Side by side

Where PhoneDecoded fits

We start from the lookup rather than the sale. The free IMEI check runs without an account and tells you which handset a number belongs to — and these pages are equally plain about what it does not settle, because a number cannot tell you the battery is sound or that the person selling it owns it. Read each one the way you should read any comparison written by one of the parties: the verifiable facts about the other service are the part worth keeping.

Sites that look numbers up

How we differ from imei.info A long-running reference site: paste a number, get the model and a spread of free lookups. How we differ from imei24.com Free model identification with a scattering of extra checks, funded by advertising. How we differ from imeicheck.com A free tier for the basics, with the detailed reports held behind payment. How we differ from imei.org Free lookups on the front, paid reports and an API behind them. How we differ from iUnlocker Apple-only, and built around the activation-lock question. How we differ from IMEIpro Focused on Apple: activation-lock and carrier status, free where it can be. How we differ from iFreeiCloud Apple serials and IMEIs, split between what it gives away and what it charges for.

Services that sell unlocks

How we differ from UnlockBase Primarily an unlock shop, with lookups alongside the codes it sells. How we differ from doctorSIM Consumer unlock services with a check attached, sold per device.

Software you install on a computer

How we differ from Dr.Fone Wondershare's installable repair suite, bought as a bundle or a module at a time.

Start with the number

One free lookup a day, no sign-up and no card. Run it against the handset in front of you before you take anybody's word for anything, ours included.

Check an IMEI