Tools for investigating accounts, content, and activity across social media platforms. Covers platform-specific tools and cross-platform username/email search.
Choosing Tools
- Choose a platform-specific tool when the platform is known; use multi-platform tools to connect usernames or public activity across services.
- Record URLs, timestamps, and account identifiers, and cross-check platform results because search coverage changes frequently.
Tools
Multiple Platforms
| Tool | Best for | Cost | Description | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4CAT | A tool designed for the easy collection and analysis of online datasets. | Free | 4CAT is a tool designed for the easy collection and analysis of online datasets. It allows researchers to uncover pat... | Details |
| Blackbird | Check usernames and email addresses on websites and social networks | Free | Check usernames and email addresses on websites and social networks | Details |
| Have I Been Pwned | Does an email address appear in data breaches? | Free | Does an email address appear in data breaches? | Details |
| holehe | You to check if the mail is used on different sites like twitter, instagram and will… | Free | holehe allows you to check if the mail is used on different sites like twitter, instagram and will retrieve informati... | |
| Intelx.io | Find user details in data breaches | Partially Free | Find user details in data breaches | Details |
| Namechk | A username and domain search tool that checks on which platforms or domain a given… | Free | A username and domain search tool that checks on which platforms or domain a given username is registered. | Details |
| Open Measures | Helps open source researchers investigate harmful online activity such as extremism and… | Partially Free | Open Measures helps open source researchers investigate harmful online activity such as extremism and disinformation. | Details |
| Sherlock | Free | Allows a user to search for the presence of specific usernames across more than 400 websites and social networks. | Details | |
| Skopenow | Social Media Investigations - name, phone, email, username searches. | Paid | Social Media Investigations - name, phone, email, username searches. | Details |
| Social Searcher | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | Partially Free | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | |
| WhatsMyName | Search for usernames on several hundred platforms | Free | Search for usernames on several hundred platforms | Details |
| Zeeschuimer | Free | Zeeschuimer is a browser extension for collecting social media posts that are visible in your web browser, enabling s... | Details |
Telegram
| Tool | Best for | Cost | Description | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence X Telegram Search | Google-based search engine for Telegram (includes Telegago) | Free | Google-based search engine for Telegram (includes Telegago) | |
| Open Measures | Helps open source researchers investigate harmful online activity such as extremism and… | Partially Free | Open Measures helps open source researchers investigate harmful online activity such as extremism and disinformation. | Details |
| Telegago | A Google Custom Search Engine tailored for searching public Telegram content for OSINT… | Free | Telegago is a Google Custom Search Engine tailored for searching public Telegram content for OSINT purposes. | Details |
| Telegram Group Joiner | Automate joining multiple Telegram groups and channels, ideal for researchers monitoring… | Free | Automate joining multiple Telegram groups and channels, ideal for researchers monitoring specific topics. | Details |
| Telegram Phone Number Checker | Command line tool for checking if phone numbers are connected to Telegram accounts and… | Free | Command line tool for checking if phone numbers are connected to Telegram accounts and retrieving related information... | Details |
| TelegramDB | A searchable database service that allows users to explore public Telegram groups and… | Partially Free | TelegramDB is a searchable database service that allows users to explore public Telegram groups and channels via a de... | Details |
| Telemetrio | Telemetr.io offers a range of Telegram-related services based on a catalog of Telegram… | Partially Free | Telemetr.io offers a range of Telegram-related services based on a catalog of Telegram channels: country and category... | Details |
| Telemetry | An analytical search tool for Telegram groups and channels. | Partially Free | An analytical search tool for Telegram groups and channels. | Details |
| Telepathy | A versatile Telegram toolkit for OSINT analysts, enabling chat archiving, memberlist… | Free | Telepathy is a versatile Telegram toolkit for OSINT analysts, enabling chat archiving, memberlist gathering, user loc... | Details |
| TGStat | A web-based analytics tool for Telegram that monitors active channels and provides profile… | Partially Free | TGStat is a web-based analytics tool for Telegram that monitors active channels and provides profile analytics and st... | Details |
