Research-based comparison, not a hands-on test: Saazora did not open accounts with, request quotes from or order checks through any of these companies · Prices read on each vendor's own website on October 23, 2026 (First Advantage's small business page blocked our October 23 download, so its text was confirmed through a web reader the same day and matched against a copy saved October 19) · This is not legal advice · We may earn a commission if you sign up for Checkr through links on this page; none of the other companies named here are affiliate partners of Saazora.
Looking for Checkr alternatives for a small business? Only two of the six best-known options post package prices you can compare with Checkr's $29.99, $59.99 and $94.99 tiers: GoodHire, which Checkr owns and which lists the same three prices, and Certn, whose US packages run $13.99, $49.99 and $79.99. BackgroundChecks.com shows one number, a $29.99 starting price. First Advantage (which now runs Sterling), Accurate and IntelliCorp sell by quote, and HireRight sends small firms to BackgroundChecks.com. So the useful comparison is not "who is cheapest" but which vendor fits your hiring volume, your payroll or applicant tracking software, and how much you want to see before you talk to sales.
This page lines up all seven companies on the same four questions: what a package costs on the vendor's own site, how the vendor describes turnaround, which HR and payroll tools it names as integrations, and what size of business it suits. Where an alternative fits better than Checkr, it says so. For the per-fee breakdown of Checkr itself, see our guide to every Checkr package price; for posted prices on individual check types (MVR, drug test, verifications), our pillar on what small businesses pay per background check has the line-by-line table.
Checkr alternatives at a glance: posted price or quote only
Read across a row to see what each company tells a buyer before any sales call. "Not published" means we found no figure on the vendor's own pages on October 23, 2026, not that the service is expensive.
| Company | Entry package on its own site | Package with a county court search | Deepest posted package | How you buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Checkr (baseline) | Basic, from $29.99 | Essential, from $59.99 | Complete, from $94.99 | Self-serve sign-up; "no contracts or minimums" on its small business page |
| GoodHire (owned by Checkr) | Basic, from $29.99 | Essential, from $59.99 | Complete, from $94.99 | Posted packages for fewer than 50 checks a year; custom quote above that |
| Certn | US Core, $13.99 | US Complete, $49.99 (or US Core plus a $9.99 county search "where applicable") | US Complete+, $79.99 | Self-serve "Start now"; enterprise by quote |
| BackgroundChecks.com (a HireRight company) | "Pricing starts at $29.99 per check" | Not published | Not published | Credit card, "No sales process" |
| First Advantage (includes Sterling) | Not published | Not published | Not published | Free online small business account, pay as you go |
| Accurate | Not published | Not published | Not published | "Talk to a member of our team" |
| IntelliCorp (a Cisive business) | Not published (Standard, Enhanced, Premium packages listed without prices) | Not published | Not published | Register online, monthly invoice |
All prices in US dollars, per report, before third-party court and database fees and tax. Sources: checkr.com/pricing, goodhire.com/pricing, certn.co/us/pricing, backgroundchecks.com, fadv.com small business page, accurate.com small and mid-sized business page, intellicorp.net packages page and FAQ, hireright.com/pricing. Checked October 23, 2026.
Two things in that table change how you shop. First, GoodHire is not an independent second opinion on price: its company page says "Checkr Is Our Parent Company", and its packages match Checkr's names, contents and starting prices. Our Checkr vs GoodHire comparison covers where the two still differ. Second, Sterling and HireRight, the two names most often suggested as Checkr alternatives, are not the storefronts a small business ends up using. Sterling's site now says "Sterling is now a First Advantage company", and HireRight's small business page sends buyers to BackgroundChecks.com. The background is in our Checkr vs Sterling vs HireRight breakdown; this page treats First Advantage and BackgroundChecks.com as the real options.
