Background screening / Provider shortlist

7 background screening providers for US employers

People Ops Buyer research desk · US · 200 annual screening orders · Updated 6 October 2026

For a US employer ordering about 200 background checks a year, start with Checkr for digital invitations and tracking unfinished reports.

Compare First Advantage if recruiters need to order checks inside their ATS. For staffing agencies, check Asurint’s connection to your staffing system. Price the same searches before comparing quotes.

Compare the seven screening providers

Conditional editorial shortlist; rank changes with the operating requirement
Provider	Choose it for	Important limitation
1Checkr	Send candidate invitations and track reports and individual checks through a documented digital workflow.	An ATS integration may expose less than the full API. Missing statuses would leave recruiters chasing updates.
2First Advantage	Order checks and receive results within an established applicant-tracking system.	The combined First Advantage/Sterling business does not mean every customer uses the same platform or migration path.
3Asurint	Connect screening to staffing systems such as Bullhorn, Avionté, JobDiva or TempWorks.	A directory listing does not establish which ordering and results features your particular connection includes.
4Certn	Buy clearly described US screening packages through self-service ordering.	Core starts at $13.99, but applicable county searches add $9.99 each and outside access fees can be extra.
5Accurate	Set different screening packages for different staffing clients and job requirements.	One uniform screening package gives you less reason to take on client-by-client configuration.
6HireRight	Collect and review candidate information and consent through Applicant Center.	Published instructions establish the steps, not how well candidates get help with corrections or missing documents.
7Veremark	Configure pre-hire checks and follow their progress, including a documented US disclosure process.	At 200 annual orders, the small-volume offer may not apply; the required US checks and commercial tier still need a quote.

For a staffing firm, Accurate and Asurint should move earlier; for a simple self-service purchase, Certn should.

Compare screening packages and extra fees · Prepare the same brief for your finalists

What kind of buyer is this list for?

Assume 200 US employment-screening orders a year, several role-specific packages and an ATS the employer plans to keep. This is a fictional evaluation brief. It does not cover consumer people-search tools or establish a screening policy for a regulated role.

We rank the order of evaluation for that brief, using supplier documentation. We have not tested accounts, measured accuracy or obtained equivalent quotes. A supplier's presence here is a reason to investigate a particular fit, not a compliance certification.

Checkr: track invitations, reports and individual checks

Checkr's partner documentation exposes invitation progress, report results, estimates and individual-screening status. Use those statuses to check whether recruiters can see what is unfinished and who needs to act.

What decides the trial: keep a partly completed package visibly open and route missing information to the right person.
Price and scope: published workforce packages have different scope and separate pass-through charges.

GoodHire's own site identifies it as a Checkr company. A different product route may still be relevant, but it is not an independent supplier relationship for procurement diversification.

First Advantage: confirm which platform you will use

First Advantage describes ATS ordering, results returned to the ATS, pre-populated candidate data and supported integration options. That fits a buyer who wants screening within an existing recruiting process.

First Advantage and Sterling have combined. Treat them as one supplier when comparing alternatives. For an existing customer, establish which platform, agreement and support route the proposal actually uses.

Our deciding question

Does this proposal change our working platform, or only our commercial relationship? Require a migration scope when the answer includes a platform move.

Asurint: connect screening to your staffing system

Asurint's integration directory names systems including Avionté, Bullhorn, JobDiva and TempWorks, alongside broader HR platforms. Shortlist Asurint if you use one of those staffing systems.

Test the exact connection being sold. A logo in a directory is not proof that your package selection, cost allocation and candidate status flow through correctly.

Order the intended package from the existing candidate record.
Show how an incomplete result appears back in the staffing system.
Trace the order to the correct customer or cost reference on the invoice.

If you do not use these staffing systems, the integration advantage may not apply. We are not asserting that Asurint is universally faster or more accurate than the larger brands.

Certn: published packages with extra county-search charges

Certn's US pricing page makes its Core, Complete and Complete+ package differences visible. That is useful for a buyer trying to establish what they are purchasing before entering a sales process.

