The Difference Between CNAM and Trestle’s Reverse Phone API

Are you trying to determine the best way to identify the caller or owner of a phone number? One option is to use CNAM, or Caller ID Name, which is a data source that has been around for many years. Another option is to use Trestle’s Reverse Phone API. In this post, we will provide some background on CNAM, explain how we at Trestle source and return data, and compare the two options in terms of information returned, API speed, and potential use cases.

CNAM is used to provide the name associated with a phone number, making it easier to identify who is calling. The data is sourced from phone companies and is typically only available for landline numbers.

Our company, Trestle, provides a Reverse Phone API to our customers, where our data is sourced from a variety of authoritative sources, including phone companies, utilities, and public records. Our API returns a wealth of information about a phone number, which includes the name of the person or business associated with the number, their address, and other relevant details.

When it comes to comparing the two, the main difference is the amount of information returned. CNAM only returns the name associated with a phone number, which is limited to 15 characters and often poorly formatted. On the contrary, our Reverse Phone API returns a wide range of information and even returns a modern JSON response, which is designed to be fast and efficient, with an average response time of under 100 milliseconds.

As far as use cases go, CNAM is primarily used for Caller ID Name services and is tightly regulated given access is granted through the carriers, while our Reverse Phone API can be used for a variety of purposes, such as lead attribution, lead generation, and background checks.

In conclusion, CNAM and Trestle’s Reverse Phone API are both useful tools, but they serve different purposes. CNAM is best used for Caller ID Name services, while Reverse Phone API can be used for a variety of purposes and returns a wealth of information. Plus, our Reverse Phone API is much faster than CNAM. 

If you’re interested in learning more about Reverse Phone API, feel free to look at our API Documentation or you can contact us.