Price per package, matched by how deep the search goes
Package names hide very different searches, so the fair way to compare Checkr alternatives on price is by depth: a database-only screen, a screen that adds county court records, and a screen that adds state and federal records or verifications.
| Search depth | Checkr | Certn (US self-serve) | What differs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Database screen: SSN trace, national criminal database, sex offender registry, global watchlist | Basic $29.99 | US Core $13.99, which adds a "Contingent County Criminal" search at $9.99 where applicable | Certn's floor is lower, but a county hit takes it to $23.98, and Certn decides when the county search runs |
| County court records | Essential $59.99: unlimited county criminal search plus identity verification | US Complete $49.99: county criminal over "7 years of addresses"; identity check (OneID) is $3.50 extra | Like for like with ID added, Certn is $53.49 vs Checkr's $59.99, a $6.50 gap per check |
| Deepest posted tier | Complete $94.99: adds unlimited state criminal and federal criminal searches | US Complete+ $79.99: adds OneID, highest education verification and most recent employment verification | Not comparable: Checkr's top tier adds more criminal sources, Certn's adds verifications |
| Driving record (MVR) | $9.50 per check plus state fees | $25.99 plus "an additional state fee" | Checkr is $16.49 cheaper before state fees |
Package contents quoted from checkr.com/pricing and certn.co/us/pricing, October 23, 2026. GoodHire matches Checkr's column. Both vendors note that third-party access fees may apply on top.
BackgroundChecks.com could sit in this table only at the first row, and even there we cannot say which searches its $29.99 starting price includes, because its package detail sits inside the order app. The other four companies publish no package prices at all.
A year of screening at posted list prices
Per-report gaps look small until you multiply them. The table below prices a county-level screen, the depth most small employers order for customer-facing roles, at three hiring volumes. It uses list prices only, before court and database fees, which are passed through at cost by Checkr and can apply at Certn too.
| County-level screen | Per check | 12 checks a year | 40 checks a year | 60 checks a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Checkr Essential | $59.99 | $719.88 | $2,399.60 | $3,599.40 |
| GoodHire Essential | $59.99 | $719.88 | $2,399.60 | Custom quote (over 50 a year) |
| Certn US Complete + OneID | $53.49 | $641.88 | $2,139.60 | $3,209.40 |
| Certn US Core + one county search | $23.98 | $287.76 | $959.20 | $1,438.80 |
| BackgroundChecks.com, First Advantage, Accurate, IntelliCorp | No county-tier price published; ask for a quote at the volume you expect | |||
Two readings matter. At 40 hires a year, the like-for-like Certn screen saves $260 against Checkr, which is real money for a small team but not enough on its own to switch if your payroll already connects to one of them. The Certn US Core row is much cheaper, but it is a database screen with one county search added when Certn's system finds one is needed, while Checkr's Essential runs county searches without a count limit. If your candidates have moved often, that difference shows up in what the report covers, not in the price line.
Turnaround, quoted from each vendor with its conditions
No screening company controls a county clerk's backlog, so we only quote what each vendor writes about speed and the conditions it attaches. Company-wide speed statistics without conditions are left out.
| Company | What its own page says | Condition attached |
|---|---|---|
| Checkr | County criminal searches "usually take 1-5 business days" | "but can take longer in jurisdictions with slower processing times or manual record-keeping systems" |
| GoodHire | "Easy-To-Understand Results, Delivered Fast" | No figure given |
| Certn | Its verifications team "initiates the process within one business day" | "Turnaround times depend on the responsiveness of the sources"; no criminal-check figure on the pricing page |
| BackgroundChecks.com | "Most reports return in under 48 hours" | Clerk-run county searches: "the average turn around is 3-5 business days" |
| First Advantage | Says its systems "will accelerate the turnaround times" on criminal checks | Speed figure on the page is company-wide, so not used here |
| Accurate | "most basic checks completed within 24-48 hours" | Education or employment verification "may take slightly longer, especially if third-party responses are required" |
| IntelliCorp | "Our standard turnaround time is 3-5 business days" | Can vary with "County court closures, holidays, policies, furloughs, budget constraints" |
| HireRight | "Fast and Streamlined Results" | No figure given |
Quoted from checkr.com small business page, goodhire.com small business page, certn.co/us/pricing, backgroundchecks.com homepage and FAQ, fadv.com small business page, accurate.com small and mid-sized business page, intellicorp.net FAQ and hireright.com/pricing, October 23, 2026.
IntelliCorp is the only one that states a standard multi-day window for every order rather than a best case, which is more conservative wording, not proof of slower work. Read the conditions: Checkr, BackgroundChecks.com and IntelliCorp all give windows of up to five business days once a court clerk is involved, so if you need people working this week, the vendor matters less than sending the candidate's consent link the moment you make a conditional offer.
Which payroll and hiring tools each one names
For a small team, an integration usually means one thing: ordering a check from the payroll or applicant tracking system you already use, without retyping candidate details. This grid shows which common tools each vendor names on the partner or integration pages we read. A blank does not prove there is no connection, only that the page did not name it.
