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Should I use PimEyes?

PimEyes: Face Recognition Search Engine and Reverse Image Search - pimeyes.com

Depends. Buy only if you are an OSINT, legal, or security professional with a clear, lawful need — users report it genuinely works. Casual buyers, employers vetting people, or anyone uneasy about surveillance ethics should stay away.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 20+ public sources: Reddit threads, Trustpilot, G2, BBC, NYT, NPR, Washington Post, noyb, and Malwarebytes.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo reliable support evidence found
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

Free search

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Premium/OSINT~$300/mo (user-reported)
PROtectUnlisted in sources

Best for

  • OSINT and private investigators
  • Legal teams tracking image misuse
  • People monitoring their own face exposure
  • Journalists verifying photo origins

Not for

  • Casual searches on strangers — stalking risk
  • Employers or landlords vetting people
  • Buyers needing an uncontroversial vendor
  • Anyone expecting free unlimited searches

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Premium tier reported near $300/month; subscription model with limited or blurred free results

medium

Real results paywalled; free tier heavily restricted

medium

Opt-out exists but removal can lag; your face may already be indexed

medium

Only 144 Trustpilot reviews, zero on G2 — support quality hard to verify

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Users report accurate, effective face search results
  • Deep Search praised for OSINT investigations
  • Alerts and takedown support protect your own image
  • Cited as helpful in a revenge porn investigation
  • Stopped searches of children's faces; offers opt-out

Cons

  • Accused of enabling stalking and surveillance at scale
  • Privacy NGOs filed regulator complaints (ICO, noyb)
  • Google reportedly feared releasing similar tech as too dangerous
  • Zero G2 reviews; third-party validation thin

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/30/2026 - 13 sources - No known breaches found in the sources reviewed — but the product itself is the privacy controversy, under active regulator and NGO scrutiny.

official x2review x4security x2news x5
  • noyb regulatory complaint, noyb pursued PimEyes via the Hamburg DPA; no action taken as of April 2026, concerns unresolved.
  • Stalking and surveillance concerns, Privacy groups accused PimEyes of enabling stalking 'on a scale previously unimaginable'.
  • UK NGO challenge to ICO, Big Brother Watch filed formal ICO submissions against PimEyes' face processing.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 2/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 13

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 2/5. High reported cost; mixed value feedback
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Upload a photo, get fast results
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Deep Search, alerts, takedown tools
  • Support quality. No reliable support evidence found
  • Security posture: 2/5. Encrypted claims, but heavy regulator and NGO scrutiny
  • 144 Trustpilot customer reviews
  • 0 G2 reviews no third-party ratings
  • ~$300/mo Reported premium price user-reported on Reddit
  • $8.8M Funding per Crunchbase

Pricing

Free search

Free

  • Limited number of searches
  • Restricted/blurred results

Premium/OSINT

~$300/mo (user-reported)

  • Full results
  • Deep Search access

PROtect

Unlisted in sources

  • Alerts on new matches
  • Takedown support

Security

No known breaches found in the sources reviewed — but the product itself is the privacy controversy, under active regulator and NGO scrutiny.

  • noyb regulatory complaintnoyb pursued PimEyes via the Hamburg DPA; no action taken as of April 2026, concerns unresolved.10
  • Stalking and surveillance concernsPrivacy groups accused PimEyes of enabling stalking 'on a scale previously unimaginable'.
  • UK NGO challenge to ICOBig Brother Watch filed formal ICO submissions against PimEyes' face processing.11

What users say

Reddit users find the search surprisingly accurate, but third-party review coverage is thin and mixed.

“How does pimeyes work so well?”
Reddit, r/computervision
“Pimeyes is super popular”
Reddit, r/LensoAI
“Pimeyes is not a scam”
Reddit, r/RBI
Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources: Reddit threads, Trustpilot, G2, BBC, NYT, NPR, Washington Post, noyb, and Malwarebytes.

Face search that works — but stalking allegations, regulator scrutiny, and ~$300/mo premium make it a hard sell.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources: Reddit threads, Trustpilot, G2, BBC, NYT, NPR, Washington Post, noyb, and Malwarebytes.

Sources

  1. Trustpilot reviews of pimeyes.comtrustpilot.com
    review
  2. PimEyes on G2g2.com
    review
  3. Anyone used PimEyes 'Deep Search'?reddit.com
    review
  4. Recently bought one month of Pimeyes premiumreddit.com
    review
  5. A Face Search Engine Anyone Can Use Is Alarmingly...nytimes.com
    news
  6. Why a search engine that scans your face is dangerousnpr.org
    news
  7. Stalking fears over PimEyes facial search enginebbc.com
    news
  8. This facial recognition website can turn anyone into a copwashingtonpost.com
    news
  9. Face search engine PimEyes stops searches of children's facesmalwarebytes.com
    news
  10. No action taken against PimEyes (noyb)noyb.eu
    security
  11. Big Brother Watch ICO submissionbigbrotherwatch.org.uk
    security
  12. PimEyes Pricing Planspimeyes.com
    official
  13. PimEyes Privacy Policypimeyes.com
    official

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