Is Google the Best for Face Search?

Best Reverse Image Search Engines: A Detailed Examination

Disclaimer: This is not an independent review. These tests were conducted in May 2024 as part of internal competitive analysis by an expert paid by FaceCheck.ID.

Below tests evaluate the effectiveness of Google for searching the Internet using a photo of someone's face. We used various criteria to match different practical use cases. You should test the search engines yourself to see which one works best for your needs. Each search test is awarded 0 to 5 score points based on how well the search performed. Points are summarized and charted at the end.;

Google

16 Search by Face Tests

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Can Google Recognize a Side Facial Profile?

Side Facial Profile

This screenshot from a recent video interview shows the side profile of a famous person. The goal is to test the search engine to see if it can recognize the person and find front-facing photos of them.

Google displayed zero matches and showed a message "Results for People are Limited". Score: 0 Points

Can Google Find Romance Scammers?

Romance Scam Photo Can Google Find Romance Scammers?

This picture of a handsome unsuspecting doctor has been stolen by scammers and published on dating apps and used in many online romance scams. The goal of this test is to see if the search engine can help the user uncover that this pic is associated with a scam operation. The doctor is innocent!

Google displayed zero matches and showed a message saying, "Results for People are Limited." This suggests that Google is intentionally blocking searches by a photo of a person. Score: 0 Points

Can Google Work with Poor Quality Photos?

Bad Photo of a Killer Can Google Work with Poor Quality Photos?

A low-quality photo of a serial rapist, murderer, and ex-colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force. The goal is to test the search engine's ability with a bad quality image with .jpeg artifacts where the person isn't facing the camera directly.

Google displayed zero matches and showed a message "Results for People are Limited". Score: 0 Points

Can Google Find Child Abusers?

Child Molester on the Run Can Google Find Child Abusers?

This is a photo of someone on the offender list for molesting kids. His status is 'Absconded,' meaning he ran away from his registered address without telling the authorities. The goal is to see if the search engine is able to find high-risk offenders.

Google finds one result for this child predator which is the registered offender's website. Score: +3 Points

Can Google Find Recent News?

Recently Arrested Can Google Find Recent News?

A photo of a serious sexual offender involving a child, who fled from the police and was hunted down and arrested, was all over the Australian news two weeks ago. The goal is to check if the search engine can find recently published images in its database.

Google finds only one exact match for this person. Score: +2 Points

Can Google Recognize a Person wearing a Mask?

Masked Celebrity Actress Can Google Recognize a Person wearing a Mask?

This is a B-list celebrity wearing a face mask, only showing her eyes and forehead. The test is to see if the search engine can recognize faces even when they're covered by a mask. There is thousands of images of this celebrity all over the Internet, so finding a few matches should not be a problem.

Google displayed zero matches and showed a message "Results for People are Limited". Score: 0 Points

Can Google Find Obscure Foreign Celebrities?

Unknown Singer from Laos Can Google Find Obscure Foreign Celebrities?

A picture of a not-so-famous singer from the country of Laos. Hardly anyone outside of Laos knows her. The goal of this test is to see if the search engine can find info on obscure public figures from other countries.

Google finds only one exact match for this person. Score: +2 Points

Can Google Find an OnlyFans Model?

Random OnlyFans Model Can Google Find an OnlyFans Model?

A photo of a random woman on OnlyFans who lives in Vietnam. The goal is to see if the search engine can find OnlyFans profiles.

Instead of finding a person, Google finds similar hairbands to what the OF girl is wearing on her head. Google reverse image search is made for searching commercial products, not for people searching. Score: 0 Points

Can Google Find an Adult Actress by Low-Res Pic?

Low-Res Pic of Adult Actress

A low-resolution picture of an obscure Japanese adult film actress. The goal is to see if the search engine can find Asian adult film stars using low-resolution photos.

Google displayed zero matches and showed a message "Results for People are Limited". Score: 0 Points

Can Google Find an Old Person by Their Young Pic?

Find Old Person by Young Pic Can Google Find an Old Person by Their Young Pic?

