Background check software runs the screening a company does before, and sometimes after, it hires someone: pulling a criminal record search, confirming a claimed job title and dates with a former employer, checking a diploma, running identity verification, or querying a sanctions list.
What separates the vendors here is less the checklist of report types, most cover a similar range, and more how the results get back to a recruiter: turnaround time, how many countries a search actually reaches, whether pricing is published or quote-only, and how clearly the tool documents the consent and adverse-action steps a hiring team still has to run under its own legal advice. What counts as a lawful check, and how the results may be used, varies sharply by country and by check type, so every claim below is the vendor's own description of what it does, not legal guidance for any jurisdiction.
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In short
What background check software does
Background check software, also called pre-employment or employment screening software, automates ordering, tracking and returning checks such as criminal record searches, employment and education verification, identity verification, reference checks and sanctions screening, typically through an API or ATS integration rather than a manual request to an agency.
In this order: setup effort, what it really costs, how your data comes back out, whether
you can leave, and who each background check tool is built for. One rule sits on top of those tests:
Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category, wherever the category has them; the established names follow from place 4 in their ranked order. Why those five, and why there is no
score out of ten, is on the how we work page.
Pay-per-check from CAD $4.49 (digital reference check) to CAD $59.99 (social media check); Canadian criminal record checks from CAD $24.99, identity verification CAD $4.99
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Canadian screening platform, founded 2016, pay-per-check pricing published in CAD
Published per-check packages: Basic $34.95 to Healthcare $99.95 for 1 to 25 checks a year, $24.95 to $89.95 for 25 to 50; quote above 50; pass-through fees extra
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US employment-screening firm, Granite Bay, California, founded 2009
Quoted per organisation via First Advantage; no published self-serve pricing
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Long-standing US screening brand, operated by First Advantage since their 2024 acquisition
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Country is where the vendor is headquartered or contracts from, which is a
different question from where your data is hosted. Where the two tell different stories, the
entry says so.
Checkr's SMB-facing background-check brand, San Francisco
Ranked #1 of 14 in Best Background Check Software in 2026.
Published pricingNorth America
GoodHire operates as a distinct brand within Checkr's corporate family, sharing Checkr's San Francisco address and underlying screening infrastructure while marketing separately toward small and mid-sized employers. The company states it serves more than 100,000 employers and centres its pitch on FCRA compliance and straightforward, candidate-facing screening reports, covering criminal background checks, employment and education verification, driving records and drug testing.
Its published packages match Checkr's names and prices exactly (Basic $29.99, Essential $59.99, Complete $94.99 per check, pass-through fees extra), so the choice between the two is mostly about which interface and support channel suits the buyer rather than cost.
What stands out
A Checkr company
100,000+ employers claimed
Published per-check pricing
United StatesPer check: Basic $29.99, Essential $59.99, Complete $94.99 (published, same packages as Checkr); custom quote above 50 checks a year
Canadian screening platform, founded 2016, pay-per-check pricing published in CAD
Ranked #2 of 14 in Best Background Check Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestNorth America
Certn is a Canadian background-screening platform, founded in 2016 and backed in part by Export Development Canada alongside several venture funds. Unlike most vendors in this category it publishes real per-check prices in Canadian dollars: a basic Canadian criminal record check starts at CAD $24.99, identity verification at CAD $4.99, and add-ons like a social media check (CAD $59.99), a driver's abstract (CAD $35.99) or a digital reference check (CAD $4.49) are priced individually rather than bundled into an opaque package.
That transparency, and Certn's international check catalogue beyond Canada, makes it a reasonable option for a company that wants to see a number before talking to sales, though buyers outside Canada should confirm coverage and pricing in their own currency before committing.
What stands out
Canadian-founded, 2016
Pay-per-check, published CAD pricing
Backed in part by Export Development Canada
CanadaPay-per-check from CAD $4.49 (digital reference check) to CAD $59.99 (social media check); Canadian criminal record checks from CAD $24.99, identity verification CAD $4.99
US employment-screening firm, Granite Bay, California, founded 2009
Ranked #3 of 14 in Best Background Check Software in 2026.
