Best Background Check Companies in 2026

First Advantage, founded in 2003, is a global employment background screening company. It reports about 80,000 customers, including 66% of the Fortune 100 and more than half of the Fortune 500, with coverage in more than 200 countries and territories. Following its acquisition of Sterling Check, Sterling's website states that 'Sterling is now a First Advantage company' and that customers can order the same Sterling checks through First Advantage; it cites a combined 200 million-plus screens a year as of 31 December 2025.

The combined catalogue spans identity verification, criminal and civil court records, global checks, SSN traces, credit and liens, executive due diligence, drug and occupational health testing, motor vehicle records, fingerprinting, social media screening, E-Verify and Form I-9, and post-hire monitoring of criminal records, motor vehicle records and medical licences. Technology includes candidate and client portals, analytics, integrations and an API.

Pricing is negotiated by contract and not published. As an enterprise supplier with a very large client base, First Advantage is strongest for multinational, high-volume and regulated hiring; small employers will usually find self-serve providers simpler. The Sterling migration means some legacy Sterling customers are moving to First Advantage's platform.

HireRight is a provider of global background screening and workforce solutions. It was listed on the New York Stock Exchange until 2024, when funds managed by General Atlantic and Stone Point Capital, which already owned about 75% of its shares, completed a take-private at US$14.35 per share in cash in a transaction described as worth about US$1.7 billion; the stock ceased trading on the NYSE. Terms were negotiated by a special committee of independent directors and approved by stockholders at a special meeting.

HireRight's website did not render in a form that could be read during research for this list, so its customer counts, coverage figures, product catalogue and pricing are not reported here; buyers should obtain these directly in a tender.

Like First Advantage, HireRight sells mainly to large employers through negotiated contracts. Its private ownership means it no longer publishes quarterly financial results, which reduces the transparency buyers previously had about its scale and performance.

Checkr is a US background screening company that publishes its prices. It lists three workforce packages: Basic at US$29.99 per report with SSN trace, sex-offender registry, global watchlist and national criminal searches; Essential at US$59.99, adding identity verification and unlimited county criminal searches; and Complete at US$94.99, adding unlimited state and federal criminal searches. Enterprise packages are quoted.

Add-ons include motor vehicle records at US$9.50, identity verification at US$4.99, single county criminal searches at US$25, federal criminal searches at US$10, global watchlist searches at US$9, employment or education verification from US$12.50 and random drug and alcohol tests from US$10. Third-party court and database access fees are passed through at cost without mark-up. Checkr also sells tenant screening from US$24.99, mortgage employment and income verifications and personal checks from US$49.99. It advertises more than 200 HR system integrations and screening coverage in more than 200 countries and territories.

Checkr owns GoodHire, which markets to smaller employers with the same package prices. Checkr's main limitation for buyers is that court pass-through fees vary by jurisdiction, so the published package price is not always the final cost.

GoodHire is a background screening brand headquartered at 1 Montgomery Street in San Francisco, which identifies itself as 'a Checkr company'. It is aimed at small and mid-sized employers that want to order checks online without a sales process.

GoodHire's package structure mirrors Checkr's: Basic from US$29.99 per check covering SSN trace, sex-offender registry, global watchlist and national criminal searches; Essential from US$59.99 adding identity verification and unlimited county criminal searches; and Complete from US$94.99 adding unlimited state and federal criminal searches. The site says businesses ordering fewer than 50 checks a year receive custom packages while those ordering more than 50 receive preset packages with more than 100 screening options, and custom quotes are available. Additional third-party fees may apply.

Because GoodHire and Checkr share ownership and pricing, the choice between them is mainly about the buying experience and support model. GoodHire's pages do not list integrations as extensively as Checkr's, and employers with complex compliance needs may prefer an enterprise provider.

Accurate Background is headquartered in Irvine, California, and says it has pursued its mission for more than 25 years. It reports more than 16,000 customers worldwide, more than 60 million searches a year and 98.5% client retention, with regional sites for the US and Canada, the UK and EMEA, and Australia and APAC. The former Orange Tree Employment Screening website now redirects to Accurate's domain.

Its about page does not list individual products, founding date, ownership or certifications, and pricing is by quote.

Accurate sits between the largest enterprise providers and self-serve tools: large enough to serve global employers but with a stated focus on retention and service. Buyers should confirm which regional entity will process international searches and whether pass-through court fees are itemised.

Cisive specialises in background screening for regulated industries, serving healthcare, healthcare education, transportation, financial services and technology and business services. It operates three brands: the Cisive platform for background checks, drug and occupational health testing, ongoing screening, electronic I-9 and executive intelligence; PreCheck for healthcare, with products for employees and students, immunisation tracking, licence management and sanctions checks; and Driver iQ for transportation, including driver verification of employment.

Cisive claims 99.9994% background-check accuracy and says 78% of criminal searches close within an hour; it describes more than 40 years of industry experience. It holds PBSA accreditation and an AICPA SOC report. Named customers include Synchrony, JB Hunt, Werner, Comcast, Kraft Heinz and Galen College of Nursing.

Pricing is not published. Cisive's sector specialisation is valuable for hospitals, nursing schools, carriers and banks with specific licence, sanctions or FMCSA-related requirements, but general employers may not need its depth.

Certn is a background screening provider with regional operations in Canada, EMEA, Australia and New Zealand and the US, offering international checks in more than 200 countries and territories. It displays ISO 27001 and AICPA SOC 2 and SOC 3 badges and uses biometric identity verification against more than 13,500 identity documents.

