Maigret Review
Username OSINT tool that checks 2,500+ sites, extracts profile data from hits, and automatically pivots to linked identifiers found in discovered accounts.
Quick Verdict
Investigators who already know a subject's handle and want maximum breadth plus extracted profile data — particularly when the target is active on obscure forums, regional platforms, or dating sites.
Pros
- + 2,500+ supported sites — the largest site list of any username OSINT tool
- + Extracts profile data from found accounts (bio, location, join date, photo URL) rather than just confirming existence
- + Recursive search pivots automatically when it finds linked handles in discovered accounts
- + Generates structured HTML and PDF reports — useful for documentation without manual compilation
- + Covers dating sites, country-specific platforms, and niche forums that Sherlock and WhatsMyName miss
Cons
- − CLI only — no zero-friction web UI like whatsmyname.app
- − Full search takes 10–20+ minutes; higher site count means slower runs by default
- − Higher false positive rate than WhatsMyName — more sites means more miscategorized 'found' responses
- − Recursive search on a well-linked target can compound runtime unpredictably
- − Single maintainer; update cadence and issue response times vary
What Maigret Is
Maigret is a Python tool for username OSINT. Born from Sherlock, it's on github.com/soxoj/maigret. It searches more sites, grabs profile data, and searches recursively.
Give Maigret a username. It checks if the handle exists on sites like social media, forums, and more. When it finds an account, it looks for bio, display name, location, join date, profile photo URL, and other links. If it finds a linked username or ID, it searches for that too.
The site list has over 2,500 platforms, including Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. This scope is Maigret's edge. It works; you get results.
Maigret is a Python tool for username OSINT. Born from Sherlock, it's on github.com/soxoj/maigret. It searches more sites, grabs profile data, and searches recursively.
Give Maigret a username. It checks if the handle exists on sites like social media, forums, and more. When it finds an account, it looks for bio, display name, location, join date, profile photo URL, and other links. If it finds a linked username or ID, it searches for that too.
The site list has over 2,500 platforms. Twitter, Instagram, YouTube. It works; you get results.
What It's Good For
Maigret excels at tracking a handle across the long tail of platforms. You've found a handle on Reddit or Twitter, and now you need to know if it's also on some niche forum, dating site, or regional network. Maigret indexes country-specific platforms from Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America.
The tool saves you hours by pulling profile data in bulk. No more clicking through every hit. On a multi-platform case, this is a huge time-saver.
Maigret's recursive search is its key feature. It finds a Reddit account that links to a Steam profile with a different username. Maigret automatically searches for that Steam username across its entire index. This surfaces connections you'd otherwise miss.
Maigret generates solid investigation documents. Running maigret username --html produces a report with confirmed hits, profile data, and timestamps. The report is a useful artifact.
Operators save time. Cases close.
Getting Started
To start using Maigret, run:
pip3 install maigret or pipx for a sandboxed install: pipx install maigret.
The core commands are simple. Maigret's commands include searching default sites with "maigret username". You can also output in HTML with "maigret username --html", or output in PDF with "maigret username --pdf". For a faster search, use "maigret username --top-sites 500", which searches the top 500 sites by traffic. A thorough but slow search can be done with "maigret username -a".
The "--top-sites 500" flag works well, cutting runtime to 2, 4 minutes, and catching the big ones.
Maigret vs Sherlock vs WhatsMyName
They overlap in approach, but serve distinct needs. A comparison is provided.
| Factor | Maigret | Sherlock | WhatsMyName |
|---|---|---|---|
| Site list size | 2,500+ | ~400 | ~500 |
| Web UI available | No | No | Yes (whatsmyname.app) |
| Profile data extraction | Yes | No | No |
| Recursive / pivot search | Yes | No | No |
| Report output | HTML, PDF | Text list | Browser / CSV export |
| False positive rate | Higher | Medium | Lower |
| Search speed | Slow (10–20 min full) | Fast | Fast (web) |
| Dating sites covered | Yes | Limited | Limited |
| Regional / niche platforms | Strong | Moderate | Moderate |
| Setup required | Python + pip | Python + pip | None (web UI) |
| Maintained by | Single maintainer (soxoj) | Community (multiple contributors) | Community (Micah Hoffman et al.) |
| License | MIT | MIT | BSD 3-Clause |
When you need to find someone online, the right tool can save you hours. WhatsMyName is great for quick checks — type in a username, and it scans dozens of sites in seconds. For bulk searches, Sherlock is your go-to; it's designed for scripting and automating searches across multiple platforms. If your search requires digging deeper, Maigret is the way to go. It extracts data and pivots recursively, pulling in information from as many sites as possible. That's it.
Pricing
Maigret is free and open source, licensed under MIT. There are no usage tiers, no API keys required, and no charges per search, regardless of volume. The site database is hosted on GitHub, where it is maintained by the community.
Limitations
Maigret's not perfect. It's command-line only, which can be tough for investigators without a tech background. A 2,500-site search takes 10 to 20 minutes, easy. Longer searches occur if you're not just checking one thing. It also throws a lot of potential matches. You'll need to verify each one manually. There's not a lot of bang for your buck if you're just confirming a single identity. The recursive search feature can get messy. It sometimes runs fast, other times not so much. New data can trickle in unevenly, as only one person updates the tool. Searches pile up and hits need verifying. It's not ideal for rapid checks.
Alternatives
- WhatsMyName — 500-site list, web UI at whatsmyname.app, no setup required, no profile data extraction. Ideal for quick lookups and non-technical investigators.
- Sherlock — similar CLI approach, smaller site list (~400 sites), fewer false positives than Maigret, faster runtime, more active community maintenance. Better for speed and low false-positive rate.
- Epieos / Holehe — email-based account detection, not username-based. Complements Maigret rather than competing with it.
- SpiderFoot — broader OSINT automation platform that can incorporate username searches alongside IP, email, domain, and other pivots. Higher setup and complexity; suitable when username search is one component of a larger investigation workflow.
Verdict
Maigret shines when depth is more crucial than speed. You have a username; now you need to see where it shows up and what details come with it. Maigret is your go-to. It searches more platforms than most, pulls in profile data, and automatically connects the dots between identifiers.
The trade-offs are a longer wait for full results, more noise to sift through, and a command line interface. Updates also depend on a single maintainer. Operators weigh these costs against the benefit of thoroughness.
See Also
Best OSINT Tools, What Is OSINT?
Further Reading
Tool Relationships
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Community Rating
Ratings from security researchers. No third-party tracking.
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This review reflects testing as of 2026-04-02. OSINT tools change frequently — check the vendor's current documentation for pricing and feature updates. Report an error →