Published pricingNorth America
iprospectcheck, headquartered in Granite Bay, California, has offered employment screening since 2009, covering criminal background checks, employment and education verification, and drug testing with coordinated clinical services. It advertises a 24-hour average turnaround, FCRA compliance and a US-based support team as its core pitch, aimed at employers who want a smaller, more responsive vendor rather than one of the largest incumbents.
Unusually for a US vendor here, it publishes package prices: Basic runs $34.95 per check for employers ordering 1 to 25 a year and $24.95 for 25 to 50, up to a Healthcare package at $99.95 or $89.95, with court, clinic and verification fees passed through on top and a quote above 50 checks a year.
What stands out
Founded 2009
FCRA-compliance focus
US-based support team claimed
United StatesPublished per-check packages: Basic $34.95 to Healthcare $99.95 for 1 to 25 checks a year, $24.95 to $89.95 for 25 to 50; quote above 50; pass-through fees extra
US background-check platform with published per-report pricing and API-first integrations
Ranked #4 of 14 in Best Background Check Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestNorth America
Checkr is a San Francisco-based background-check platform built around an API that plugs into an ATS rather than a standalone portal, and it is one of the few vendors in this category that publishes real per-report prices instead of routing everyone to a sales call: Basic runs $29.99 for an SSN trace, sex-offender registry and national criminal search, Essential adds identity verification and unlimited county search for $59.99, and Complete adds state and federal criminal search for $94.99.
Add-ons like motor vehicle records, drug screening and employment verification are priced separately and billed at cost for third-party court fees. Checkr also owns GoodHire, its own SMB-facing brand, and Truework, an income and employment verification company, giving the group reach across several adjacent screening products.
What stands out
Published per-report pricing
API-first, developer-friendly
Owns GoodHire and Truework
United StatesPer report: Basic $29.99, Essential $59.99, Complete $94.99, plus custom Enterprise pricing
US screening group screening 200M+ candidates a year, now including Sterling after their 2024 merger
Ranked #5 of 14 in Best Background Check Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestNorth America
First Advantage is an Atlanta-founded (2003) screening group operating at a scale most vendors in this category cannot match: it states over 200 million candidate screens a year, more than 1 billion records across proprietary databases, and coverage in 200-plus countries and territories, serving roughly 80,000 customers.
The company became substantially larger in 2024 when it completed its acquisition of Sterling Check Corp, one of its largest direct competitors, folding Sterling's screening volume and client base into its own platform. Pricing is not published and runs through a sales conversation, which fits its positioning toward large enterprise and Fortune 100 accounts rather than a self-serve small-business buyer.
What stands out
Founded 2003, Atlanta
Absorbed Sterling Check Corp in 2024
1B+ records, 200+ countries/territories claimed
United StatesQuoted per organisation; no published self-serve pricing
Nashville-based screening firm, founded 1995, now owned by General Atlantic and Stone Point Capital
Ranked #6 of 14 in Best Background Check Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestNorth America
HireRight, headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, is among the longest-established names in this category, founded in 1995 and grown substantially through acquisitions, including Powerchex and Kroll Background Worldwide in 2010, General Information Services in 2018, and J-Screen and PeopleCheck in 2019.
It listed on the NYSE in 2021 and went private again in 2024, when General Atlantic and Stone Point Capital acquired it for $1.65 billion. Pricing is not published, and evaluating it means a sales conversation rather than a self-serve signup, consistent with an enterprise-oriented buyer rather than a small business ordering one-off checks.
What stands out
Founded 1995, one of the oldest in the category
Went private again in 2024 ($1.65B deal)
Built through acquisitions (GIS, Kroll, PeopleCheck)
United StatesQuoted per organisation; no published self-serve pricing
Irvine, California screening firm with 25+ years in the market and 16,000+ customers claimed
Ranked #7 of 14 in Best Background Check Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestNorth America
Accurate Background, based in Irvine, California, positions itself on scale and longevity: the company states it has operated for more than 25 years, serves over 16,000 customers worldwide, and processes more than 60 million searches a year.
Its range covers the usual criminal, credit, drug-screening and identity-verification checks aimed at large and mid-market employers managing high-volume hiring. As with most of the established US players in this category, pricing is not published and requires a sales conversation, which makes it harder to compare on cost alone against the handful of vendors here that do publish numbers.
