For anyone who has ever needed to find out the owner of an email address, it is often a disappointment to learn that reliable reverse email searches are very rarely free. While those who are truly concerned usually pay the fee and are very happy with the service and results, many start to look for ways to find out more for free.

Reverse email searches often charge by the search because, just like cell phone numbers, email addresses are considered private contact data. The largest reason is that reverse email searches can tell you not just the name of the person registered to the account, but also their computer's IP address, Internet service address, and, depending on the type of connection, their service provider and sometimes even their landline phone number. This is a lot of personal data that is very helpful for those running a legitimate search, but can be dangerous considering those who are identity thieves and others.

For this reason, the vast majority of reverse email searches are not free; those that call themselves free reverse email lookups actually search for the address' domain name not the personal email account. This is because domain name information is public and free, and, in many circumstances, can be very helpful. In the case of small company based or locally owned domain names, their location, which a reverse email search can return, is often a very good clue to where the person you are looking for actually works or lives.

So although the kind of reverse email searches that return personal data are not free, you can still use a free reverse email lookup to find out more about the domain name where someone's email is registered. For example, domain names ending in .edu are for schools and colleges, and only faculty, staff, and students should have such an email address. With a little research and thought, you can find out a lot about someone using only their email address.