Core includes contingent county work that can trigger additional charges. The cheapest entry is therefore neither the full bill nor proof that all required county coverage is included.

We would move Certn up for a clearly scoped self-service requirement. For a varied programme, request the full order matrix first. Our screening price guide shows why package names and headline prices cannot be compared in isolation.

Accurate, HireRight and Veremark

Accurate: client-specific staffing packages

Accurate's staffing proposition includes configurable packages for different client requirements in one platform. Bring two fictional job orders with different authorised requirements to the demonstration.

The deciding test is package assignment: can the operator select the intended scope without silently inheriting the last client's choices? Ask how configuration changes are approved and reflected in billing.

HireRight: inspect the candidate side

HireRight's Applicant Center guidance shows an order-dependent information collection, review and consent sequence. It gives buyers the steps candidates will follow.

Ask an authorised tester to correct an employment date and respond to a document request. Measure clarity and who resolves an exception. We have not established a support-quality winner from documentation alone.

Veremark: confirm US checks and volume pricing

Veremark describes configurable check ordering and progress updates; its public Growth/Enterprise distinction uses annual hiring volume. At this illustrative 200-order scale, do not assume the small-volume proposition is the applicable offer.

Its US candidate guidance documents a disclosure and consent journey. Have the supplier demonstrate the actual US configuration and requested checks. A global coverage statement alone does not establish the scope for a particular country or role.

Give the finalists the same purchase brief

Package and volume

List each approved role package and expected order count. Separate required searches from optional services.

Candidate support

Show who handles missing information, corrections and disputed results, and how the recruiter sees progress.

Commercial scope

Quote search charges, outside access fees, implementation, minimums and duplicate-order treatment.

Hiring decision

Keep supplier report status separate from the authorised employer decision and applicable candidate-rights process.

The FTC's guidance explains permission and report-related rights; local requirements can add conditions. The employer's responsible team must set the policy. Software features do not remove that responsibility.

Then run the delayed-order acceptance checks. Compare the packages that pass those cases, including extra search fees and candidate support.

Questions buyers ask

Which background-check provider should a US employer evaluate first?

For the stated 200-order brief, start with Checkr and First Advantage; add Asurint early when its named staffing integration matches the operating need. Certn moves up for a clearly scoped self-service purchase.

Are Sterling and First Advantage separate shortlist choices?

They have combined. Existing platforms or service arrangements may still differ, so specify the actual proposal, but do not present them as independent suppliers.

When should Asurint move up the shortlist?

Its named staffing-platform connections are a concrete fit for employers using those systems. The position depends on the exact integration passing package, status and invoice handoff tests.

Which is the cheapest provider?

No equivalent commercial quotes were obtained for this shortlist. Published package prices do not establish the complete price for the same screening requirement.

Do these services make the hiring decision?

The employer owns the hiring decision and applicable process. Keep report results, review and candidate communication distinct; do not automatically reject on a non-clear status.

Sources and research scope

Primary supplier and FTC pages inspected 2 October 2026. TechRadar’s older employee-screening shortlist was benchmarked for its vendor choices and comparison format, not adopted as current product evidence. This guide distinguishes ownership, proposed platform, package scope and exception handling. No hands-on account tests, accuracy scores, equivalent quotes or specialist legal review are claimed. Certn price and FTC candidate-rights guidance rechecked 6 October 2026. Other provider evidence retains its original research date.

Checkr partner documentationInvitation, report and screening statuses.
Checkr pricingPackage and fee boundaries.
GoodHire company siteCheckr company identification.
First Advantage integrationsATS workflow and integration offering.
First Advantage and Sterling combinationSupplier relationship context.
Asurint integrationsNamed staffing-platform connections.
Certn US pricingSelf-service scope and contingent county charges.
Accurate staffingConfigurable client-specific packages.
HireRight Applicant CenterCandidate information and consent flow.
Veremark service modelConfigurable ordering and volume segmentation.
Veremark US disclosure guidanceUS candidate journey.
FTC background-check rightsEmployer/candidate responsibilities.