if you cannot afford fees

Security

Breached in 2025 with sealed records reportedly accessed; 2017 CSRF flaw was patched; ageing infrastructure long criticized.

  • 2025 breach of PACER and CM/ECFSweeping cyber intrusion reported August 6, 2025; Russian government hackers allegedly behind it.⁸
  • Sealed records reportedly accessedReports say the intrusion reached sealed criminal records and confidential informant files.
  • 2017 CSRF vulnerability (patched)Free Law Project disclosed a cross-site request forgery flaw allowing actions on behalf of users; PACER patched it.10

What users say

No structured user reviews surfaced in the sources; commentary calls PACER dated and criticizes per-page fees on records.

Alternatives

Compare Public Access to Court Electronic Records | PACER: Federal Court Records with each alternative.

Full analysis

Based on ~20 public sources: official pages, news coverage, and policy commentary. No structured user reviews found.

Only official source for US federal court records: essential if you need it, but dated, fee-per-page, and breached in 2025.

Methodology

Based on ~20 public sources: official pages, news coverage, and policy commentary. No structured user reviews found.

Sources

  1. PACER official sitepacer.uscourts.gov
    official
  2. How do I access PACER? (FAQ)pacer.uscourts.gov
    official
  3. Find a Case (PACER)pacer.uscourts.gov
    official
  4. Developer Resources (PACER Case Locator API)pacer.uscourts.gov
    official
  5. Options to Access Records if you Cannot Afford PACER Feespacer.uscourts.gov
    official
  6. Free PACER, Free the Law (pricing presentation)free.law
    review
  7. RECAP Suite — Free Law Projectfree.law
    official
  8. Federal court filing system hit in sweeping hack (Politico)politico.com
    news
  9. Russian government hackers behind federal court hack (TechCrunch)techcrunch.com
    news
  10. PACER vulnerability disclosed and patched (Free Law Project)free.law
    security
  11. DOJ investigating court records system breach (Cyber Daily)cyberdaily.au
    news
  12. PACER might be the government's worst website (R Street)rstreet.org
    review
  13. Free PACER legislative push (Courthouse News)courthousenews.com
    news
  14. Access to Court Records (ABA)americanbar.org
    official
  15. Court Records — United States Courtsuscourts.gov
    official

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