What is North Star?
North Star is an open-source intelligence (OSINT) platform that runs entirely in the browser. Its tagline is "Research the world in real time", and it groups its tools into modules it calls sectors. You can browse public camera feeds on a 3D globe, research a username across public sources, trace crypto wallets, search official records and estimate where a photo was taken, then collect what you find on case boards.
The team describes the site as a public demonstrator, an early preview that is live and changing quickly. Professional plans are pitched at newsrooms, OSINT teams and agencies.
Main Features
- Camera Globe: search more than 250,000 public cameras on an interactive globe, with in-browser AI object detection on the feeds.
- Username research: look up a handle across social platforms and other public sources and export a report.
- Crypto tracing: follow wallet activity across 22+ blockchains with fund-flow graphs and labels for exchanges and mixers.
- Catalogue: search more than 100 official sources such as court, sanctions and property records.
- Photo geolocation: estimate where an image was taken from its contents and metadata, matched against satellite and street-level imagery.
- NetScan and Skywave: check the open services on your own domains and IP ranges, and look up radio frequencies and public receivers.
- Cases: link-chart boards that keep the entities, notes and sources of an investigation together.
How to Get Started
- Visit nstarlive.com and pick a plan. There is no app to install.
- Sign in to the web panel and choose the sector you need, such as Camera Globe or Catalogue.
- Run your searches and save the results to a case board so your sources stay organised.
Pricing
North Star is subscription only, billed in GBP and excluding VAT. We found no free tier or trial. An individual Founders seat is £20 a month. Team plans are Emerald at £80 a month (5 seats), Sapphire at £150 a month (12 seats, API credits) and Diamond at £300 a month (25 seats, more API credits and extra modules), with Enterprise on request. The terms say payments are non-refundable except where the law requires otherwise, so check the plan before you subscribe.
Who Should Use It?
- Journalists and fact-checkers verifying where and when an image or event happened.
- Researchers and analysts working with public records, open data and blockchain activity.
- Security teams auditing the exposure of infrastructure they own.
Things to Know Before You Sign Up
Some North Star modules can be used to look up or track individuals, including face matching on the top tier and tracking links that log a visitor's location. Using tools like these on people without a lawful basis can breach privacy and data protection law, such as UK GDPR, so use them only for legitimate research. The site lists its contributors by handle and does not name a registered company or address, and it notes that customer logos on its homepage are shown under its terms of service.
Alternatives
- Perplexity AI: an AI answer engine for general web research with cited sources.
- Windy: a live weather map that also shows public webcams around the world.
- Shodan and Maltego: long-standing tools for internet-device search and link analysis used by security teams.
FAQ
Is North Star free?
No. North Star is a paid subscription. The cheapest option is the £20 a month Founders seat, and team plans start at £80 a month.
Does North Star have a mobile app?
No. It runs in a web browser, and the site says there is no app or setup.
Who is North Star for?
It is aimed at journalists, OSINT researchers, newsrooms and investigation teams who work with public data.
Is it legal to use North Star?
The platform works with public and openly available data, but whether a given use is lawful depends on your country and purpose. Its own terms say it does not guarantee results are lawful for your purpose and that it cooperates with law enforcement.