Background Check Companies in 2026: Checkr, GoodHire, Sterling, HireRight, First Advantage and Certn

For your first dozen hires, choose background check companies by the checks your roles need and the hiring software you already use. Checkr is the strongest starting point for recurring, integrated hiring; Certn deserves a close look for occasional US checks, while HireRight and First Advantage belong on a more complex screening shortlist.

Verified against the providers’ public pages on 8 November 2026. This is a comparison of published services, prices and workflows, not a signed-in product test. Speed figures below are each provider’s claims about a particular type of check, not a head-to-head benchmark.

The buying rule is straightforward: choose the required screening scope first, the working integration second, and the price of that same scope third. A cheap search that omits a needed check does not solve the hiring problem.

Background check companies for employers: at a glance

Checkr leads this shortlist for repeatable hiring workflows. The other names earn a place for different reasons, including continuity for existing customers. These are six familiar brands, not six independent supplier options: Checkr acquired GoodHire, and Sterling now directs new customers to First Advantage. Those relationships matter when you request competing bids.

Prices are entry points from the pages cited in each provider’s section. They are not equivalent baskets of checks. Third-party fees and additional searches can change the payable amount. “Quote only” means obtain a rate from the provider because a public starting dollar amount was not verified; it does not necessarily mean an annual contract is required.

An ATS, or applicant tracking system, holds applications and hiring stages. HRIS and HCM systems manage employee records and related HR work. If you are choosing that upstream software too, the AI recruiting tools comparison covers a different part of the hiring process.

Six providers, and where each fits

1. Checkr: the strongest starting point for recurring hiring

Checkr is an employment screening platform with a dashboard, prebuilt HR integrations and an API, a software connection for embedding screening in your own workflow. It is the first provider I would shortlist for an hourly employer whose recruiters repeatedly move candidates between hiring stages. Its advantage is the combination of screening and workflow options, rather than a promise that every report arrives instantly. For a restaurant group, the useful question is whether a recruiter can send the right screening invitation and see its status without maintaining another spreadsheet.

Best for: Recurring hiring, especially where an ATS or custom onboarding flow already exists.
Standout: Dashboard, prebuilt integrations and a scalable API on the same screening platform.
Pricing: From $29.99/report for Basic, with possible third-party fees; see Checkr’s published packages.
Free trial: No free screening trial verified on the reviewed pages.

Checks offered. Basic lists a Social Security number trace, sex offender registry, global watchlist and national criminal search. It does not list county criminal searches. Essential adds identity verification and unlimited county criminal searches; Complete adds state and federal criminal coverage. The wider catalogue includes employment, education and professional licence verification, motor vehicle records, drug and occupational health screening, healthcare sanctions, civil records and international checks. These are available services, not an assertion that every entry package includes them.

Stated turnaround. Checkr says 89% of all criminal checks complete in one hour on its speed and workflow page. That is useful evidence for a fast-moving hiring operation, but it is not a deadline for a report that also needs a former employer to respond or a candidate to attend a clinic. Ask for the expected timing of your configured package and how exceptions are communicated.

Integrations. Its partner directory lists Greenhouse, Fountain, Lever, BambooHR, Gusto, Rippling and ADP, among others. The workforce platform page also describes its configurable dashboard and API. A listed integration should start a practical conversation: which checks can you order, which status fields return, and where does the recruiter review the result?

Verdict: Start with Checkr when screening is becoming a repeated operating process. For an occasional office hire, compare the complete required basket with Certn before treating integration breadth as something you need to pay for.

Plan your Checkr setup before ordering

This is a setup checklist, not a walkthrough of a tested account. Have the provider demonstrate it with your intended hiring flow.

1. 1

   Define the role’s package

   Write down the role, work location and checks your hiring policy requires. Compare that list with package inclusions. Do not assume a national criminal search includes the county coverage shown in a different package.