| tlgrm.eu channels | Search Telegram channels. | Free | Search Telegram channels. |
Twitter/X
| Tool | Best for | Cost | Description | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoaxy | A web-based search and visualization tool. | Partially Free | Hoaxy is a web-based search and visualization tool. It helps visualize the spread of information on Bluesky and X (Tw... | Details |
| Social Searcher | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | Partially Free | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | |
| Twitter Advanced Search | Twitter/X Advanced Search is X's own tool to help users find more precise information on… | Free | Twitter/X Advanced Search is X's own tool to help users find more precise information on the platform by filtering po... | Details |
| Twitter Location Search | Search for geocoded tweets by their distance from some coordinates. | Free | Search for geocoded tweets by their distance from some coordinates. | Details |
| Twitter Video Downloader | Download videos from X (formerly Twitter) by converting tweet URLs into downloadable video… | Free | Download videos from X (formerly Twitter) by converting tweet URLs into downloadable video links. | Details |
| Tool | Best for | Cost | Description | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facebook Video Downloader | Handy website to download public Facebook videos. | Free | Handy website to download public Facebook videos. Copy paste the URL of the video and download it in the available de... | |
| HaveIBeenZuckered | Check if a telephone number is present within the Facebook data breach. | Free | Check if a telephone number is present within the Facebook data breach. | |
| Meta Content Library | A controlled-access tool that lets approved academic and non-profit researchers search the… | Free | Meta Content Library is a controlled-access tool that lets approved academic and non-profit researchers search the fu... | Details |
| Social Searcher | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | Partially Free | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | |
| Who posted what? | A tool that allows a keyword search on Facebook on a specific date or within a specific… | Free | A tool that allows a keyword search on Facebook on a specific date or within a specific time frame. | Details |
| Tool | Best for | Cost | Description | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Location Search | A command line tool that allows users to find location tags near a specified latitude and… | Free | A command line tool that allows users to find location tags near a specified latitude and longitude. | Details |
| InstaLoader | Download pictures or videos (with metadata) from Instagram. | Free | Download pictures or videos (with metadata) from Instagram. | Details |
| Social Searcher | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | Partially Free | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | |
| Story Saver | Download public Instagram Stories, Highlights and Videos. | Free | Download public Instagram Stories, Highlights and Videos. |
TikTok
| Tool | Best for | Cost | Description | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellingcat TikTok Date Extract | Get the exact upload date + time for tiktok video urls | Free | Get the exact upload date + time for tiktok video urls | |
| Bellingcat TikTok Hashtag Analysis | Archive content and metadata from TikTok posts that contain one or more specified hashtags | Free | Archive content and metadata from TikTok posts that contain one or more specified hashtags | |
| Open Measures | Helps open source researchers investigate harmful online activity such as extremism and… | Partially Free | Open Measures helps open source researchers investigate harmful online activity such as extremism and disinformation. | Details |
| Social Searcher | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | Partially Free | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | |
| TikTok-Api | Python - This is an unofficial api wrapper for TikTok.com in python. | Free | Python - This is an unofficial api wrapper for TikTok.com in python. With this api you are able to call most trending... |
YouTube
| Tool | Best for | Cost | Description | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ghunt | A command line tool for obtaining information about Google accounts. | Free | A command line tool for obtaining information about Google accounts. | Details |
| MW Geofind | A tool designed to help users identify the filming location of YouTube videos,… | Free | MW Geofind is a tool designed to help users identify the filming location of YouTube videos, facilitating the explora... | Details |
| RadiTube | A search engine that searches the subtitles of about 380 (right/left) radical YouTube… | 000 videos | A search engine that searches the subtitles of about 380 (right/left) radical YouTube channels. You query for example... | |
| Social Searcher | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | Partially Free | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | |
| YouTube Metadata | An alternative to Amnesty's YT viewer, with slightly more information. | Free | An alternative to Amnesty's YT viewer, with slightly more information. |
Other Platforms
| Tool | Best for | Cost | Description | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4plebs | Searchable archive of specific 4chan boards. | Free | Searchable archive of specific 4chan boards. Makes it possible to read threads after they are purged from 4chan. | Details |
| Blackbird | Check usernames and email addresses on websites and social networks | Free | Check usernames and email addresses on websites and social networks | Details |
| BskyFollowFinder | A tool that identifies which Bluesky accounts are followed by a profile’s contacts but not… | Free | A tool that identifies which Bluesky accounts are followed by a profile’s contacts but not by that profile. Can be us... | Details |
| Disboard | Search for public discord servers | Free | Search for public discord servers | |
| Discord Chat Exporter | A tool for exporting and backing up Discord chat logs in multiple formats. | Free | A tool for exporting and backing up Discord chat logs in multiple formats. | Details |
| DiscordLeaks | Search hundreds of thousands of messages leaked from 290+ white-supremacist / nazi discord… | Free | Search hundreds of thousands of messages leaked from 290+ white-supremacist / nazi discord servers. | Details |
| F5Bot | Sends you an email when a keyword is mentioned on Reddit. | Free | Sends you an email when a keyword is mentioned on Reddit. | |
| FindClone | Searches images from VK profiles (within certain limits) | Free | Searches images from VK profiles (within certain limits) | |
| Google Account Finder (EPIEOS) | Find the profile picture and public Google Map Reviews + Photos associated with a G-mail… | Free | Find the profile picture and public Google Map Reviews + Photos associated with a G-mail adress. Also checks for phon... | |
| Gravatar Email Checker | Check if an email address has been used to comment on blogs and whether there is a profile… | Free | Check if an email address has been used to comment on blogs and whether there is a profile image attached. | |
| LinkdTime | Build a clean timeline of any LinkedIn activity from a single URL or a whole list of links. | Free | Build a clean timeline of any LinkedIn activity from a single URL or a whole list of links. | Details |
| NameMC | Find usernames, track username changes on minecraft | Free | Find usernames, track username changes on minecraft | |
| Open Measures | Helps open source researchers investigate harmful online activity such as extremism and… | Partially Free | Open Measures helps open source researchers investigate harmful online activity such as extremism and disinformation. | Details |
| Photo-Map.RU | Geotagged VK posts. | Free | Geotagged VK posts. | |
| PSNprofiles | Search PlayStation username, see daily activity, games played, country, and profile pic | Free | Search PlayStation username, see daily activity, games played, country, and profile pic | |
| RedditMetis | An online tool that analyses any public Reddit profile and returns charts and statistics… | Free | RedditMetis is an online tool that analyses any public Reddit profile and returns charts and statistics on the user’s... | Details |
| Sherlock | Free | Allows a user to search for the presence of specific usernames across more than 400 websites and social networks. | Details | |
| Snap Map | Searchable map of geotagged snaps. | Free | Searchable map of geotagged snaps. | Details |
| SteamId.uk | Lookup player names, view (more) previously used names, and when accounts befriended… | Partially Free | Lookup player names, view (more) previously used names, and when accounts befriended eachother (Free). View screensho... | |
| Strava | A fitness tracking platform where publicly shared GPS activity data can reveal movement… | Partially Free | A fitness tracking platform where publicly shared GPS activity data can reveal movement patterns, routines, and preci... | Details |
| Vk.watch | See public comments left by an account, profile photos used, and very basic facial… | Free | See public comments left by an account, profile photos used, and very basic facial recognition | |
| XboxGamertag | Search gamertags, see games played and recorded game clips | Free | Search gamertags, see games played and recorded game clips |
Investigation Tips
- Start with cross-platform username search (Sherlock, WhatsMyName, Blackbird) to find accounts across platforms
- For Telegram: use Telegago/Intelligence X for content search, TGStat/Telemetrio for channel analytics
- For Twitter/X: use Advanced Search and Location Search to filter by date, location, and user
- For TikTok: use Bellingcat's TikTok Date Extract and Hashtag Analysis tools for metadata
- For Discord: search public servers via Disboard and use Discord Chat Exporter for archiving
- 4CAT can collect and analyze datasets from multiple social media platforms at scale