- Checkr is the only vendor whose partner page names small-business payroll tools: Gusto, Intuit QuickBooks, Rippling, BambooHR and Paylocity, alongside Greenhouse, iCIMS and Workday.
- BackgroundChecks.com names Greenhouse, Lever, JazzHR, Jobvite and Workable, and says the setup needs "No code or engineering work".
- Certn lists Lever, Workday, Greenhouse and iCIMS as featured partners, plus Workable, ADP, Ashby, BreezyHR and Deel.
- HireRight now describes "70 Solutions across over 45 HCM and ATS Providers", with ADP, Greenhouse, iCIMS, JazzHR, Lever, UKG and Workday among them.
- Accurate names Workday as a premier partner and lists ADP, Greenhouse, JazzHR, Jobvite and Justworks.
- First Advantage claims "100+ ATS and HCM integrated partners" and names Workday, iCIMS and Bullhorn.
- IntelliCorp names Greenhouse, iCIMS, ClearCompany and the integration firm Joynd.
The practical rule: if you run payroll in Gusto or QuickBooks, Checkr is the one of these that names that link. If you hire through Workable, BackgroundChecks.com and Certn name it and Checkr's partner page did not. If you hire through JazzHR, look at BackgroundChecks.com, HireRight or Accurate.
The six alternatives, and when each one fits better than Checkr
GoodHire: same prices, choose it for the account, not the cost
GoodHire posts the same Basic, Essential and Complete packages as Checkr and includes its adverse action workflow "at NO EXTRA CHARGE". It fits better when you already have a GoodHire account or prefer its interface. It does not fit as a price check against Checkr, and above 50 checks a year it moves you to a custom quote, while Checkr's posted prices stay the same.
Certn: the lowest posted floor, kept short here
Certn is the only independent alternative with a full self-serve US price list, from $13.99, and it also sells Canadian criminal record checks from $17.99. It fits better than Checkr when you hire in both countries, when you want a cheap database screen and accept county searches only "where applicable", or when you hire through Workable or Lever. Its MVR, at $25.99 plus state fee, costs more than Checkr's. A full Checkr vs Certn comparison is coming to this section of Saazora soon.
BackgroundChecks.com: HireRight's small business door
Its FAQ lists "No contracts, setup fees, initiation fees, or subscriptions" and says you need only "a credit card and the email address for your candidate". It fits better when you want a second self-serve vendor without a sales call, or when your applicant tracker is JazzHR, Jobvite or Workable. The weak point for comparison shopping is that only the $29.99 starting price is public.
First Advantage (Sterling): free account, prices after sign-up
First Advantage's small business page offers "pay-as-you-go pricing, no account setup fees, and no minimum screening volume" and a free online account, but no figures. It fits better when your company already uses First Advantage for drug testing, I-9 or another program, or when you expect to grow into enterprise HR software it integrates with. Note that First Advantage's own menu labels "Small" as fewer than 1,000 employees, so its idea of a small business is much bigger than a five-person shop.
Accurate: build-your-own package by quote
Accurate's small business page says there are "no monthly fees and no minimums; you only pay for what you use", and it lets you build a package from services such as a "7-Year Criminal History" county search, driving history and verifications. It fits better when you want a person to help design the package, or when you hire internationally and want a single provider for it. It does not fit if you want to compare prices before speaking with sales.
IntelliCorp: volunteer and healthcare packages, invoiced monthly
IntelliCorp, "a Cisive business", publishes Standard, Enhanced and Premium pre-employment and volunteer packages without prices, plus separate healthcare and tenant packages. Accounts are invoiced monthly, and its FAQ says login details arrive "Typically within 24-48 hours" after registration, once required training is done. It fits better for nonprofits and healthcare employers who want a pre-built package for their sector and monthly billing instead of a card charge per check. Its site footer still reads 2024, so confirm current terms directly.
HireRight directly: for global or high-volume programs
HireRight's pricing page offers only "a Customized Pricing Quote". It is a direct alternative for a company screening in many countries or at contract volume; for most small businesses the realistic HireRight option is BackgroundChecks.com above.
Best fit by company size and hiring pattern
- Owner-run business, under about 12 checks a year, no HR software: start with Checkr or Certn. Both show the price before sign-up, so you can budget without a call. Pick Checkr if you want county searches without a cap and the cheaper MVR; pick Certn if a database screen with a contingent county search is enough.
