License & Deployment Mix: 10 tools – 0 OSS, 10 SaaS. (OSS and SaaS counts can overlap when an open-source tool also offers a vendor-hosted edition.)
Note: Data-primary – court/criminal records.
What Are Background Check Services?
Background check services provide employment screening, criminal record searches, identity verification, and compliance checks for hiring workflows. These platforms aggregate data from court records, government databases, credit bureaus, educational institutions, and previous employers to produce reports that help organizations make informed hiring decisions.
The information on these pages was researched by a combination of human review and large language models. To suggest an addition or correction, please contact us. Prepared by Rhodium Systems Inc., author of the ResorsIT platform — a unified IT operations management platform for IT teams and MSPs that integrates a curated suite of open-source, commercial, and SaaS applications into a single system with shared identity, single sign-on, access control, and a common audit trail. Use this catalogue only as a starting point for your own research, and review any tool carefully against your own requirements before relying on it. Catalogue data version 2026.197.
Comparison
This is a data-primary category – the value is in proprietary court records, criminal databases, and verification data partnerships, not in the software itself. No open-source alternative exists.
SSO / OIDC Comparison
Authentik is a common self-hosted identity provider; OIDC is the preferred SSO protocol.
| Tool | OIDC | SAML | SCIM | Authentik Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Checkr | Yes | Yes | No | Dashboard OIDC; API uses API keys; Authentik as IdP |
| Sterling | No | Yes | Yes | SAML primary; SCIM provisioning; no native OIDC |
| HireRight | No | Yes | No | SAML SSO for portal; no native OIDC |
| GoodHire | No | Yes | No | SAML for enterprise; inherits from Checkr platform |
| Certn | Yes | Yes | No | Dashboard OIDC; modern auth stack; Authentik as IdP |
| Accurate | No | Yes | No | SAML SSO for enterprise clients; no native OIDC |
| First Advantage | No | Yes | Yes | SAML primary; SCIM provisioning; enterprise focus |
| Cisive | No | Yes | No | SAML SSO for PreCheck portal; healthcare-focused |
| Intellicorp | No | Yes | No | SAML for enterprise portal; mid-market focus |
| NCR | No | No | No | Basic auth; no SSO; small-provider limitations |
Best SSO support: Checkr (OIDC, SAML), Certn (OIDC, SAML)
SAML only: Sterling, HireRight, GoodHire, Accurate, First Advantage, Cisive, Intellicorp
No SSO: NCR (basic authentication only)
API Comparison
| Tool | API Type | Auth | Webhooks | SDKs | ATS Integrations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Checkr | REST | API key | Yes | Ruby, Python, Node | 50+ (Greenhouse, Lever, Workday) |
| Sterling | REST | OAuth2 | Yes | Java, .NET | 30+ (SAP, Oracle, Workday) |
| HireRight | REST | API key | Yes | Java | 25+ (Workday, iCIMS, Taleo) |
| GoodHire | REST | API key | Yes | None | 15+ (Greenhouse, Lever, JazzHR) |
| Certn | REST | API key | Yes | Python, Node | 20+ (Greenhouse, Lever, BambooHR) |
| Accurate | REST | API key | Yes | None | 20+ (Workday, ADP, iCIMS) |
| First Advantage | REST | OAuth2 | Yes | Java, .NET | 30+ (Workday, SAP, Oracle) |
| Cisive | REST | API key | Yes | None | 15+ (Workday, ADP, healthcare ATS) |
| Intellicorp | REST | API key | Limited | None | 10+ (BambooHR, Paylocity) |
| NCR | REST | API key | Limited | None | 5+ (basic integrations) |
Screening Features
| Tool | Criminal | Employment | Education | Credit | MVR | Drug | I-9 | Global | Continuous |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Checkr | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Limited | Yes |
| Sterling | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (200+ countries) | Yes |
| HireRight | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (200+ countries) | Yes |
| GoodHire | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Limited | No |
| Certn | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes (Canada, UK, AU) | Yes |
| Accurate | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Limited | Yes |
| First Advantage | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (200+ countries) | Yes |
| Cisive | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Limited | Yes |
| Intellicorp | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| NCR | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Compliance Features