What stands out
Operating 25+ years
16,000+ customers claimed
60M+ annual searches claimed
United StatesQuoted per organisation; no published self-serve pricing
UK background-checking platform covering criminal checks in 195+ countries
Ranked #8 of 14 in Best Background Check Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestEurope
Zinc, registered as Zinc Work Ltd in England and Wales, runs pre-employment screening across a stated 195-plus countries from a single dashboard, covering criminal records, right-to-work verification, employment references, financial checks and social media review across six platforms.
It reports ISO 27001 and SOC2 certification and builds in compliance features aimed at UK-regulated sectors specifically, including FCA, CQC and Ofsted requirements. Per-check prices are not published. The pay-as-you-go tier, pitched at under 20 hires a year (its sign-up page says 50 or fewer), lets a buyer create an account and enter card details without a demo; the SMB, enterprise and international tiers route to a demo booking.
What stands out
ISO 27001 and SOC2 certified claimed
195+ country criminal-record coverage claimed
FCA, CQC and Ofsted compliance features
United KingdomPay-as-you-go self-serve signup for small hirers; SMB, Enterprise and International tiers quoted on request; per-check prices not published
London-based screening platform with published per-candidate pricing below 50 hires a year
Ranked #9 of 14 in Best Background Check Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestEurope
Veremark, registered in London as Veremark Ltd, is one of the minority of vendors in this list that publishes real prices rather than sending every visitor to a sales call. Its three packages run from Essential at $42 a candidate (two references plus an identity check) up to Executive at $183 (adding employment verification, social media, academic and global sanctions checks), and individual checks are available a la carte from around $14 to $23.
That published pricing is explicitly aimed at organisations hiring under 50 candidates a year; above that, Veremark moves to a custom quote like most of its competitors, and its own pricing page notes regional variants for Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, the UK and the US.
What stands out
Published per-candidate pricing under 50 hires a year
A la carte checks available
London-registered (Veremark Ltd)
United KingdomEssential $42, Professional $144, Executive $183 per candidate (packages); a la carte checks from $14; custom quotes above 50 candidates/year
US screening and onboarding platform, Cedar Park, Texas
Ranked #10 of 14 in Best Background Check Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestNorth America
Vetty, based in Cedar Park, Texas, bundles background screening with the onboarding paperwork that usually follows it, covering criminal records, healthcare sanctions monitoring, professional license verification and monitoring, drug testing and I-9 verification through what it calls a mobile-first platform.
That combination targets employers in healthcare, education, tech and staffing who want one system spanning the pre-hire check and the post-offer paperwork rather than two separate tools. Pricing is not published; small teams get a self-serve setup, but getting started still runs through a contact form or demo, and the company positions itself as a smaller, more specialised alternative to the largest incumbents in this category rather than trying to match their global country coverage.
What stands out
Combines screening with onboarding/I-9
Mobile-first candidate flow
Healthcare, education and staffing focus
United StatesQuoted per organisation; no published self-serve pricing
London reference-checking platform automating employer references and right-to-work/DBS verification
Ranked #11 of 14 in Best Background Check Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestEurope
RefNow, registered in London as RefNow Ltd, focuses on automating the reference-checking step of hiring rather than covering the full range of criminal, credit and international checks that the larger platforms in this category bundle together. It states it can cut reference-checking time by 95% through automation, and it adds digital ID checks for right to work and Basic, Standard and Enhanced DBS checks aimed squarely at UK employers.
That narrower scope makes it a fit for a company that already has a screening vendor for credit and non-UK criminal checks and wants a faster, more automated way to collect and verify references specifically, rather than a single vendor covering everything.
What stands out
London-registered (RefNow Ltd)
Reference-checking specialist, DBS but no global criminal screening
RTW/DBS verification features for UK hiring
United KingdomCredit-based plans with add-ons; prices not published, quoted after a demo
Dutch background-screening platform (Enschede) with published pay-as-you-go pricing
Ranked #12 of 14 in Best Background Check Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingEurope
PESCHECK is a Dutch background-screening company, registered as PESCHECK B.V. in Enschede with an additional office in Munich, Germany, and one of the few vendors anywhere in this category, European or otherwise, that publishes real prices: Standard packages start from EUR 36 a candidate for ID verification and a criminal record check, Enhanced from EUR 64, and Complete from EUR 146 covering references and adverse media alongside the rest.
