Tool
Skip Tracing Cost Calculator
A skip trace costs the number of matches times the credits each match uses, at 2¢ per credit. With Ava Data, LLC a phone-only match is 1 credit (2¢), phone + email is 2 credits (4¢) and a Deep Search is 10 credits (20¢); a record that finds no match costs nothing. Enter your list size and your own expected match rate below.
How much will my skip trace cost?
Your skip trace will cost the matches it returns times the credits per match, at 2¢ a credit. Change any field and the result updates; with JavaScript off, the worked table below gives the same arithmetic for common list sizes.
How is skip tracing cost calculated?
Skip tracing cost is calculated in three steps, and only the last one involves a price:
- Matches = records × your match rate. Rows that find nobody drop out here and cost nothing.
- Credits = matches × credits per match: 1 for a phone-only Standard Search, 2 for phone + email, 10 for a Deep Search. If you also pull the list in List Builder, add 1 credit per record pulled.
- Cost = credits × 2¢. The $9/month plan includes 100 credits each billing period.
Every result is a ceiling for the search type you pick. Components are charged separately, so a phone + email search that returns only a phone uses 1 credit. A bulk file takes up to 250,000 records, and estimated credits are reserved when you submit it, with the unused remainder released after the file finishes.
What does a skip trace cost at common list sizes?
A skip trace of 1,000 records costs $12 for phones when 600 rows match (example: 60%, enter your own rate), $24 with emails and $120 as Deep Searches. The table applies the same formula to four list sizes.
| Records | Matches (example: 60%) | Phone only (1 credit) | Phone + email (2 credits) | Deep Search (10 credits) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | 300 | $6.00 | $12.00 | $60.00 |
| 1,000 | 600 | $12.00 | $24.00 | $120.00 |
| 5,000 | 3,000 | $60.00 | $120.00 | $600.00 |
| 25,000 | 15,000 | $300.00 | $600.00 | $3,000.00 |
Example: 60% (enter your own rate). This is an illustration, not Ava Data's match rate: yours depends on how complete and how current your list is. 1 credit = 2¢, and records with no match are not charged.
Pulling the list first adds 1 credit (2¢) per record pulled, matched or not: a 1,000-record List Builder pull is 1,000 credits, or $20, before any tracing. See Ava Data pricing for the full rate card, bulk skip tracing for how a file is uploaded and returned, and the skip tracing cost guide for what other providers publish.
How do I lower the cost of a skip trace?
You lower the cost of a skip trace by sending fewer, better rows. Remove duplicate owners before you upload, since the same person traced twice uses credits twice. Trace phones first and add email only on the owners you plan to contact by email. Keep Deep Search for the records where the owner of record is not the person you need, such as probate leads, and use List Builder lists stacked on two or more signals so the file is shorter before it is traced.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to skip trace 1,000 records?
Skip tracing 1,000 records at Ava Data costs at most $20 for phones (1,000 credits at 2¢), because only matches are charged. If 600 of them match (example: 60%, enter your own rate), that is 600 credits, or $12. Phone + email doubles the credits per match, and the $9/month plan includes 100 credits.
What match rate should I enter?
Enter the match rate from your own last traced list, or test a small batch first and use that. The calculator uses 60% only as an example. A list with full names, current mailing addresses and few duplicates usually matches better than an old or partial one, and a no-match row costs nothing either way.
Is the cost charged per record or per match?
Ava Data charges per match, not per record uploaded: a skip trace record that returns nobody uses no credits. Components are charged separately, so a phone + email search that finds a phone but no email uses 1 credit, not 2. Pulling a list in List Builder is the exception: 1 credit (2¢) per record pulled.
Does the calculator include the $9/month plan?
The calculator prices the credits a job uses at 2¢ each. Every Ava Data account is on the $9/month plan, which includes 100 credits, so the first 100 credits of each billing period are already covered. A 1,000-record phone trace at 600 matches uses 600 credits, 100 of them included.
When is a Deep Search worth 10 credits?
A Deep Search is worth 10 credits (20¢) when the owner of record is not the person you need, such as a deceased owner whose heirs decide. It adds likely relatives and associates with their own contact data. For a living owner at a known address, a 1-credit Standard Search is the cheaper first pass.
Price it, then run it
Every account is on the $9/month plan with 100 credits included. Credits are charged only when a search returns a match.
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