| Tool | FCRA | Adverse Action | Adjudication | Ban-the-Box | EEOC | SOC 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Checkr | Yes | Automated | Rules-based | Yes | Yes | Type II |
| Sterling | Yes | Automated | Rules + manual | Yes | Yes | Type II |
| HireRight | Yes | Automated | Rules + manual | Yes | Yes | Type II |
| GoodHire | Yes | Guided | Manual | Yes | Limited | Type II |
| Certn | Yes | Automated | AI-assisted | Yes | Yes | Type II |
| Accurate | Yes | Automated | Rules + manual | Yes | Yes | Type II |
| First Advantage | Yes | Automated | Rules + manual | Yes | Yes | Type II |
| Cisive | Yes | Automated | Rules + manual | Yes | Yes | Type II |
| Intellicorp | Yes | Guided | Manual | Limited | Limited | Type I |
| NCR | Yes | Manual | Manual | Limited | Limited | N/A |
Market Positioning
| Tool | Target Market | Pricing | Founded | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Checkr | Mid-market, gig economy | Per-report | 2014 | 1,000+ |
| Sterling | Enterprise | Per-report + platform | 1975 | 5,000+ |
| HireRight | Enterprise | Per-report + platform | 1981 | 4,000+ |
| GoodHire | SMB | Per-report, no platform fee | 2013 | 200+ |
| Certn | Mid-market | Per-report | 2016 | 300+ |
| Accurate | Mid-market, enterprise | Per-report + platform | 2004 | 2,500+ |
| First Advantage | Enterprise | Per-report + platform | 2003 | 5,000+ |
| Cisive | Healthcare, enterprise | Per-report + platform | 1977 | 1,500+ |
| Intellicorp | Mid-market | Per-report | 1996 | 300+ |
| NCR | SMB, property mgmt | Per-report | 1989 | 100+ |
Turnaround Times
| Tool | Instant (National DB) | County Criminal | Employment Verify | Education Verify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Checkr | Minutes | 1-3 days | 1-3 days | 1-5 days |
| Sterling | Minutes | 1-5 days | 1-5 days | 2-7 days |
| HireRight | Minutes | 1-5 days | 2-5 days | 2-7 days |
| GoodHire | Minutes | 1-3 days | 2-5 days | 2-7 days |
| Certn | Minutes | 1-3 days | 1-3 days | 1-5 days |
| Accurate | Minutes | 1-5 days | 2-5 days | 2-7 days |
| First Advantage | Minutes | 1-5 days | 2-5 days | 2-7 days |
| Cisive | Minutes | 1-5 days | 2-5 days | 2-7 days |
| Intellicorp | Hours | 2-5 days | 3-7 days | 3-7 days |
| NCR | Hours | 2-7 days | 3-7 days | 3-7 days |
Tools
10 tools.
Accurate Background
Accurate Background is a mid-market and enterprise background screening provider founded in 2004 and headquartered in Irvine, California.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
Certn
Certn is an AI-powered background screening platform with strong North American coverage, offering criminal, employment, education, and tenant checks via a modern REST API and ATS integrations.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
Checkr
Checkr is an API-first background check and screening platform founded in 2014, offering developer-friendly REST APIs, webhooks, fast turnaround, and configurable adjudication for fair-chance hiring.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
Cisive (PreCheck)
Cisive is a background screening provider founded in 1977 (originally as AVERT), with approximately 1,500 employees.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
First Advantage
First Advantage (FADV) is a global enterprise background screening company founded in 2003 and publicly traded (NASDAQ: FA).
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
GoodHire
GoodHire is an SMB-focused background check platform and a subsidiary of Checkr. Founded in 2013, GoodHire provides a simplified, self- service background screening experience designed for small and medium businesses that need reliable scre…
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
HireRight
HireRight is a global employment background screening company founded in 1981 and publicly traded (NYSE: HRT).
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
Intellicorp
Intellicorp is a mid-market background screening provider founded in 1996 and headquartered in Munroe Falls, Ohio.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
National Credit Reporting (NCR)
National Credit Reporting (NCR) is a background screening and credit reporting provider founded in 1989 and headquartered in Provo, Utah.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
Sterling
Sterling is one of the largest and most established background screening companies in the world, founded in 1975 and publicly traded (NASDAQ: STER).
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