This photo is from 1976, showing a woman who was 27 years old at the time. The goal is to see if the search engine can find a more recent photo of the same person.

Google displayed zero matches and showed a message "Results for People are Limited". Score: 0 Points

Can Google Find a Profile of a War Criminal?

War Criminal Soldier Can Google Find a Profile of a War Criminal?

A picture of a Russian soldier who filmed himself committing terrible war crimes. The goal is to see if the search engine can find this soldier's social media profiles.

Google finds only one exact match for this person. Score: +2 Points

Can Google Find Escort Ads?

Brazilian Escort Ad Can Google Find Escort Ads?

A photo from a Brazilian escort ad. We blurred it on this page for privacy. The goal is to see if the search engine can find images on escort ads websites.

Google displayed zero matches and showed a message "Results for People are Limited". Score: 0 Points

Can Google Handle Facial Expressions?

Exaggerated Expression Can Google Handle Facial Expressions?

The camera captured a soccer player with a funny facial expression in this photo. The goal is to see if the search engine is robust enough to find images of the same person with a normal facial expression.

This is the only case in our tests when Google actually finds the person in the picture and delivers useful results. Score: +5 Points

Can Google Find AI Generated Images?

AI Generated Girl Can Google Find AI Generated Images?

This image was generated by an artificial intelligence app. The goal is to test if the search engine can find similar AI images.

Again, instead of finding a person, Google finds similar hairbands to what the AI girl is wearing in her hair. Score: 0 Points

Can Google Work with Blurred Photos?

Blurred Photo Can Google Work with Blurred Photos?

Even though this photo is heavily blurred, almost anyone would recognize the iconic president in the photo. A good reverse image search engine should be able to recognize this person too.

Google displayed zero matches and showed a message "Results for People are Limited". Score: 0 Points

Can Google Find Social Media Profiles?

Social Media Model Can Google Find Social Media Profiles?

This person is a social media fitness model from Iraq. The test is: can the reverse image search engine find social media profiles of a person from an Islamic country?

Google displayed zero matches and showed a message "Results for People are Limited". Score: 0 Points

Google - Bottom Line Comparison

Pros

Fast Image Search

Free Search

Fresh Index

Cons

No Facial Recognition

Results for People are Limited

Not Useful when Searching by Face

Bottom Line Google is not effective for reverse image searching by face. It does not use facial recognition and intentionally blocks searches by a person's image, displaying a "Results for People are Limited" message. While this feature worked in the past, as of 2024, it is now entirely useless for this purpose. Google has focused its reverse image search on identifying commercial products rather than people, and it excels in this area. If you need to find a product by image, Google is perfect for that.

Google

Total Score: 14 Points

The Best Facial Recognition Search Engines: Side-by-Side Analysis

Test	FaceCheck	PimEyes	SocialCatfish	Yandex	Tineye	Google	Bing
Side Facial Profile	5	0	2	0	0	0	0
Romance Scam Photo	5	5	5	5	0	0	0
Bad Photo of a Killer	5	0	5	2	3	0	0
Child Molester on the Run	5	5	5	2	2	3	0
Recently Arrested	5	5	5	0	3	2	0
Masked Celebrity Actress	5	0	4	0	0	0	0
Unknown Singer from Laos	5	5	0	0	0	2	0
Random OnlyFans Model	5	5	0	0	0	0	0
Low-Res Pic of Adult Actress	4	5	0	3	0	0	0
Find Old Person by Young Pic	5	5	1	1	2	0	0
War Criminal Soldier	5	4	4	4	4	2	3
Brazilian Escort Ad	5	5	0	0	0	0	0
Exaggerated Expression	5	5	5	5	4	5	5
AI Generated Girl	5	5	1	1	0	0	0
Blurred Photo	5	0	5	5	0	0	5
Social Media Model	5	3	0	0	0	0	0

Total Points	79	57	42	28	18	14	13
	FaceCheck	PimEyes	SocialCatfish	Yandex	Tineye	Google	Bing

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Author Siti Hasan

Siti is an expert tech author that writes for the FaceCheck.ID blog and is enthusiastic about advancing FaceCheck.ID's goal of making the internet safer for all.