Reverse phone lookup UK
Start with the number, find out who's behind it. Free for any UK mobile, landline or business number.
How a reverse phone lookup works
A phone book takes a name and gives you a number. A reverse phone lookup does the opposite: you type in a number you've seen, in your missed calls, a text or a letter, and get back what's known about it. For UK numbers, a lot can be worked out from the digits alone, because Ofcom publishes which ranges are landlines, mobiles, freephone or premium rate, and which company each block was issued to.
We combine that with what people tell us. Anyone who received a call from a number can rate it Spam, Scam or Neutral and describe the call. We currently cover 38,876 phone numbers and all 599 UK area codes.
What each search shows you
| Result | Where it comes from | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Line type | Ofcom numbering plan | A mobile, a town landline and a premium line point to very different callers |
| Town or region | UK area codes | Tells you where a landline was issued |
| Range holder | Ofcom allocations | The telecoms company that was issued the block |
| Cost to call | Ofcom numbering plan | Stops you returning a call to an expensive number |
| Caller rating | People who were called | Shows whether others found it to be a scam or sales call |
| Other formats | The number itself | The +44 and spaced versions your phone might show |
Reverse lookup by type of number
| Begins with | What it is | Cost to call |
|---|---|---|
| 01 / 02 | Landline | Standard landline rate |
| 03 | Non-geographic (03) | Same as a landline call |
| 07 | Mobile | Standard mobile rate |
| 0800 / 0808 | Freephone (0800/0808) | Free |
| 084 / 087 | Business rate (084/087) | Access + service charge |
| 09 | Premium rate (09) | Premium rate |
| 070 | Personal number (070) | Higher than a mobile |
| 055 / 056 | Corporate / VoIP (055, 056) | Set by your provider |
More on each range: UK number types, 07 mobile prefixes, 03 numbers and international numbers.
Reverse lookup a landline by area code
Every other code is in the UK area code finder.
Numbers looked up recently
MoreFree lookup or paid "people search"?
Search for "reverse phone lookup" and you'll find sites offering to reveal a caller's name, address and more for a fee. Be cautious. In the UK there is no public register of mobile phone owners, and landline owners can opt out of directories, so those reports often have little real information in them.
A free lookup like this one is upfront about what it can tell you: the facts carried by the number and the experiences of people it called. If you need to know whether to answer, ring back or block, that's usually all you need. To check a whole list at once, use the bulk phone number checker; to focus on fraud, try the scam number checker.
Reverse phone lookup questions
What is a reverse phone lookup?
It works the opposite way to a phone book. Instead of starting with a name and finding a number, you start with a number and find out about it: what kind of line it is, where it's registered and what other people say about the caller.
Is this reverse phone lookup free?
Yes. Every search is free and you don't need an account. There's no paid "full report" either, because we don't sell personal data.
Can a reverse lookup tell me the owner's name?
Not for private numbers. The UK has no public register of mobile numbers, and landline owners can choose to be ex-directory. You'll see what the number is and what people who were called by it reported, which is usually enough to judge a call.
Does it work for UK mobiles and landlines?
Yes. Any UK number works: 01 and 02 landlines, 07 mobiles, 03, 0800, 084, 087 and 09 numbers. For a landline we also show the town its area code belongs to.
Can I look up a number from another country?
Yes. Type it with its country code, for example +1 or +91, and the result shows which country it's from and any reports from people in the UK.
Why do some sites charge for a reverse phone search?
Paid "people search" sites promise names and addresses, but for UK mobiles there's no official source they can draw on. Be careful about paying for a report that may contain nothing you couldn't find for free.