Which is Better for Face Search:
Google or Tineye?
Expert Analysis: Best Reverse Image Search Engines
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 and Tineye 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.;
Versus
16 Search by Face Tests
VS
Find a Better Reverse Image Search Tool Than Google or Tineye
Google vs Tineye
Google and TinEye both exhibit limitations in their reverse image search functionalities when it comes to identifying people. Google frequently returns the message "Results for People are Limited" and predominantly focuses on commercial products, rarely finding matches for personal images and explicitly not using facial recognition technology. On the other hand, TinEye, despite boasting over 67 billion images in its database, struggles similarly as it doesn't employ facial recognition and often fails to identify individuals from different angles, further hampered by many outdated links. While Google excels in product identification, TinEye offers precise image matches but both are inefficient for searches involving personal identification, reflecting their respective focuses and technological constraints.
Can Google and Tineye 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.
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
VS
TinEye did not find any matching photos.
Score: 0 Points
Can Google and Tineye Find Romance Scammers?
Romance Scam Photo
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!
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
VS
TinEye did not find any matching photos. There are plenty of images of this doctor published online on scammy dating websites, social profiles, and forums. This makes us suspicious about TinEye's claim of 67+ billion images in their database.
Score: 0 Points
Can Google and Tineye Work with Poor Quality Photos?
Bad Photo of a Killer
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.
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
VS
TinEye found a few exact matches of the photo. It is not able to find the subject in different photos with his face from different angles, which means TinEye does not use facial recognition.
Score: +3 Points
Can Google and Tineye Find Child Abusers?
Child Molester on the Run
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.
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
VS
TinEye found a few exact match results. However, most of the links are old and broken.
Score: +2 Points
Can Google and Tineye Find Recent News?
Recently Arrested
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.
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
VS
TinEye found recent results, which means TinEye is indexing new content. However, only 3 links for a website that claims to index 67+ billion images is rather underwhelming.
Score: +3 Points
Can Google and Tineye Recognize a Person wearing a Mask?
Masked Celebrity Actress
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.
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
VS
TinEye did not find any matching photos. Since this celebrity has thousands of photos all over the Internet, it is proof TinEye is not using facial recognition and is not well-suited for this task.
Score: 0 Points
Can Google and Tineye Find Obscure Foreign Celebrities?
Unknown Singer from Laos
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.
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
VS
TinEye did not find any matching photos for this beauty from Laos. This makes us suspicious about their 67+ billion images indexed claim.
Score: 0 Points
Can Google and Tineye Find an OnlyFans Model?
Random 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.
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
VS
TinEye did not find any matching photos.
Score: 0 Points
Can Google and Tineye 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.
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
VS
TinEye did not find any matching photos.
Score: 0 Points
Can Google and Tineye Find an Old Person by Their Young Pic?
Find Old Person by 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.
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
VS
TinEye found 2 exact match photos but did not find any similar matching images.
Score: +2 Points
Can Google and Tineye Find a Profile of a War Criminal?
War Criminal Soldier
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.
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
VS
TinEye found many exact matching photos but not the person in different photos.
Score: +4 Points
Can Google and Tineye Find Escort Ads?
Brazilian Escort Ad
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.
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
VS
TinEye did not find any matching photos.
Score: 0 Points
Can Google and Tineye Handle Facial Expressions?
Exaggerated Expression
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.
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
VS
TinEye found many exact matching photos but not the person in different photos.
Score: +4 Points
Can Google and Tineye Find AI Generated Images?
AI Generated Girl
This image was generated by an artificial intelligence app. The goal is to test if the search engine can find similar AI 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
VS
TinEye did not find any matching photos.
Score: 0 Points
Can Google and Tineye Work with Blurred Photos?
Blurred Photo
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.
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
VS
TinEye failed to process the blurred image, saying "Your image is too simple to find matches."
Score: 0 Points
Can Google and Tineye Find Social Media Profiles?
Social Media Model
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?
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
VS
TinEye did not find any matching photos.
Score: 0 Points
Google and Tineye - Bottom Line Comparison
Pros
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.
Fast Image Search
Free Search
Fresh Index
Cons
No Facial Recognition
Results for People are Limited
Not Useful when Searching by Face
Total Score: 14 Points
VS
Pros
Bottom Line
TinEye was one of the first reverse image search engines and claims to have an enormous database of over 67 billion images. However, due to its age, it suffers from a high level of link rot, with many broken links pointing to websites that no longer exist. Additionally, TinEye can only perform exact matches and does not utilize facial recognition. Consequently, our tests indicate it is very weak when searching for images of people.
67+ billion images
Fast Image Search
Free Search
Cons
No Facial Recognition
Old broken URL links
Exact Image Match Only
Total Score: 18 Points
Best Facial Recognition Search Engines: Which One Wins?
| Test | FaceCheck | PimEyes | SocialCatfish | Yandex | Tineye | 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 | |||||||
| FaceCheck | PimEyes | SocialCatfish | Yandex | Tineye | Bing |
The Best Alternative to Google or Tineye for Reverse Image Searches
Comparing All Available Reverse Image Search Engines
- PimEyes.com vs FaceCheck.ID
- PimEyes.com vs Google.com
- PimEyes.com vs Tineye.com
- PimEyes.com vs Bing.com
- PimEyes.com vs SocialCatfish.com
- PimEyes.com vs Yandex.com
- FaceCheck.ID vs Google.com
- FaceCheck.ID vs Tineye.com
- FaceCheck.ID vs Bing.com
- FaceCheck.ID vs SocialCatfish.com
- FaceCheck.ID vs Yandex.com
- Google.com vs Tineye.com
- Google.com vs Bing.com
- Google.com vs SocialCatfish.com
- Google.com vs Yandex.com
- Tineye.com vs Bing.com
- Tineye.com vs SocialCatfish.com
- Tineye.com vs Yandex.com
- Bing.com vs SocialCatfish.com
- Bing.com vs Yandex.com
- SocialCatfish.com vs Yandex.com
Single Test Results
On the subject in other languages
Który jest lepszy do wyszukiwania twarzy: Google czy Tineye?
Qual é melhor para busca de rostos: Google ou Tineye?
ما هو الأفضل للبحث بالوجه: Google أو Tineye؟
Что лучше для поиска по лицам: Google или Tineye?
Qual è migliore per la ricerca di volti: Google o Tineye?
哪一个更适合人脸搜索：Google 还是 Tineye？
Který je lepší pro vyhledávání obličejů: Google nebo Tineye?
चेहरे की खोज के लिए कौन बेहतर है: Google या Tineye?
顔検索に最適なのはどちら？：Google か Tineye?
Welcher ist besser für die Gesichtssuche: Google oder Tineye?
¿Cuál es mejor para la búsqueda facial: Google o Tineye?
Quel est le meilleur pour la recherche faciale : Google ou Tineye ?
Yüz Araması için Hangisi Daha İyi: Google veya Tineye?
얼굴 검색에 더 좋은 것은 무엇입니까: Google 또는 Tineye?