2. 2

   Choose the ordering route

   Ask for a demonstration inside your existing ATS or HR system. If you lack one, assess the dashboard first. A custom API project needs a concrete workflow reason, such as embedding screening in an existing worker onboarding application.

3. 3

   Assign the exceptions

   Decide who will follow up when candidate information is missing, a source has not responded, or a report needs review. Include the adverse-action process in that demonstration before the first live order.

2. GoodHire: a small-employer option with an ownership caveat

GoodHire is a screening service whose public site emphasizes straightforward ordering, a results dashboard and candidate access. It is worth considering for an office manager handling a few hires without a dedicated screening team. Its current entry packages do not establish a cheaper alternative to Checkr, and its ownership relationship means it is not an independent corporate counterbid. Judge the actual onboarding route and support arrangement you are offered.

Best for: Small employers evaluating a guided screening workflow.
Standout: Publicly described dashboard and mobile-optimized candidate results.
Pricing: From $29.99/check for Basic, with possible third-party fees; see GoodHire’s package page.
Free trial: No free screening trial verified on the reviewed pages.

Checks offered. The entry package lists SSN trace, sex offender registry, global watchlist and national criminal search. County coverage appears in Essential, with additional state and federal coverage in Complete. Its screening catalogue also lists civil court, credit, driving, drug, employment, education, international, reference and healthcare sanctions checks.

Stated turnaround. The same catalogue says 90% of nationwide criminal checks return in less than one minute. “Nationwide criminal” is the important qualifier. It is a narrower claim than completion of an entire employment report, and it should not be compared directly with another provider’s all-criminal or whole-report figure.

Integrations. GoodHire’s HR technology page advertises an API and prebuilt connections, displaying platforms including ADP, BambooHR, Greenhouse, Lever, Rippling and Workday. Confirm whether a new account uses that integration or a Checkr route. An old logo on a public directory is not enough to plan an implementation around.

Checkr’s acquisition account records its purchase of GoodHire in April 2022. That relationship does not prove the services are identical. It does mean a buyer should ask which platform, contract and support team will serve the account instead of assuming the two brands compete independently.

Verdict: Keep GoodHire on the list when its actual offered workflow suits a small office. Do not choose it solely because an older comparison describes it as the cheaper or independent alternative.

3. Sterling: treat this as a transition, not another independent bid

Sterling now presents a transition to First Advantage on its public homepage. Existing customers should use that information to establish their current account and support route. A new employer comparing vendors should evaluate the First Advantage proposal it is directed to, rather than score Sterling as an extra independent supplier. The practical benefit here is avoiding duplicate procurement work.

Best for: Existing Sterling customers checking continuity and support.
Standout: A clear public route to the combined First Advantage offering.
Pricing: Quote only through First Advantage; no separate current Sterling starting package rate was verified.
Free trial: No free screening trial verified on the reviewed transition page.

Checks offered. Sterling’s page lists identity verification; local and federal criminal records; sex offender registries; global sanctions and international criminal databases; drug and health screening; and transportation services including employment, licensing and motor vehicle records. Those links now lead to First Advantage solutions. This is Sterling’s own current service description, not an inference that every First Advantage product is available under every legacy account.

Stated turnaround. The transition page discusses speed and automation but supplies no separate numeric full-report completion estimate. Use the estimate for your quoted package. First Advantage’s criminal-screen metric, discussed below, is not evidence for a distinct Sterling service-level promise.

Integrations. The current page routes existing customers to First Advantage support and new buyers to sales; it does not provide a separate Sterling ATS catalogue. Existing customers should confirm their specific connection, account platform and escalation route. New buyers should have the proposed First Advantage integration demonstrated rather than relying on a legacy Sterling description.

For a multi-location employer already using Sterling, the immediate task is operational: establish where invitations, status checks and candidate support now live. Switching providers solely because the branding changed would add work without first establishing whether anything material changed in the service you receive.

Verdict: Retain Sterling as an account-continuity question. For a fresh procurement, evaluate the current First Advantage offer once.