Its Canadian self-serve price list is among the most detailed published: a basic Canadian criminal record check costs C$24.99 and an enhanced check, adding searches of the CPIC investigative data bank and Police Information Portal, C$29.99, each returned in 4 to 72 hours after ID verification. OneID biometric identity verification costs C$4.99, a credit report C$12.99, a social media check C$59.99, employment, education and credential verifications C$29.99 each, a reference check C$39.99 and a driver's abstract C$35.99. Pass-through access fees may apply to verifications, and CertnCentric packages and enterprise pricing are quoted.

Certn is a strong fit for Canadian employers and landlords and for companies hiring across Commonwealth markets; US-only employers have many alternatives.

DISA Global Solutions is a US screening company with offices in the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden and Germany. In 2024 it acquired Validata Group, a pre-employment screening firm founded in Amsterdam in 2009 by Harm Voogt and Job van der Weijden. DISA reports more than 55,000 clients and more than 17 million screenings a year.

Services include pre-employment and in-employment screening, background checks that verify diplomas, references and identity at source, and screening software with API integrations. Its European operation is ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certified, stores personal data within the EU and describes its process as GDPR compliant.

The Validata acquisition gives DISA a European verification capability alongside its US operation. Pricing is quoted.

Universal Background Screening is based in Phoenix, Arizona, and describes itself as one of a small percentage of screening firms accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association, a founding member of the industry's trade association and one of the first accredited consumer reporting agencies. The PBSA's own list of accredited firms contains roughly 130 companies.

Its services include court, criminal database, driving, credit, healthcare and international searches, verifications, drug testing, employment physicals, Form I-9 and E-Verify, social media screening and employment and income verification, with ATS and HRIS integrations. It states criminal results in under two days and verifications in under three. Universal says it was ranked the top enterprise background screening firm in HRO Today's 2023 customer satisfaction ratings and has been recognised as a top provider for 14 consecutive years.

Prices are by quote. Universal suits mid-sized and enterprise US employers wanting an accredited, service-focused provider; its international coverage is narrower than the global leaders'.

Vetty, Inc., based in Cedar Park, Texas, combines background screening with onboarding for hiring at scale. Its products are VettyVerify for screening, VettyComply and VettyOnboard, and it reports more than 1,000 customers. It is PBSA accredited and SOC 2 Type 2 certified.

Screening services include SSN traces, criminal and sex-offender checks, international checks, motor vehicle records, education and employment verification, drug screening, I-9 verification and professional licence monitoring. Onboarding features include mobile ID capture, scheduled screenings, e-signature of onboarding documents and a customer dashboard. Vetty serves education, healthcare, manufacturing, on-demand work, retail and hospitality, staffing, technology and volunteer programmes; customer examples cited include Wag!, HHS and MasterClass.

Vetty does not publish prices. It is a good fit for employers that want screening and new-hire paperwork in one candidate flow, but has a smaller client base than the largest providers.

Asurint offers employment, tenant and government screening, with services covering criminal background checks, drug and health screening and verifications. It says 94% of its criminal searches are returned the same day and that its research methodology reports 15% more criminal records, and it cites a 4.84 out of 5 client satisfaction rating. It lists more than 45 partnerships and integrations, including BeaconInsight and Avionté.

The company's emphasis on criminal record coverage and speed makes it relevant to staffing agencies and high-volume hourly employers that need same-day decisions. The site does not publish prices, headquarters or certifications on the page reviewed.

Buyers comparing Asurint with Checkr or GoodHire should ask how 'more records found' is measured, and how the provider handles FCRA accuracy and dispute obligations, since additional records only help if they are correctly matched to the candidate.

Veremark is an online background screening platform with pricing pages for Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, the UK, the US and a global tier, and displays an ISO 27001 badge. Checks cover references, identity, employment history, social media, criminal records, civil background, right to work, adverse financial history and Singapore-specific education checks.

It publishes per-candidate packages in US dollars for employers hiring fewer than 50 people a year: Essential at US$42 with two reference checks and an identity check; Professional at US$144, adding a three-year employment check and a social media check; and Executive at US$183, adding the highest academic qualification and a global sanctions check. Single checks start at US$20 for employment verification, US$23 for global sanctions and US$14 for a character reference. Larger employers request a quote.

Veremark integrates with Ashby, Greenhouse, HiBob, SAP SuccessFactors, SmartRecruiters, Teamtailor and others, and offers continuous screening, an API and a whistleblowing tool. Worldwide criminal checks can take several weeks.

uCheck Ltd, based in Exeter, processes UK criminal record and identity checks for employers. It says more than 80,000 customers use it, typically returns DBS checks within 48 hours and holds Cyber Essentials and ISO 9001 certification, PBSA membership and a Crown Commercial Service supplier listing. Named clients include Amey, Anglian, Bristol Airport, ITV and Nurseplus.

Prices are per check including VAT, with volume discounts. For 1 to 50 checks, an enhanced DBS check costs £56.70 including the £41.00 government DBS fee, and a basic DBS check £35.70 including the £20.00 DBS fee; digital identity verification costs £5.60, a digital right-to-work check £8.41 and an adverse credit check £6.20. Prices fall at 51, 301 and 501 checks, and volumes above 750 are quoted. A one-off platform sign-up fee of £58.80 including VAT applies, with no minimums or contractual tie-ins.

The DBS itself issues checks for England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man; standard and enhanced checks can only be requested by an organisation through a registered body such as uCheck.