Max Intel (maxintel.org) is a free, browser-based OSINT toolkit and guide library run by Ned Walsch. It offers 109 tools and 89 guides, needs no account or API key, and is funded by ads and labelled affiliate links. For who runs it and what data leaves your browser, see Is maxintel.org safe and legitimate?
What Is Max Intel?
Max Intel is a free, browser-based open source intelligence (OSINT) suite that gives investigators, journalists, researchers, and cybersecurity professionals instant access to 100 investigation tools — all from a single interface. Each tool aggregates links to dozens of public data sources, so you can search people by name, investigate email addresses, look up domain registrations, trace IP addresses, analyze threats, research businesses, and much more without switching between sites.
Every tool on Max Intel is free, requires no registration, and works directly in your browser. There are no API keys to manage and no accounts to create. Most tools run entirely in your browser; the few that send data elsewhere are listed in the safety section below. The suite also includes 18 downloadable Python desktop applications for offline OSINT investigations. We also publish original research on the OSINT tool ecosystem, tracking which tools shut down, go paid, or get acquired so investigators always know what still works.
Why We Built This
OSINT research typically requires investigators to navigate dozens of separate websites, each with different interfaces, signup requirements, and search parameters. Max Intel eliminates that friction by generating direct search links to every relevant data source from a single input field. The goal is simple: save investigators time by centralizing access to publicly available information.
The project was founded in 2025 by cybersecurity and OSINT professionals who experienced this fragmentation firsthand. Every tool in the suite reflects real investigative workflows — the sources included are the ones that professional investigators actually use daily.
How Max Intel Works
Max Intel does not store or index data. Instead, each tool takes your search input (a name, email, domain, IP address, etc.) and generates direct search links to relevant public databases. When you click a link, you are taken directly to the third-party source with your search pre-filled. This means Max Intel does not keep your data — it simply connects you to publicly available information faster than doing it manually. The few exceptions are listed in the next section.
Is maxintel.org safe and legitimate?
Max Intel is a real, free OSINT site run by a named person, Ned Walsch, since 2025. You need no account, and we do not sell user data. The site is paid for by ads and clearly labelled affiliate links. Most tools run only in your browser. A few pass what you type through a proxy we run.
- Who runs it: Ned Walsch, an OSINT practitioner who builds the tools and writes the guides (see About the Author). He also runs SourceCited, a separate project.
- How it is funded: display ads served by Google AdSense, plus affiliate links to services such as Optery, DeleteMe, Proton Pass, Bitdefender and Spokeo. Affiliate links are labelled “Sponsored” and carry
rel="sponsored". They never change which tools we list or how we describe them (affiliate disclosure). Readers can also chip in at Buy Me a Coffee. - Account or signup: none. No registration, login or API key.
- What stays in your browser: most tools run entirely on your device. Investigation Notes, the Evidence Logger and similar tools save to your browser’s local storage (data your browser keeps on your device). It stays there unless you export it.
- What goes through our proxy: twelve tools send some requests through a Cloudflare Worker (a small relay server) we operate, either because the source blocks browsers or after a direct request fails. What passes through can be the domain, IP address, full MAC address, file hash or URL you entered. The worker currently forwards to any public address it is given. The tools are Exposed, Tech Stack Detector, IP Lookup & Triage, Cloud IP Identifier, MAC Address Lookup, CT Monitor, Wayback & CommonCrawl Recon (CommonCrawl only), Sitemap Historian (live URL checks only), Threat Intel, Threat Dashboard, Is This Website Legit? (crt.sh fallback only) and the ads.txt / sellers.json Inspector (only after you click). We build no profile from these requests, but Cloudflare’s standard edge logs may exist.
- What goes straight to other services: Wayback Machine checks go from your browser directly to the Internet Archive, never through us. Many tools send what you enter straight from your browser to public sources (IP, domain and threat lookups, RDAP, Tor, VIN and Wikidata lookups, Open-Meteo, OpenStreetMap map tiles). The privacy policy lists them.
- Image uploads: only the optional temporary-URL helper of the Reverse Image Search Hub uploads a file. The image is publicly reachable by its random URL and deleted after 24 hours.
- Cookies: Max Intel’s own code sets no cookies. The Google Analytics script we load sets first-party analytics cookies on maxintel.org, and Google AdSense sets advertising cookies; an ad blocker does not break the tools.
- Contact: email [email protected] for privacy requests, corrections or takedowns. We aim to reply within five working days.
The full details are in the privacy policy, the disclaimer and the terms of use.
Who Uses Max Intel?
The suite is designed for anyone who conducts research using public data: private investigators, journalists conducting background research, cybersecurity analysts tracking threats, legal professionals conducting due diligence, academic researchers, HR professionals verifying credentials, and individuals looking up their own digital footprint. All use of Max Intel tools must comply with applicable laws and the site's terms of service.
Open Source and Ethical Use
Max Intel is committed to ethical OSINT practices. All tools access only publicly available data — no scraping, no hacking, no unauthorized access. Users are expected to use these tools responsibly and in accordance with local laws. For legal details, see our legal disclaimer and privacy policy.
About the Author
Max Intel is built and maintained by Ned Walsch, an open-source intelligence practitioner who develops the site's browser-based tools and writes its guides and references. Ned started Max Intel to make professional-grade OSINT techniques available for free — no sign-ups, no paywalls — and keeps the tools and the research current as platforms, data sources, and the law change.
Every guide on this site reflects hands-on testing of the tools it describes, and every recommendation is something Ned actually uses in investigative work. If a tool changes or a technique stops working, the relevant page gets updated rather than left to rot. Found the tools useful? You can support the project at buymeacoffee.com/glutenscreen.
Contact
For questions or feedback, use the thumbs-down button on any tool page to flag issues. The official contact for Max Intel — press, corrections, takedowns, partnerships or anything else — is [email protected].