4. HireRight: shortlist it when screening complexity drives the decision

HireRight is a global employment screening provider with services spanning criminal records, identity, employment verification and drug testing. It belongs on the shortlist when a growing employer has candidates with overseas work histories or needs a more involved screening programme. Its appeal is the range of checks and enterprise hiring connections. A small firm making an occasional domestic office hire should still establish whether the proposed programme adds value over a simpler self-service option.

Best for: International hiring and more complex employer screening programmes.
Standout: Global verification and criminal-search services alongside major hiring-system connections.
Pricing: Quote only via the HireRight sales route; no public starting package rate verified.
Free trial: No free screening trial verified on the reviewed pages.

Checks offered. HireRight lists global identity, global criminal and employment verification, county criminal searches, healthcare statewide criminal checks, drug and alcohol testing, extended-workforce screening and US Form I-9/E-Verify services. Its homepage states coverage across 200+ countries and territories. That reach is a reason to enquire, not proof that an identical check exists in every country.

Stated turnaround. HireRight’s candidate timing guidance says an average employment background check typically takes two to four business days, depending on its nature and scope. It names former-employer or school responsiveness, court backlogs, drug testing and international documentation among possible delays. This is a whole-employment-check estimate, so putting it beneath a competitor’s minute-based database statistic would create a misleading speed ranking.

Integrations. The homepage names Dayforce, Greenhouse, Oracle, Workday and SAP SuccessFactors and states 70+ ATS and HCM integrations. For a mid-size business already using one of these systems, request a demonstration of the exact recruiting module, rather than accepting the software company’s name as sufficient confirmation.

A useful international proposal should specify the checks available for the candidate’s history, required documents, what happens when a source cannot respond and who owns candidate communication. That gives a hiring manager something to schedule around. A worldwide coverage count alone does not.

Verdict: Include HireRight when the challenge is coordinating a complicated screening programme. Obtain an itemized proposal before choosing it for a simple domestic hiring need.

5. First Advantage: a strong shortlist for role-specific requirements

First Advantage provides screening, identity, verification and workforce-monitoring services across business sizes. It is a sensible shortlist choice for an employer coordinating different requirements across healthcare, driving or other specialized roles. Its small-business option also prevents an automatic assumption that it is only for enterprises. The decision is whether its proposed checks and workflow fit your operation, not whether its customer count is impressive.

Best for: Employers coordinating role-specific screening across locations.
Standout: Screening, identity, onboarding and monitoring in a broad service catalogue.
Pricing: Quote only for a verified rate; its small-business offering advertises pay-as-you-go with no setup fees or minimums, but supplies no public starting dollar amount.
Free trial: Free account creation is advertised; free screening was not verified.

Checks offered. Its current site lists identity, criminal, employment and education verification, drug and occupational health screening, driving records, I-9/E-Verify and monitoring. It also describes healthcare licence, credential and sanction checks and transportation screening. For a clinic hiring both administrative staff and licensed practitioners, that menu supports a discussion about separate role packages rather than buying the same bundle for everyone.

Stated turnaround. First Advantage says approximately 90% of US criminal screens close in one day. Its site footnotes this and other scale metrics as of 31 December 2025. The claim is current on the page we checked, but the measurement date is older; it is not a guarantee for a package containing verifications or occupational health appointments.

Integrations. The current site states 100+ ATS and HCM integrations and names Workday, iCIMS, Oracle, UKG, Bullhorn, Fountain, Paradox, Dayforce, SAP SuccessFactors and SmartRecruiters. For a staffing business, the operational test is whether its recruiters can order the correct client-specific package and track outstanding work within the system they use today.

The small-business route matters even if you expect modest volume: no minimum does not mean no charges, and a free account does not mean a free report. Ask for the payable rate, applicable additional fees and available checks before comparing it with the public entry prices elsewhere.

Verdict: Shortlist First Advantage for varied role requirements, and request its small-business terms if volume is low. Choose on the demonstrated programme, not the combined brand footprint.

