5 Best Private Investigators in Toronto (2026)

Independently ranked by our review of ratings, reviews and reputation · How we chose

By Fenris Morrow, Expert in Professional Services · ✓ Data verified August 2026 · 8 min read

Hiring a private investigator in Toronto usually means trusting someone with a sensitive, often painful situation, from a custody dispute to tracking down a scammer. Review counts on this page run from 22 to 264, and one process-serving business drags the field's overall trust down with a wave of recent one-star complaints about vanished payments.

Short answer: Investigation Hotline leads with a 4.9 rating across 264 reviews, offering licensed investigation across Toronto and the GTA in English and Mandarin. Atlas Private Investigations is close behind at 4.9 across 61 reviews for locating hard-to-find individuals. Rates are quoted per case, not published as a flat fee.

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1. Investigation Hotline
2. Atlas Private Investig…
3. ONTARIO WIDE PROCESS S…
4. Star Quality Private I…
5. Haywood | Hunt Investi…
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How Toronto's Private Investigators Compare

#	Business	Rating	Reviews	Best for
1	Investigation Hotline - Private Investigator Toronto	4.9 ★	264	Licensed investigation across the GTA	View ›
2	Atlas Private Investigations	4.9 ★	61	Locating difficult-to-find individuals	View ›
3	ONTARIO WIDE PROCESS SERVERS (Toronto)	4.1 ★	124	Process serving and legal document delivery	View ›
4	Star Quality Private Investigations	4.9 ★	34	Corporate and sensitive personal investigations	View ›
5	Haywood \| Hunt Investigations - Private Investigators Toronto	4.8 ★	22	Business and litigation investigations	View ›

5 Best Private Investigators in Toronto (2026)

Our top picks, reviewed

#1 Overall🕑 Open 7 days↩ Responds to reviews

Investigation Hotline - Private Investigator Toronto

4.9264 Google reviews

Investigation Hotline, led by licensed investigator Mitchell Dubros, handles infidelity, custody, background checks, digital investigations, insurance fraud and tracking cases across Toronto and the wider GTA, with services available in English and Mandarin. Reviewers describe the firm going beyond its own scope to refer out-of-jurisdiction cases to other trusted professionals rather than simply turning clients away.

What people praise

Reviewers describe multiple staff members providing quick, coordinated follow-up
Bilingual service in English and Mandarin
Referred a client to another professional when a case fell outside its scope
Deepest review base on this page

Worth knowing

Only handles cases within Canada, so confirm jurisdiction before engaging for anything cross-border

Reputation scorecardrank in Toronto

Rating4.9 / 5

Review volume264 · 96th

Confidencehigh

Recency5 months ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown96% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The most-reviewed and highest-rated name on this page, and reviewers specifically note being treated with care even when the firm couldn't directly help.

Website +1416-205-9114 Directions

1920 Yonge St #200, Toronto, ON M4S 3E2

#2🕑 Open 5 days/wk

Atlas Private Investigations

4.961 Google reviews

Atlas Private Investigations, based in downtown Toronto, specializes in locating hard-to-find individuals for legal, financial and personal matters, including judgment enforcement and litigation support. Reviewers describe complex cases involving people who were deliberately avoiding contact, resolved with what they call persistence and clear, plain-English communication throughout.

What people praise

Reviewers specifically praise plain-English explanations of a complex process
Successfully located individuals other efforts had failed to find
Named investigators credited across multiple detailed reviews
Handles both personal cases and litigation or judgment enforcement support

Worth knowing

Smaller review base than Investigation Hotline, though a similarly strong 4.9 rating

Reputation scorecardrank in Toronto

Rating4.9 / 5

Review volume61 · 82th

Confidenceearly

Recency4 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown97% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: Reviewers consistently highlight this firm's success finding people who were actively avoiding contact, a specific and difficult skill worth calling out directly.

Website +1647-526-9791 Directions

100 King St W Ste 5700, Toronto, ON M5H 1H1

#3🕑 Open 7 days

ONTARIO WIDE PROCESS SERVERS (Toronto)

4.1124 Google reviews

Ontario Wide Process Servers offers process serving, court filing, legal searches and document retrieval across Ontario, operating from a Toronto office. Recent reviews describe a pattern of payment being accepted followed by extended silence, missed deadlines on court documents, and no Affidavit of Service being delivered despite repeated follow-up attempts.

What people praise

Offers a broad range of legal support services beyond process serving alone
Covers locations across Ontario, not just Toronto
Older reviews and positive interactions do exist alongside recent complaints

Worth knowing

Multiple recent reviewers describe paying for service that was never confirmed as completed and receiving no response to follow-up
Several reviewers specifically mention missed court deadlines as a result of the lack of communication
Lowest rating and highest share of 1-star reviews on this page

Reputation scorecardrank in Toronto

Rating4.1 / 5

Review volume124 · 89th

Confidencemoderate

Recency5 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown76% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The recent pattern of reviews describing unresponsiveness after payment, especially around time-sensitive court documents, is serious enough that we'd recommend getting a clear written timeline and confirmation process in place before paying anything upfront, or considering one of the other names on this page instead.