- 12 to 50 checks a year, using an applicant tracker: let the integration decide. Gusto, QuickBooks, Rippling or BambooHR point to Checkr; Workable, Lever or JazzHR point to BackgroundChecks.com or Certn.
- More than 50 checks a year: GoodHire's posted prices stop at 50 a year, so get quotes. Ask Accurate, First Advantage and IntelliCorp for prices on the exact searches you order, and compare them with Checkr's posted list.
- Hiring in the US and Canada: Certn, because it posts prices for both.
- Nonprofits, churches and volunteer programs: IntelliCorp has a volunteer package; Checkr names Planning Center, a church management tool, as a partner.
- Many countries or enterprise HR software: HireRight, First Advantage or Accurate, all by quote.
Before you switch: what stays the same at every vendor
Changing vendors changes the price list and the dashboard, not your legal duties. Every company here is a consumer reporting agency, so under the Fair Credit Reporting Act you still give the candidate a stand-alone disclosure, get written authorization, send a pre-adverse action notice with a copy of the report and the Summary of Rights, and then a final adverse action notice. Our step-by-step guide to ordering an employee background check walks through that order. State and city fair-chance rules can add steps. This is not legal advice; ask an employment lawyer before you change your screening policy.
Also read the account terms, not just the marketing line. Checkr's small business page says "no contracts or minimums", but ordering runs under its Services Agreement, which our full Checkr review walks through clause by clause. BackgroundChecks.com notes that "High volume enterprise discounts with minimums may be outlined in a contractual relationship", and IntelliCorp restricts an account that is 60 days past due.
Disclosure: Saazora may earn a commission if you sign up for Checkr through the links below. It does not change the prices or quotes reported here, and the other companies on this page are not partners.
If Checkr is the right fit after this comparison, you can price your first role on a free Checkr account (affiliate link). Setup is free, you pay per report, and the main way to save is to order the smallest package the role needs; Checkr does not publish a coupon code. Current package details also sit on our Checkr store page, and the rest of our screening guides are in Saazora's HR and hiring tools section.
Questions small businesses ask about Checkr alternatives
What is the cheapest alternative to Checkr?
On posted prices, Certn: its US Core screen is $13.99, or $23.98 when its county search runs, against Checkr's $29.99 Basic. For a county-level screen with identity verification the gap narrows to $53.49 at Certn vs $59.99 at Checkr. Vendors that sell by quote may price lower or higher at your volume.
Is GoodHire cheaper than Checkr?
No. On October 23, 2026 GoodHire listed the same $29.99, $59.99 and $94.99 starting prices as Checkr, which owns it.
Do Sterling and HireRight publish prices?
No. Sterling is now part of First Advantage, whose small business page lists no prices, and HireRight's pricing page offers a custom quote. HireRight's self-serve option, BackgroundChecks.com, shows only a $29.99 starting price.
Which Checkr alternative works with Workable or JazzHR?
BackgroundChecks.com names both. Certn names Workable, and HireRight and Accurate name JazzHR. Checkr's partner page that we read named neither.
See Checkr's pay-as-you-go packages (affiliate link).
How this comparison was researched
On October 23, 2026 we downloaded and read the pricing, small business, FAQ and integration pages of Checkr, GoodHire, Certn, BackgroundChecks.com, Accurate, IntelliCorp and HireRight, and Sterling's homepage. First Advantage blocked our download that day, so its small business page was read through a web reader and compared with a copy saved October 19; its integrations list comes from the October 19 copy. Checkr's prices matched our October 22 saved copy. Every price and quote on this page comes from the vendor's own site; we did not use third-party price estimates, since several ranking pages give figures that do not match the vendors' current price lists. The annual totals are our own arithmetic from list prices. We did not open accounts, request quotes or order any check, and we do not rate any company's accuracy or speed. More on our process: how Saazora reviews software.
Sources (checked October 23, 2026): Checkr pricing, small business and partner pages; GoodHire pricing and company page; Certn US pricing and ATS integrations page; BackgroundChecks.com homepage, FAQ and integrations page; First Advantage small business background checks page and integrations page (October 19 copy); Accurate small and mid-sized business page and ATS integrations page; IntelliCorp packages, FAQ and partners pages; HireRight pricing, partners and self-service pages; Sterling homepage.
Research-based comparison, not hands-on testing and not legal advice. Checkr did not pay for or review this article.