6. Certn: the low-entry-price option that needs a scope check

Certn is a screening platform offering self-service checks, integrations and an API. It deserves attention from a small US employer buying checks occasionally, and from a business evaluating cross-border screening. Its public US entry price is lower than the Checkr and GoodHire entry prices above. The qualification is material: contingent county searches can add charges, so compare coverage before calling it the cheaper complete solution.

Best for: Occasional US screening and employers comparing cross-border options.
Standout: A published US entry package plus standalone, integration and API routes.
Pricing: $13.99 USD for US Core Criminal Check; applicable county searches add $9.99, with possible third-party fees, per Certn’s US pricing page.
Free trial: No free screening trial verified; pay-per-check ordering is advertised.

Checks offered. US Core includes SSN trace, national criminal database, sex offender registry, global watchlist and sanctions, and contingent county criminal searches. The page says Certn automatically completes county searches where applicable at the additional charge noted above. County searches across address history appear in a broader package. That is a different coverage proposition from automatically assuming an entry database search examines every relevant county.

The wider US catalogue includes Canadian criminal checks, OneID identity verification, employment, education and credential checks, references, credit, social media and motor vehicle records. Select from that catalogue according to the job and applicable requirements, rather than ordering everything because it is available.

Stated turnaround. Certn says many checks complete in minutes. For employment, education and credential verification, its US pricing page makes a more specific distinction: the team initiates the process within one business day, while completion depends on the source’s responsiveness. Initiated is not completed. That distinction is especially relevant when you need a former employer or school to answer.

Integrations. Certn’s US homepage lists Greenhouse, Lever and Workday, plus a RESTful API and standalone dashboard. It also claims coverage in 195 countries. As with the larger providers, ask which services are available in each relevant country; a country count does not establish equivalent records or turnaround everywhere.

Verdict: Put Certn beside Checkr for a small employer’s equivalent-scope quote. Use the US pricing page: the Canadian page displays a different currency and an expired promotion, neither of which should determine a US purchase.

What do background check companies look for?

The useful answer is the set of checks you order, not everything a provider can sell. A receptionist, delivery driver and licensed clinician create different screening questions. Define those questions before selecting a package.

Identity and trace information help establish who is being checked and the information used for searches. Do not treat an SSN trace and a separate identity-verification service as interchangeable: the provider catalogues list them separately.

Criminal coverage needs a specific scope. National database, county, state and federal searches appear as distinct products in the published packages. Compare the actual included searches rather than the word “comprehensive.” In particular, an entry package can have a national search while county coverage sits elsewhere.

Employment and education verification address claims about prior work or qualifications. Their dependency is often an outside source. For a finance hire whose experience is essential to the role, the key question is what the provider does when the former employer does not respond, and how that unresolved result is reported.

Role-specific checks can include driving records, licences, healthcare sanctions or drug screening where appropriate. A local-services owner hiring a driver should discuss driving-related requirements explicitly. More checks are not automatically better: the job, location and applicable rules determine the appropriate programme.

How do companies do a background check?

The report moves through several handoffs, and the fastest search is only one part of the elapsed time. The candidate supplies information and authorization; the provider searches records or contacts sources; the employer reviews the returned information and follows the required decision process.

For an hourly employer, give each handoff an owner. Someone needs to notice that an invitation is incomplete; someone needs to distinguish an outstanding source response from a finished report awaiting review. Otherwise a fast provider can still sit inside a slow hiring process.

FCRA-compliant background check companies: what the employer still owns

Using a screening provider does not transfer the hiring decision or all compliance obligations to that provider. The Fair Credit Reporting Act, or FCRA, governs employment consumer reports; the FTC and EEOC’s employer guidance sets out the federal process and also directs employers to consider state and local rules.

