There have been many over the years, but unfortunately, lots of them are now defunct. Have no fear; there are still plenty of resources available for you to do reverse image searches using your profile photo.
Google Face Search
One of the go-to places to perform a reverse image search on faces is Google Images. It’s the longest-running reverse image search tool, and there’s no sign that it’s going away soon, unlike most other face search services. On the Google Images main page, all you need to do is select the camera icon in the search field, select the Upload an image tab, and then select Choose File to upload your profile image. Google will scour the web for two groups of results.
The first set of results are images online that look similar to yours. You’ll see lots of other people that Google feels are lookalikes. This is actually a bit surreal. I also found it interesting that the image results are not “matching” images (where the website posted your picture), but only “similar” images of people that look like you. On the other hand, the search results are website links of sites that host the image of yourself that you’ve uploaded. These results are extensive and accurate.
Yandex
Unless you live in Russia, the odds are pretty good that you’ve never heard of Yandex. It’s actually one of the most popular search engines in Russia. Essentially, it’s the Russian answer to Google. Why should you use it? Because it actually does facial recognition better than Google itself, at least as far as image results go. The process is similar to Google. You select the camera icon next to the search field. Then click Select a file. This will let you upload your profile image. Once you do, you’ll see both image and URL results, very similar to Google’s face search results.
You’ll find that Yandex actually does a better job finding your images, not only images of people that look very similar to you. Under this, you’ll see the URL listings. Oddly enough, it also seemed like Yandex URL results were also more updated than Google’s search results.
TinEye
TinEye is a reverse search engine that works excellent for face searches. To upload your image, select the up arrow icon to the left of the search field. Upload your profile image, and you’ll see a list of results showing web pages that feature that image on their page.
TinEye doesn’t bother with image results. The entire set of results include only URL links to pages that feature the image you’ve uploaded. It works well for face searches and any other image you may want to view where it’s been published online.
Bing Image Search
Bing is obvious a big competitor to Google, so how does its reverse image recognition for faces stack up? Bing Image Search provides its results under multiple tabs rather than all on one page. Those tabs are Similar images and Pages with this. The images results are very much like Google image results, in that you won’t likely see your own image, but instead, pictures of people that Bing believes looks very similar to your profile image. I found these results to range between eerily accurate and completely off base.
The URL results are also significantly lacking. While Google and other similar face search tools returned 20 or more results, Bing didn’t even return 10 results. It missed a list of pages online that contain the image. Surprisingly, such a well-known search engine falls short so badly when it comes to facial recognition and reverse image search, but unfortunately, that’s the case here.
Pinterest Image Search
Another place you can do a reverse face search online is Pinterest. A reverse image search feature is embedded in every photo on Pinterest. It’s simple to use. All you need to do is open the image page on Pinterest and select the magnifying glass icon at the bottom right corner of the image. This will search Pinterest for all images on the site that are similar to that one.
If you’re hoping to see if your own image has been posted anywhere else on Pinterest, you’ll need first to pin your own profile image. Then, perform a similar image search using the method above. You’ll see both matching images, as well as any pictures on Pinterest that look similar. Even if there aren’t any images on Pinterest that match yours, it’s an interesting way to see what other people on Pinterest think you look like.
How Old Do I Look
If you want to try a different take on face search technology, give Microsoft’s How-Old.net a try. It’s a simple site but addictive. Just upload your photo to the site and let Microsoft’s age-guessing technology do its trick.
Attempting this with a couple of old photos through the years proved out the technology. The site was able to guess the age within just a few years of accuracy. Give it a try for yourself and see just how accurate it is.
Searching for a Face Online
Facial recognition technology has come a long way in recent years, but online services that provide it haven’t lasted very long. It seems like every year, another face search service folds. However, all the sites listed above have been around for a while and work quite well. Try them out for yourself and see what type of interesting results you get.
