WhatsMyName Review

What WhatsMyName Is

WhatsMyName checks over 500 platforms for a username. You plug in a handle, and it fires off HTTP requests to see if that username exists on each site. It looks at response codes and page content to determine where the account is active.

The tool was created by Micah "WebBreacher" Hoffman and is maintained by the OSINT community. The tool is available for free at whatsmyname.app. The code is open-source on github.com/WebBreacher/WhatsMyName.

The list of platforms is contained in a JSON file that anyone can update or verify for accuracy. WhatsMyName is distinguished from similar tools like Sherlock by its web interface. Sherlock works in a similar way.

What It's Good For

Tracking a handle across platforms is easy with WhatsMyName. Type in "nightowl77" and get results on GitHub, Steam, Discord in under a minute. Most people reuse usernames; unusual handles make it more likely hits belong to the same person.

WhatsMyName excels at finding hidden accounts. A subject's LinkedIn and Twitter might be public, but what about their niche forum or regional social network account? The tool covers many platforms, such as niche forums, regional social networks.

Verifying a claimed identity works like this: a subject claims no Twitter account. Run their username through WhatsMyName. See what comes back. This also works for denial verification; a confirmed non-existence on a platform is investigatively useful.

Handles can be correlated. When two handles return hits on the same niche platforms, that overlap is worth documenting. WhatsMyName surfaces the data; it does not make inferences.

WhatsMyName provides a pre-investigation scope check. It tells you how many platforms a handle appears on and what categories of services they use. A handle that hits gaming and developer platforms tells a different story than one concentrated on privacy-focused communities.

Getting Started

Using WhatsMyName is straightforward. Head to whatsmyname.app, type in a username, and hit search. You'll get a list of confirmed matches, each linked to the live profile. You can export the results to CSV. No account, no API key, no cost.

The CLI version offers efficient functionality. Clone the GitHub repo and run it locally with Python. It operates faster and allows scripting. You can filter by category, such as social platforms or dev tools. This is useful when focused on a specific area.

If you're already using Sherlock, you'll find WhatsMyName familiar. It uses similar methods and produces similar results. WhatsMyName's platform list is more focused. Sherlock offers bulk processing speed. Both tools are solid and free.

Platform Categories Covered

Pricing

You can use WhatsMyName for free, no strings attached. The web interface at whatsmyname.app works without limits.

The platform's source code and list of sites are open-source under the BSD 3-Clause license. You can self-host it or integrate the list into your own tools. That's it.

Limitations

WhatsMyName tells you if an account exists. That's it. No profile details. You need to manually review each confirmed hit or use a tool like Maltego to pull profile data.

Some platforms serve a generic page instead of a 404. The WhatsMyName community tries to catch these by checking page content. You'll still get false positives. Verify new hits by clicking the link.

JavaScript-heavy and anti-bot platforms are unreliable. WhatsMyName makes direct HTTP requests. The tool does not use a headless browser. Some platforms may report false negatives.

The web UI handles one username at a time. For multiple handles, you must search manually. The CLI handles this more efficiently.

WhatsMyName checks usernames, not email addresses. For email mapping, use Epieos or Holehe. If you have a username and email, run both tools: Epieos, Holehe.

Private and deleted accounts stay hidden. WhatsMyName checks public profile URLs, not platform internals. That's its limit.

Alternatives

• Sherlock — CLI-only, Python-based, faster for bulk username searches, similar platform coverage. Choose Sherlock when you need scripted automation or are checking multiple handles at scale.
• Namechk — web UI, simpler interface, narrower platform list, primarily oriented toward brand name availability checking rather than OSINT.
• KnowEm — brand and trademark monitoring tool, checks username availability across hundreds of platforms, but it's designed for brand protection, not investigation.
• Epieos / Holehe — email-based account checking, not username-based. Checks where a given email address has been used to register accounts. Not a replacement for WhatsMyName — they cover different input types and are best used together when you have both identifiers for a subject.

Verdict

WhatsMyName is your go-to when you have a username to investigate. The web interface is frictionless, browser-based, free, and provides results in under a minute.

Data quality has limits. Consider it an initial sweep. Then verify hits manually. Use it alongside Sherlock for cross-checking and bulk processing. The service is free, so use it.

See Also

• Open Source Intelligence for Journalists: A Practical Guide