1. Three ways skip tracing is billed
- Pay per hit. You send a list, the vendor searches every row, and you pay only for rows it calls a hit, match or result. Empty rows are free. Your bill depends on how many rows come back, so you cannot know the exact total in advance, only the most it could be.
- Pay per record. Every row you submit is billed whether or not anything is found. The total is known before you start: rows times the rate.
- Subscription credits. A monthly fee includes a number of searches. Extra searches cost a set amount each. Unused credits may reset at the end of the month, so the real price per search depends on how much of the block you use.
Many vendors mix these. A monthly plan can buy discounted per-hit credits, and a per-hit vendor can still charge a platform fee. Read the rule, then the number.
2. What counts as a hit at each vendor
The word on the pricing page matters less than its definition. A hit can mean any phone or email found, a matched record, or simply a search that returned something. Here is what each company's own pages said when we read them on November 5, 2026.
| Vendor | Billing model | What is billed, per its own pages | Fine print to check | Source, read November 5, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skipmatch | Per hit, no subscription | 3 cents a matched record. A match is a record with at least one phone or email, and email-only counts. Records with neither are never charged. | Minimum list of 50 records. A hold for the quoted maximum is placed at checkout and the unbilled part released. Records already matched on your account are not charged again unless new contact info comes back. | [1], [2] |
| Tracerfy | Per hit, credits, optional monthly plans | Normal trace 2 cents a hit, Advanced trace 4 cents a hit. The pricing page says misses are free. | The FAQ says web uploads are billed per uploaded row, with a 20-record minimum on the web. The two pages disagree, so ask which rule applies to your upload. | [3], [4] |
| REISkip | Per hit, no subscription | 15 cents a match, marked introductory and limited time. | The pages do not define a match. Minimum 50 matches on Bulk and 1,001 on Volume. Its homepage says duplicate leads are not charged. | [5], [6], [13] |
| BatchData | Subscription, billed per matched record | Skip tracing is billed per matched record, and a property with no match costs nothing. Growth is $2,000 a month for 100,000 traces. | Subscription plans need an annual agreement. A pay-as-you-go option is mentioned, but BatchData did not publish a per-record price for it on November 5, 2026. | [7], [8], [9] |
| SkipGenie | Subscription credits | $58 a month with 100 search credits, then 17 cents for each additional credit. Bulk search is 17 cents a record. | The site does not say whether a search that finds nothing still uses a credit. Credits and fees are not refundable. | [10], [11] |
| Locate Next | Per search with results, plus a monthly fee | $0.17 per search with results. No results, no charge. | $49 a month. Drawn from a prepaid balance. The maximum cost shows before anything runs. | [12] |
Where this leaves you on price alone: Tracerfy and Skipmatch publish far lower prices per result than Locate Next, and neither charges a monthly fee for basic tracing. If the lowest rate per result is the only thing you are buying, those two fit that job.
Questions to ask about any hit definition
- Does an email-only result count as a hit, or only a phone?
- Is the hit the owner you named, or anyone linked to the address? A result is a lead to check, not proof of identity. See what a skip trace match proves.
- Are duplicate rows and records you searched last month billed again?
- Is there a minimum order, and is it counted in rows or in matches?
- Is a hold placed on your card, or is money drawn from a prepaid balance?
3. One 1,000-row file, priced three ways
The arithmetic below uses a made-up file. The result rates are assumptions for the math only. They are not a measured rate for any vendor, Locate Next included, and your list may come back very differently.
- Assumption A: 1,000 unique rows, and 700 of them return a result.
- Assumption B: the same 1,000 rows, and 400 return a result.
- Every row with a result also has at least one phone or email, so it counts as a hit everywhere.
- It is your only trace that month, and you have no unused credits.
| Vendor and rule | A: 700 results | B: 400 results | How it was worked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tracerfy, per hit as on its pricing page | $14 | $8 | Results times 2 cents |
| Tracerfy, per row as its FAQ describes web uploads | $20 | $20 | 1,000 rows times 2 cents |
| Skipmatch | $21 | $12 | Results times 3 cents |
| REISkip | $105 | $60 | Results times 15 cents, if a result equals a match |
| Locate Next | $168 | $117 | $49 a month plus results times $0.17 |
| SkipGenie, if only results use credits | $160 | $109 | $58 a month, 100 credits included, the rest at 17 cents |
| SkipGenie, if every row uses a credit | $211 | $211 | $58 plus 900 extra credits at 17 cents |
| BatchData | No per-record price published | Plans start at $2,000 a month on an annual agreement | |
Three things show up in the numbers. First, per-hit pricing rewards you when many rows come back empty: under Assumption B, every per-hit line drops while a per-row bill stays flat. Second, a fixed monthly fee weighs more on a small file than a large one, so the $49 at Locate Next is a bigger share of a 1,000-row bill than of a 20,000-row one. Third, where a definition is missing, as with SkipGenie's credits, the gap between the lowest and highest reading can be wide, so ask before you upload. You can run your own numbers in the skip tracing cost calculator.
