Trace only — not debt recovery

Choosing the best debtor tracing service for your business

Published by RecoverAble Locate. This is our comparison of selected services, not an independent ranking. Provider information checked 20 October 2026; confirm current terms before purchasing.

The short answer: choose on how many people you need to trace, how good your existing identity and address data is, whether you need automated or manual work, what happens when there is no match, how useful the report is, and your total commitment — not the headline per-trace price alone.

Selected services at a glance

Prices are the advertised starting points we found, excluding VAT. Individual case prices are not equivalent to batch contracts: volume quotes and product scope differ between providers.

RecoverAble Locate

Advertised service: Self-service, data-backed batch tracing. Each person comes back as a Locate Report with the address information found, match confidence and plain-English next-step guidance.
Indicative starting cost: PAYG: 10 reports £39.99 + VAT in total. Flex Monthly: 10 reports a month £29.99 + VAT.
Important limitation: Minimum 10 people per order and per CSV upload. Each accepted trace uses a report even when no match is found. No manual investigation, doorstep work or debtor contact.
May suit: Businesses with several adults to trace and reasonable existing identity data who want a consistent written report.

Source: RecoverAble Locate pricing guide

DebtTrace

Advertised service: Tiered tracing. Its Basic and Standard tiers are described as data searches; Premium adds manual investigation. It also advertises batch tracing for 10 or more cases.
Indicative starting cost: Basic from £49.99 + VAT per search. Other tiers and batch services available; conditions vary.
Important limitation: Advertises no-find-no-fee and retrace arrangements subject to conditions and exceptions. Check provider terms.
May suit: A buyer who wants a choice between data-only and investigator-assisted tiers for individual cases.

Source: www.debttrace.co.uk/

UK Tracing

Advertised service: Desktop tracing of individuals, plus separate bulk and automated tracing products.
Indicative starting cost: Desktop trace £30 + VAT. Bulk and automated products are quoted separately.
Important limitation: Advertises no-trace-no-fee and a 90-day retrace, each subject to its stated terms. The single desktop price is not its bulk price. Check provider terms.
May suit: A buyer with one or a few individual cases, or one wanting a quoted bulk arrangement.

Source: uktracing.co.uk/

Vilcol

Advertised service: A range of tracing tiers, from an electronic E-Trace to in-depth and doorstep investigation.
Indicative starting cost: E-Trace £45 + VAT. In-depth trace £85 + VAT with a last-known residential address; without one, or if it is over 10 years old, request a quote. Doorstep trace £225 + VAT.
Important limitation: Guarantees and inclusions differ by tier and do not all apply to E-Trace. Check provider terms.
May suit: A buyer who may need to escalate a difficult individual case to manual or field enquiries.

Source: vilcol.com/uk-debtor-tracing-services

Tracing agent or batch self-service platform?

A debtor tracing company or agent usually prices per case and may offer manual enquiries. That tends to suit one-off or difficult individual cases.

A batch self-service platform such as Locate prices per report across a list of 10 or more and returns a consistent written report for each person. That tends to suit businesses with several genuine records to trace. Neither is better in every case.

Questions to decide on before you buy

How many people do you need to trace now, and over the next year?
How complete and current is the identity and address data you hold?
Do you need manual or field enquiries, or is a data-backed search enough?
How are non-matches charged?
What does the output show beyond an address?
What is the minimum order or ongoing commitment?

Data-backed versus manual tracing

Data-backed tracing searches existing records against the identity details you supply. It is quick to run across many people and gives a consistent result format. Manual tracing adds a person making enquiries, which can help with harder cases but can involve additional time and cost. One option is to use data-backed tracing for suitable records and consider manual work only where the circumstances and value justify it. Locate is data-backed only.

One individual or a batch?

If you have a single urgent case, a per-case provider is usually the practical route — Locate cannot take a single person on their own. If you have 10 or more adults with genuine business debts, batch tracing lets you process them together through one CSV template. Do not pad a batch with people you have no lawful reason to trace just to reach a minimum.

What to ask about non-matches

Is a search charged when no address is found?
If a fee is refunded or a retrace offered, what conditions and exclusions apply?
Is there a time limit for claiming a retrace?
Does the output show how confident the match is, or only an address?

Report usefulness and verification

An address on its own still leaves you to judge how reliable it is. Ask whether the output shows match strength, supporting signals and what to check next. Whatever provider you use, a traced address is indicative: verify it proportionately before relying on it. See a demo Locate Report and our guide to tracing lawfully.

Locate pay-as-you-go illustration

Totals for one-off purchases, excluding VAT, from our current pricing:

10 reports£39.99 + VAT
50 reports£133.32 + VAT
100 reports£233.32 + VAT

For monthly plans and annual terms, read how much debtor tracing costs.

Ready with 10 or more records? See bulk options, including direct 30, 50 and 100 report orders.

Hypothetical buying decisions

A firm with one high-value former customer and no date of birth may prefer a per-case trace, possibly with manual enquiries.
A letting agent with 40 former tenants, each with a last known address and date of birth, may prefer a data-backed batch with a written report per person.
A business with a recurring flow of returned post may prefer a monthly allowance it can use across several uploads.

These examples are illustrative only and are not based on real customers.

Questions

Is the cheapest per-trace price the best value?

Not necessarily. Compare what is included, whether a non-match is charged, the minimum order or commitment, and whether the output helps you decide what to do next. A single-case price and a batch arrangement are not like-for-like.

Should I use a data-backed or a manual trace?

A data-backed trace can be a practical starting point when you hold suitable identifying information and have established that the processing is lawful and necessary. Manual or field enquiries may suit difficult cases, subject to the same checks and the provider’s terms.

Does RecoverAble Locate charge when no match is found?

Yes. Each accepted trace uses one Locate Report whether or not a match is found. The report states the outcome so you can decide what to do with that record.

Next step

Trace only. No debtor contact. Business use only, minimum 10 people per CSV upload.

See your price View a demo Locate Report