To simplify things, we have curated a list of some of the best Apps and Search Engines that support reverse image search, to make it easier for you to use these services.
Best Reverse Image Search Engines
Google Image
Google Image is one of the most popular and powerful reverse image search tools on the internet. Introduced way back in the year 2001, the service allows you to query using an image, unlike the text-based search, where you search by entering your query in plain text.
To perform a search, you have three options. Either you can upload the image directly or paste a link to the image. Likewise, you can drag and drop the image directly into the search window. Once the search is initiated, Google looks up the image in its database and returns a befitting result. Since Google is so widespread and has its trenches spread across the internet, it makes it highly likely to get a match for an image in its huge database. What makes the service even better is that it is absolutely free and does not impose any kind of restrictions on the size or format of the image you upload. You can use the service only on the web version. So, if you are using it on a mobile phone, you cannot access the site since it does not support a mobile version. However, as a workaround, you can use the ‘Request Desktop Site’ option on your device to get on the desktop version and then use the service.
TinEye
TinEye is another popular image search service which allows you to upload an image and get detailed information in return. It’s ideal for use by photographers and creative professionals who want to track an image’s reach online, but other people can also use it. However, a thing to note here is that it does not work well with faces and objects in an image, which is why you won’t see a ‘similar image’ option.
Using TinEye is similar to Google’s, with all three search options supported. It provides users with a free and paid version of the service to choose from, with the free version restricting the number of searches to 150 per week, in addition to some other restrictions like the limit in maximum upload size of an image restricted up to 20MB. To overcome some of these restrictions, users can upgrade to the paid plan. Despite some limitations, a few of which can be overcome by upgrading to the paid plan, TinEye allows some great features too. One such neat and useful feature is the ability to save your searches. For this, you need to log in to the service to view your search history.
Yandex
Yandex is a Russia-based reverse image search service. It has a huge repository of images that make it easy to return accurate results for your search queries. The interface is user-friendly and allows you to either upload an image or paste a URL of the image in the search option.
The service provides users with filter options to sort the search result by the size of the image (Large, Medium, and Small). It is a great tool that helps track a duplicate back to its origin. Yandex does not require you to sign up for the service to be able to use it. It is a completely free service that aims to provide a seamless search experience while delivering accurate search results.
Best Reverse Image Search Apps
Google Lens
Initially available for Pixel users only, Google soon integrated the feature in its Photos app to make the service available for iOS users, following its growing popularity among people. Available in the form of a standalone app on Android and an integrated service on the Google Photos app on iOS, the service takes in user input in the form of images and looks it up on its database for a match. Once a relevant result is found, the app shows information related to the image, along with a link to another website and also a link to search more about the image. Download: Android (Free), iOS (Free)
CamFind
CamFind is a popular reverse image search app that is known for its accurate results. Available as an app for both Android and iOS platforms, the service allows users to click an image and upload it directly to their servers. After which, a slew of results is presented on the screen with links to different websites with relevant information. Additionally, the app also pulls up related images and local shopping results from various e-commerce websites. Not only that, but the app also scans an image of the poster of a movie and shows up its trailer, show timings, and even nearby theatres. Download: Android (Free), iOS (Free)
Veracity
Unlike the other two apps mentioned above, Veracity is an iOS-only app and one of the most popular reverse image search apps for the platform. It has a clean and easy-to-use user interface, with a limited number of yet useful features. To perform a search, you can either upload an image from the camera roll or paste a URL to the image in the section below. The app then searches online for the image and shows the relevant results in its own interface, unlike other apps that redirect to the Google result page. Another differentiating factor of Veracity is that it manages to identify most of the contents of the image and provides results accordingly. Available: iOS (Free, In-app purchases)
Reversee
Reversee is a reverse image search app that uses Google’s engine to deliver the results for your uploaded image. It is another iOS-only app, just like Veracity, and comes with its own set of features. With the most important and useful of them is the ability to edit an image before uploading. That makes it easy for the images that are inadequate to be uploaded. Some of these editing tools include brighten, crop, and resizing options. The app is free and also has a paid plan, which can be used to change your search engine. With options like Bing and Yahoo, the upgrade can be useful for some who are not satisfied with Google’s search results. Download: iOS (Free, Paid).
Photo Sherlock
Another simple and easy-to-use app for reverse image search is Photo Sherlock. Available for both Android and iOS, the app has a straightforward interface with options to either upload an image from the gallery or snap an image using the camera. Rest everything is taken care of by the app itself, and you are presented with the results. Further, you can use the edit option to crop your image and get the result for only the focussed subject in the image. Download: Android (Free), iOS (Free)
Reverse Photos
Reverse Photos is a slick online tool that lets you perform reverse image searches on mobile phones without installing any app. It’s a mobile web app that lets you upload an image from your phone and will then feed you into Google’s image database and show visually similar photos. This is a nice and simple way to reverse image search that latest WhatsApp meme or potentially dubious profile picture on Tinder.