Signup is free with no credit card required, and payment only happens once a screening actually runs. The company states ISO 27001 certification, GDPR compliance, PBSA membership and registration with the Dutch POB register for private investigation and screening organisations, and claims over 2,600 clients and 300,000-plus screenings completed with an average turnaround of about 24 hours.
What stands out
Netherlands-based (PESCHECK B.V.), EU entity
ISO 27001 certified, PBSA member, POB licence
Published pay-as-you-go pricing
NetherlandsStandard from EUR 36, Enhanced from EUR 64, Complete from EUR 146 per candidate; free account, pay per screening run
Berlin AI hiring platform combining reference checks with pre-hire assessments
Ranked #13 of 14 in Best Background Check Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestEurope
HiPeople, registered as HiPeople GmbH in Berlin, is not a pure background-check vendor: its platform bundles automated reference checks alongside application screening, AI-run interviews and skills assessments, positioned as an end-to-end hiring workflow rather than a single screening report.
That makes it a narrower fit for a buyer who specifically wants a criminal-record or identity-verification vendor, and a stronger one for a team that wants reference collection folded into the same tool as the rest of its hiring process. The company states it offers a choice of EU or US data hosting, which is relevant for a European employer that wants reference data kept inside the EU, though it does not publish self-serve pricing.
What stands out
Berlin-based (HiPeople GmbH), EU entity
Reference checks bundled inside a broader hiring platform
EU or US data hosting offered
GermanyQuoted per organisation; no published self-serve pricing
Long-standing US screening brand, operated by First Advantage since their 2024 acquisition
Ranked #14 of 14 in Best Background Check Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestNorth America
Sterling was one of the largest independent background-check providers in the US market before First Advantage completed its acquisition of Sterling Check Corp in 2024. Its own website now announces "Sterling is now First Advantage", says everything is moving to one place and tells existing customers to order the same Sterling checks through First Advantage, so the brand is being retired rather than run as a separate company.
Anyone evaluating Sterling today is, in practice, evaluating First Advantage's combined pricing, coverage and account terms, so it is worth comparing the two entries on this page side by side rather than treating them as fully independent options.
What stands out
Now part of First Advantage
Global screening network
Brand being folded into First Advantage
United StatesQuoted per organisation via First Advantage; no published self-serve pricing
Background check software, also called pre-employment or employment screening software, automates ordering, tracking and returning checks such as criminal record searches, employment and education verification, identity verification, reference checks and sanctions screening, typically through an API or ATS integration rather than a manual request to an agency. The differences that matter are rarely in the feature list, so this is
the order we would work through them.
01
Decide whether you need a published price
3 of the 14 tools here publish what they cost; the other 11 quote per organisation. The ones you can compare without a sales call: GoodHire, iprospectcheck, PESCHECK.
02
Decide how much the jurisdiction matters
These 14 vendors are established in 5 countries across 2 regions (North America 9, Europe 5). That decides whose disclosure law applies to what the vendor holds, wherever the servers are.
Priced per report, per candidate, or by enterprise contract
Six vendors publish prices: Checkr and GoodHire per report in the same three US packages, iprospectcheck per check in volume bands, Certn per check in Canadian dollars, Veremark per candidate with a la carte checks, and PESCHECK per candidate, charged only when a screening runs.
First Advantage, HireRight and Accurate Background quote for enterprise volume, and Veremark itself switches to custom quotes above 50 candidates a year.
Ask which costs are passed through on top; Checkr bills third-party court fees at cost.
Price the package for your most common role and the add-ons for your most regulated one.
Ask whether a cancelled or incomplete check is still charged.
Every vendor is shaped by its home jurisdiction
What may lawfully be checked differs by country, and the products reflect where they were built. Checkr, GoodHire and iprospectcheck centre on FCRA compliance.
Zinc builds in FCA, CQC and Ofsted requirements, and RefNow adds right-to-work and DBS verification for UK hiring. PESCHECK is a Dutch entity stating GDPR compliance, and Certn's pricing starts from Canadian criminal record checks.
Ask how candidate consent is captured and how a disputed result is handled in your country.
For each country you hire in, ask the typical turnaround for that specific search.
Take the vendor's compliance workflow to your own counsel, because none of it is legal advice.