4. Costs beyond the price per result
The vendor facts in this section come from the pages listed under Sources, read November 5, 2026.
- Do Not Call checks. Tracerfy charges 1 credit, or 2 cents, per phone checked, whatever the result. Skipmatch does no DNC or litigator scrubbing and leaves it to you. SkipGenie offers optional scrubs without a published price for members. On Locate Next, DNC checks are included at no extra charge and run in Export. The check compares phone numbers with the dataset currently active on this site. It does not promise a live connection to government records, identify the owner of a number, or establish consent to contact someone.
- Monthly fees. A "no subscription" vendor saves you the fee in months you trace nothing. A tool with a monthly fee only makes sense if you use what it bundles.
- Minimums and holds. Skipmatch and REISkip set 50-unit minimums. Tracerfy's FAQ sets 20 records on the web.
- Refunds and expiry. Tracerfy says purchased credits never expire but are not refunded. Skipmatch credit expires 12 months after your last purchase or use, and unused credit can be refunded on request within 90 days. SkipGenie gives no refunds.
- Repeat searches. Duplicate rows in your file can double a bill. Locate Next merges duplicate properties before it searches, and REISkip and Skipmatch say they do not charge again for duplicates or prior matches.
5. Which model fits which job
- If you trace a few lists a year and want no monthly bill, a no-subscription per-hit vendor such as Skipmatch, REISkip or Tracerfy fits.
- If the lowest published rate per result decides it, Tracerfy at 2 cents a hit and Skipmatch at 3 cents a matched record fit.
- If you run a steady number of single searches every month and want a fixed membership, SkipGenie fits.
- If you trace hundreds of thousands of records a month through an API, BatchData's annual plans fit.
- If you want owner lists by ZIP, city or county, tracing and DNC checks in one place, and the option to ask for them in Claude or ChatGPT, Locate Next fits. You upload a CSV or .xlsx file as it is (up to 25,000 rows), see the maximum cost before it runs, review who was found, and export with your record IDs kept. Get started at $49 a month.
For a wider look at per-record pricing across more vendors, see skip tracing cost per record. For small files, see skip tracing small batches.
Common questions
What does pay per hit mean in skip tracing?
You are charged only for rows that return a result, and rows with nothing found cost nothing. Each vendor defines a result differently, so read its pricing page for the exact rule before you upload.
Is there skip tracing with no subscription?
Yes. On November 5, 2026, Skipmatch, REISkip and Tracerfy each said on their own pages that basic tracing needs no subscription. Locate Next is not one of these: it charges $49 a month plus $0.17 per search with results.
Is pay per hit cheaper than pay per record?
At the same rate, yes, because empty rows are free. Across vendors it depends on the rate, any monthly fee and how many of your rows come back with results. Work it out on your own list size.
Does a hit mean the vendor found the property owner?
Not necessarily. Some vendors count any phone or email as a hit. Treat every result as a lead to verify against the owner of record.
How does Locate Next charge for skip tracing?
$0.17 per search with results, no results no charge, drawn from a prepaid balance, plus $49 a month. The maximum cost shows before a search runs.
Do I pay for Do Not Call checks separately?
It varies. Tracerfy charges per phone checked, Skipmatch does not scrub, and Locate Next includes DNC checks at no extra charge in Export.
Sources
- Skipmatch, pricing. Per matched record rate, definition of a match, no subscription, repeat matches. Read November 5, 2026.
- Skipmatch, FAQ. Checkout hold, 50-record minimum, credit expiry and refunds, no DNC scrubbing. Read November 5, 2026.
- Tracerfy, pricing. Per-hit prices, misses free, DNC per phone, credits never expire. Read November 5, 2026.
- Tracerfy, FAQs. Web uploads billed per row, 20-record web minimum, no refunds. Read November 5, 2026.
- REISkip, pricing. Introductory rate per match and minimums. Read November 5, 2026.
- REISkip, FAQ. Charged per match, no subscription. Read November 5, 2026.
- BatchData, skip tracing. Billed per matched record, no charge without a match. Read November 5, 2026.
- BatchData, pricing. Monthly skip tracing plans. Read November 5, 2026.
- BatchData, FAQ. Annual agreements and pay-as-you-go. Read November 5, 2026.
- SkipGenie, join. Membership, included credits and extra credit price. Read November 5, 2026.
- SkipGenie, FAQs. Bulk record price, no refunds, optional scrubbing. Read November 5, 2026.
- Locate Next, pricing. Monthly fee and charge per search with results. Read November 5, 2026.
- REISkip, home page. Limited-time flat price and no charge for duplicate leads. Read November 5, 2026.
Prices change often. Check each vendor's own page before you buy.