How much does skip tracing cost?
Published prices from the investor tools themselves, checked Oct 26, 2026, with worked examples for small and large lists.
Last reviewed October 26, 2026 by the Trident team.
How much does skip tracing cost per record?
On published real estate investor-tool pricing in October 2026, pay-per-record skip tracing runs about 10¢ to 15¢ a record. Several platforms also bundle skip tracing into monthly credits or offer unlimited skip tracing on higher plans or as an add-on. Trident charges $0.12 per record on every plan, with no minimum list size.
What do the main investor platforms charge for skip tracing?
PropStream lists 12¢ per contact on Essentials and 10¢ for additional traces on Pro and Elite. DataSift lists 15¢ on Professional and 12¢ on Business, with unlimited on higher plans or a $97 add-on. REsimpli bundles monthly credits, then charges 15¢. DealMachine uses one data credit per contact revealed.
| Provider | Pay per record | Bundled or unlimited options | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trident | $0.12 | Monthly usage credit ($10–$50) applies to skip traces | Pricing |
| PropStream | 12¢ (Essentials); 10¢ additional (Pro, Elite) | Pro and Elite include skip tracing through PropStream Connect | propstream.com |
| DataSift (REISift) | 15¢ (Professional); 12¢ (Business) | Unlimited on Expert and AI; Unlimited Skip Tracing add-on $97/mo | datasift.ai |
| REsimpli | 15¢ beyond plan credits | 10,000 / 20,000 / 50,000 monthly credits by plan; unused credits do not roll over | resimpli.com |
| DealMachine | 1 data credit per contact revealed | 10,000 (Basic) or 20,000 (Pro) data credits per user each month; credits reset | dealmachine.com |
Each figure is from the provider's own pricing page, checked Oct 26, 2026. Bundled credits come with a monthly plan fee; see each provider's page. Standalone skip tracing services also exist; check their sites for current rates.
How much would it cost to skip trace my list?
Multiply the number of records by the per-record price. At $0.12 a record, 1,000 owners cost $120 and 5,000 cost $600. Bundled plans can be cheaper per record at high volume, but only if you use the credits each month. Clean the list before you run it so you do not pay for duplicates.
| Records | At 10¢ | At $0.12 (Trident) | At 15¢ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | $50 | $60 | $75 |
| 1,000 | $100 | $120 | $150 |
| 5,000 | $500 | $600 | $750 |
| 20,000 | $2,000 | $2,400 | $3,000 |
Is bundled or unlimited skip tracing cheaper?
Bundled skip tracing is cheaper only if you run enough records every month to use it. For example, DataSift's $97 a month unlimited add-on beats 12¢ per record once you trace more than about 808 records a month. If your volume varies, paying per record avoids paying for credits that reset unused.
How can I lower my skip tracing cost?
Trace fewer, better records. Stack distress signals such as absentee ownership, equity, vacancy and tax delinquency so you only trace likely sellers. Remove duplicates, owners you already have, and entity-owned properties you cannot reach by phone. Then scrub results against do-not-call lists before dialing, so you do not pay to call numbers you cannot use.
- Filter the list to owners with two or more distress signals.
- De-duplicate by owner and mailing address before tracing.
- Trace in batches and measure contact rates before tracing the whole list.
- Scrub results against the National Do Not Call Registry and your internal list.
In Trident, the List Builder stacks distress filters on a map, records cost $0.05 each, skip tracing is $0.12, and duplicates merge by phone number. See pricing or try 7 days for $8. Related: what skip tracing is, absentee owner.
Frequently asked questions
Is there free skip tracing?
Some plans bundle skip tracing, such as REsimpli's monthly skip tracing credits, PropStream Pro and Elite through PropStream Connect, and DataSift Expert and AI with unlimited skip tracing, as of October 2026. It is included in a paid plan rather than free. Truly free people-search sites are usually incomplete and not built for bulk lists.
Do I pay for skip traces that find no number?
It depends on the provider. Some charge per record submitted and some only per match. Check the provider's terms before you run a big list, and clean the list first by removing duplicates, owners you already have numbers for, and properties owned by companies you cannot reach by phone.
How much does Trident charge for skip tracing?
Trident charges $0.12 per record on every plan, paid from your wallet after your monthly usage credit of $10, $25 or $50. Duplicate owners are merged by phone number, so the same owner on two lists becomes one record.