If you're trying to find an old work colleague or wondering how to find people’s phone numbers for free, then the web can be a fantastic resource. There are plenty of search directories that are hyperfocused on finding a person's background information such as address, phone number, employer, family members and more. Plus, if you visit the right search directories, it's all free.

Recognized as the most comprehensive database of residential contact information in the United States, Whitepages offers a free people search for those who are hoping to find someone online. To run a search, simply type the person's name and city or state into the search function and see what comes back. Whitepages charges for premium services, but you can usually get a name, address, phone number and the names of family members completely cost-free.

Zabasearch scours the Internet for public records information such as birth, marriage and divorce records and phone directories. As per Whitepages, you don't need to register an account; just enter the person's name and state into the search bar. If you hit pay dirt, you'll get the person's age, address, previous addresses, employer, family members and more for free, all retrieved and shown in one place. Log on with your Facebook account, and you get access to Zaba's premium services, such as background checks, for no extra charge.

Pipl is one of the few people search directories that claims to search the vast amount of data that isn't hyperlinked, such as content behind a paywall and other password-protected data. As a result, it purports to retrieve information that other search engines don't have access to. Searching is easy; just pop the person's name into the search bar and click "Search." Matches are displayed as a one-page report including the person's name, address, phone number, age, school and employer. Crucially, you'll also get a photo that you can cross-reference with a Google Images search to see what else shows up online.

Genealogy websites give users the best tools possible for looking up birth, marriage, military and census records about people, but most of them hide the good stuff behind a paywall. FamilyTreeNow.com serves up all the information for free. Use the search bar to find a person's current and past addresses, phone number, date of birth, spouse, children, other family members, work information, classmates, public records data and even email addresses; all you need is a name and state. The site claims to search billions of records, and you don't have to subscribe or break out a credit card to access the report.