Accurate vs Certn (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Accurate grades higher than Certn: 2.0 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Accurate grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Accurate if
- Fits if you screen across several countries and want one vendor for most check types
- Works for HR teams that want an API link into their own system
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a price on the page, because none is published
- Not for you if you want self-serve sign-up, as buying goes through Contact Sales
- Skip it if you hire only a few people a year, as the vendor pitches multinational programs
- Watch out: the pricing link on the site returns a 404, and no free plan or trial is shown
Pick Certn if
- Fits if you want to order a basic US criminal check online at a published price
- Works for small firms that need identity or reference checks one at a time
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to try before paying, as there is no free plan or trial
- Watch out: the $13.99 core check excludes $9.99 county searches and pass-through fees
- Watch out: employment, education and credential checks show Price Varies, not a figure
- Skip it if you hire outside the US, since Canada, UK and other regions have separate pages and prices
- Tight if you need the API or ATS links, because those sit with enterprise buying
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAAccurateFair | 1.8GPACertnWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CThe site publishes no price and the pricing path returns a 404, so there is no figure to set against this category's $95 middle price. | C$13.99, $49.99 and $79.99 a check are not monthly prices, so they cannot be set against this category's $95 middle subscription. County searches add $9.99 and pass-through fees come on top. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan or trial on the pages we read. | FNo free plan or trial on the US pricing page. |
| Features | BCriminal and sanctions searches, verifications, identity, drug, health and driving, I-9 and monitoring. The listing shows no gap in the core work of screening. | CUS criminal packages, identity, credit, social media, reference and driver checks, plus an API. Employment, education and credential checks show Price Varies on the page, and prices differ by country. |
| Ease of use | CBought through sales, then wired into your HR systems via the client platform or API. No store rating is on record. | COrder online, but consent flows, packages and any API or ATS link are yours to set up. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with a background check API, a candidate portal, a client ordering platform and integrations. | BWeb only, with an API and ATS integrations for enterprise buyers. |
| Best for | screening for firms of all sizes, sold through sales | online checks priced one by one |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Accurate and Certn. How we grade
Where they differ
In commonWebPublic APIWorkflow automationApplicant trackingEmployee records
At a glance
| Accurate | Certn | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | $13.99 per check, plus county and pass-through fees |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Accurate | Certn |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | certn.co |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Accurate
- No prices are published; the pricing path on the site returns a 404 and all buying goes through Contact Sales.
- There is no self-serve sign-up or free trial on the pages read.
- The vendor positions itself for multinational and large-organization programs as well as small business.
Certn
- Pricing is separate for the US, Canada, UK and other regions; this entry reads the US page.
- The US Core price excludes county searches, charged at $9.99 where applicable, plus pass-through fees.
- Employment, education and credential verification show Price Varies on the US page.
- The Canada-region page shows CAD prices and an expired promotion; this entry uses only the US page.
Key features
Accurate
- Criminal and sanctions searches
- Criminal background checks, sanctions searches and global searches, with an automated court access service listed on the site.
- Verifications and identity
- Employment and education style verifications, identity verification, credit checks and social media searches.
- Drug, health and driving
- Drug and health screening and driving history checks, aimed at industries such as healthcare and transportation.
- I-9 and monitoring
- Form I-9 and E-Verify handling plus monitoring services for people after they are hired.
- API and client platform
- A background check API, a client ordering platform, a candidate portal and integrations with hiring systems.
Certn
- US criminal packages
- Three US packages combine an SSN trace, national database, sex offender registry and watchlist search with county searches.
- Identity verification
- OneID compares a live selfie with a government ID and is listed at $3.50 on the US pricing page.
- Verification checks
- Employment, education and credential checks are quoted per request; reference checks are $29.99 and run by phone, email or SMS.
- Other check types
- Credit report ($9.50), social media check ($42.99) and motor vehicle records ($25.99) are sold as single checks.
- API and integrations
- The site lists a background screening API, ATS and HR tool integrations with no or low code, and continuous monitoring.
Plans
Accurate
Pricing could not be confirmed. See accurate.com.
Certn
US Core Criminal Check$13.99
per check, plus county and pass-through fees
SSN trace, national criminal database, sex offender registry, watchlist and contingent county search.
US Complete Criminal Check$49.99
per check, plus pass-through fees
The same searches with a county criminal search across 7 years of addresses.
US Complete+ Criminal Check$79.99
per check, plus pass-through fees
Listed with the same components as Complete; the page does not say what the extra $30 adds.
EnterpriseCustom
Larger-scale implementation, bundled packages and tailored solutions, arranged through the sales team.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Accurate or Certn?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Accurate has no price we could confirm, and Certn starts at $13.99 per check, plus county and pass-through fees.
Which has a free plan, Accurate or Certn?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Accurate nor Certn has a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.