Before obtaining a report, the guidance calls for a stand-alone written disclosure, written permission and certification to the reporting company. Before an adverse decision based on the report, the employer must provide the report relied on and the FCRA rights summary, allowing the person to review and explain the information. After an adverse action, required notices identify the reporting company, explain that it did not make the employment decision and describe the person’s rights. Nondiscrimination requirements also apply.

Ask each provider to demonstrate how its workflow supports those steps and where your staff must act. This is a summary of the official guidance, not a substitute for advice on your locations and roles; it supplies no universal waiting period or automatic rejection rule.

Choosing the best background check companies for your hiring pattern

The choice flips when a necessary check or workflow fails, even if another provider has the better headline price. Start with the hiring pattern you can describe today, then account for a credible change in volume or geography.

Best background check companies for small businesses

For a few domestic office hires, compare Checkr and Certn on the same scope. GoodHire remains worth considering if its actual offered onboarding and support route is simpler for your office. A standalone ordering dashboard may be enough. Do not commission a custom integration to avoid a task you perform only occasionally.

For growing hourly hiring, start with Checkr and the connection to your current ATS. Put First Advantage beside it when the role mix or existing systems make its programme relevant. Evaluate the candidate invitation, recruiter status view and exception handling together: a quick search with poor visibility can still leave a shift manager uncertain about staffing.

For regulated or specialized roles, have HireRight and First Advantage respond to the required checks and documentation. Checkr also lists healthcare and transportation-related checks; ask whether its offered configuration meets the same specification. A broad catalogue is a reason to enquire, not a legal determination that a package meets your obligations.

For international hiring, compare HireRight, First Advantage and Certn on the candidate’s actual countries and history. Checkr also advertises international screening. Ask about available records, documents, translations if needed, source nonresponse and completion estimates. The winning provider is the one that can deliver the required work for those places, not the largest country total.

Before choosing, request a sample report and an itemized quote using the same role and location specification. Then have your hiring owner explain what they would do with an incomplete result, a disputed result and a report requiring review. That exercise reveals more operational value than a generic sales demonstration.

How these were picked

These six names were compared against their own public pages on the verification date above. The criteria were required-check coverage, the ordering and integration route, clarity of package pricing, candidate handoffs and the scope of each published turnaround claim. No live applicant was screened and no signed-in product was tested.

The recommendations are editorial judgments based on that evidence. There is no numerical speed ranking because the providers measure different things. Sterling is included to explain its current transition, and GoodHire is included with its ownership relationship made explicit. Consumer people-search services were excluded from the employer shortlist.

The ones to avoid

Avoid Spokeo for employment decisions. Its own site says it is not a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA and prohibits using the service for employment decisions. It is not a shortcut around an employer screening process.

Avoid Checkr Basic or GoodHire Basic when your specification needs county searches included. Their published entry contents do not list that coverage. That is a package mismatch, not an argument against either provider.

Avoid treating Certn US Core’s headline price as the final total. Its contingent county-search charge is explicit. Obtain a comparable-scope amount before deciding it wins on price.

Avoid duplicate supplier comparisons. Sterling and First Advantage should not consume separate independent-bid slots. Checkr and GoodHire should not be treated as independent corporate suppliers either, even when their offered workflows differ.

FAQ

List of background check companies

The six brands compared here are Checkr, GoodHire, Sterling, HireRight, First Advantage and Certn. They are not six independent suppliers: Checkr owns GoodHire, and Sterling now directs new buyers to First Advantage. Start with the checks your roles require, then compare the available workflow and equivalent-scope price.

Background check companies in usa

For US employment screening, Checkr and Certn are useful starting points for a small employer comparing published entry packages. GoodHire also publishes packages, while HireRight and First Advantage merit a closer look for more complex requirements. Confirm county coverage, additional fees and your exact hiring-system connection before choosing.

Individual background check companies

A personal background search is a different buying decision from employer screening. Do not assume a service marketed to individuals can be used to make hiring decisions: Spokeo, for example, expressly prohibits employment use. An employer should choose an employment-screening service and follow the disclosure, authorization and decision process described in the official guidance above.

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