There are fewer independent vendors here than entries
Sterling has belonged to First Advantage since 2024 and its website sends prospects there, so those two entries are one commercial conversation. GoodHire is Checkr's brand for smaller employers, with the same published package prices.
HireRight was assembled through acquisitions and taken private in 2024. A tender between sister brands produces less price tension than the number of bidders implies.
Ask which platform and which support team you will be on after signing.
When weighing Checkr against GoodHire, get the current price and feature differences in writing.
Ask whether an acquired brand's customer portal is due to be migrated, and when.
Reference checking is a separate product from record searches
RefNow and HiPeople automate collecting references. HiPeople folds them into assessments and AI interviews and runs no record checks; RefNow adds UK right-to-work and DBS checks but no wider criminal or credit screening.
Vetty goes the other way, joining screening to I-9 and onboarding paperwork for healthcare, education and staffing. The decision is whether one vendor covers everything or a specialist sits beside the main screener.
Write down the checks each role needs and mark which shortlisted vendors cannot run them.
Check whether results arrive inside your ATS or in a separate portal recruiters must open.
For licensed roles, ask whether monitoring continues after the hire or stops at the report.
What goes wrong most often when buying background check software
Treating Sterling and First Advantage as two competing bids.
Buying on a claimed country count without asking the turnaround for the countries you actually hire in.
Assuming an FCRA-centred workflow satisfies the rules where your candidates live.
Ordering the fullest package for every hire when only some roles justify credit or sanctions checks.
07
Frequently asked questions
6 answers
What is the best background check in 2026?
GoodHire leads our ranking of 14. GoodHire operates as a distinct brand within Checkr's corporate family, sharing Checkr's San Francisco address and underlying screening infrastructure while marketing separately toward small and mid-sized employers. The company states it serves more than 100,000 employers and centres its pitch on FCRA compliance and straightforward, candidate-facing screening reports, covering criminal background checks, employment and education verification, driving records and drug testing.
Its published packages match Checkr's names and prices exactly (Basic $29.99, Essential $59.99, Complete $94.99 per check, pass-through fees extra), so the choice between the two is mostly about which interface and support channel suits the buyer rather than cost.
Which background check tools publish their pricing?
3 of the 14, with the pricing model each one publishes:
GoodHire: Per check: Basic $29.99, Essential $59.99, Complete $94.99 (published, same packages as Checkr); custom quote above 50 checks a year.
iprospectcheck: Published per-check packages: Basic $34.95 to Healthcare $99.95 for 1 to 25 checks a year, $24.95 to $89.95 for 25 to 50; quote above 50; pass-through fees extra.
PESCHECK: Standard from EUR 36, Enhanced from EUR 64, Complete from EUR 146 per candidate; free account, pay per screening run.
The other 11 quote per organisation.
Is there a free background check tool?
PESCHECK offer a free tier or a free self-hosted edition.
Where are these background check vendors established?
In 5 countries across 2 regions: North America 9, Europe 5.
GoodHire: United States.
Certn: Canada.
iprospectcheck: United States.
Checkr: United States.
First Advantage: United States.
HireRight: United States.
Accurate Background: United States.
Zinc: United Kingdom.
Veremark: United Kingdom.
Vetty: United States.
RefNow: United Kingdom.
PESCHECK: Netherlands.
HiPeople: Germany.
Sterling (now First Advantage): United States.
What should you use instead of GoodHire?
Certn and iprospectcheck are the next two on this page. Certn is for Canadian screening platform, founded 2016, pay-per-check pricing published in CAD; iprospectcheck is for US employment-screening firm, Granite Bay, California, founded 2009.
Who should not buy GoodHire?
GoodHire operates as a distinct brand within Checkr's corporate family, sharing Checkr's San Francisco address and underlying screening infrastructure while marketing separately toward small and mid-sized employers. The company states it serves more than 100,000 employers and centres its pitch on FCRA compliance and straightforward, candidate-facing screening reports, covering criminal background checks, employment and education verification, driving records and drug testing.
Its published packages match Checkr's names and prices exactly (Basic $29.99, Essential $59.99, Complete $94.99 per check, pass-through fees extra), so the choice between the two is mostly about which interface and support channel suits the buyer rather than cost.
If your background check product belongs among these 14, tell us what it does and who it is for. Inclusion is an editorial call; what a listing is and is not is set out under software advice.