Website +1647-824-1088 Directions

5, 112 Elizabeth St Suite 317, Toronto, ON M5G 1P5

#4🕑 Open 7 days↩ Responds to reviews

Star Quality Private Investigations

4.934 Google reviews

Star Quality Private Investigations, operating for over two decades, staffs its investigative team exclusively with former law enforcement detectives and executives, handling infidelity, child custody, corporate investigation and technical surveillance countermeasures. Reviewers describe live feed updates during corporate surveillance cases and a notably compassionate approach during personally difficult situations.

What people praise

Team composed exclusively of former law enforcement professionals
Reviewers describe live feed updates during active surveillance
Handles technical surveillance countermeasures, a specialized service
Praised repeatedly for compassion during emotionally difficult cases

Worth knowing

Most detailed reviews are a few years old, so confirm current staffing and availability directly

Reputation scorecardrank in Toronto

Rating4.9 / 5

Review volume34 · 75th

Confidenceearly

Recency2 years ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown97% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The former law enforcement background of the team and the specialized countermeasures service make this a strong pick for corporate or higher-stakes cases specifically.

Website +1416-884-5100 Directions

2 St Clair Ave W 18th Floor, Toronto, ON M4V 3A1

#5🕑 Open 7 days↩ Responds to reviews

Haywood | Hunt Investigations - Private Investigators Toronto

4.822 Google reviews

Haywood | Hunt Investigations has provided investigation services to law firms and businesses for decades, handling insurance fraud, background checks, skip tracing and business due diligence. Reviewers, including repeat corporate clients, describe reliable results on cases like tracking down a person who used a stolen credit card and locating hard-to-find individuals for out-of-province business matters.

What people praise

Long-term repeat business from corporate and legal clients
Reviewers describe consistent, reliable results over many years
Handles specialized corporate cases like fraud and skip tracing
Named investigators credited by long-term clients

Worth knowing

Smallest review base on this page, though consistently positive

Reputation scorecardrank in Toronto

Rating4.8 / 5

Review volume22 · 68th

Confidenceearly

Recencyabout a year ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown91% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The clearest choice here for a business or law firm need specifically, given the reviewer base skewing toward corporate and legal repeat clients rather than one-off personal cases.

Website +1416-253-7878 Directions

18 King St E Ste 1400, Toronto, ON M5E 1L4

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Watch: 5 Best Private Investigators in Toronto (2026)

How we score

Rating is the live Google average. Review volume tracks how many clients rated the investigator, weighted against others on this page. Confidence blends both, so a firm with a large, consistent review base outweighs one with just a handful at the same rating. Recency checks how recently clients are still leaving reviews. No business can pay to change these numbers.

How much does a private investigator cost in Toronto? (2026)

Private investigator rates in Toronto vary widely depending on the type of case, from a straightforward document search to multi-day surveillance or corporate investigation. None of the firms on this page publish flat rates online, since scope and hours vary significantly case to case, so a confidential consultation is the standard first step.

Serving all of Toronto

These investigators cover Toronto and the wider GTA, including Mississauga, Vaughan, Oakville and beyond. If you are searching for a private investigator near me, each listed here takes confidential inquiries by phone or online form.

What to ask before you hire a private investigator

Are you a licensed private investigator in Ontario, and can you show proof?
What is your typical rate structure, hourly or per case?
Will you provide regular written updates during an active investigation?
How is evidence documented and can it hold up in court if needed?
What is your confidentiality policy for my personal information?
Do you require payment upfront, and what happens if a case is not completed?

Frequently asked questions

Are these rankings paid?

No. Rankings come from public Google data. A business can pay to be a Featured Partner (badge and top placement), but that never changes another business’s score or position.

How did you choose these private investigators?

We pulled real Google Business listings for private investigators in Toronto, then ranked them on rating, review volume, and how recently clients were still leaving reviews.

How often is this list updated?

We refresh the data periodically. This page was last verified in August 2026.

Are private investigators in Ontario licensed?

Yes, private investigators in Ontario are required to be licensed. Several firms on this page, including Investigation Hotline and Star Quality, mention their licensing directly on their sites.

Should I pay upfront for process serving or investigation services?

Recent reviews for one process server on this page describe payment being accepted with no follow-through, so confirm a clear timeline, written confirmation process and refund policy before paying anything upfront with any provider.

The bottom line

Investigation Hotline is the safest default given its scale, bilingual service and consistent rating. For a business or corporate matter specifically, Haywood Hunt or Star Quality’s decades of repeat client work are worth a direct comparison call.

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