Certn vs Checkr (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Certn and Checkr share a 1.8 GPA, neither has a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on which features you need.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
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
Pick Checkr if
- Fits if you hire a handful of people a year and want to pay per report
- Makes sense if your applicant tracking system is one of the 200+ it connects to
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to try it first, as there is no free plan or trial
- Watch out: court and database access fees are added at cost on top of every package
- Watch out: Basic has no county or state criminal search, and federal search is only on Complete
- Pricey if you add drug, driving, education or employment checks, because each is billed on top of the package
- Not for you if you need a published price at volume, since Enterprise is quoted
How we grade them
| 1.8GPACertnWeak | 1.8GPACheckrWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | C$29.99 to $94.99 a report is not a monthly price, so it cannot be set against this category's $95 middle subscription. Pass-through fees and add-ons come on top, so we leave it at the ordinary grade. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan or trial on the US pricing page. | FNothing free and no trial on the pricing page. The free profile it mentions is for candidates, not for the employer who is paying. |
| Features | 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. | CTiered criminal searches plus add-ons for driving records, drug tests, identity, education and employment. Basic has no county or state criminal search, and a federal search is only on Complete. |
| Ease of use | COrder online, but consent flows, packages and any API or ATS link are yours to set up. No store rating is on record. | CAn employer account, candidate consent flows and often an applicant tracking system link to set up. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with an API and ATS integrations for enterprise buyers. | BWeb only, with links to 200+ applicant tracking systems and an enterprise tier. There is no app to install. |
| Best for | online checks priced one by one | background checks sold per report |
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: Certn and Checkr. How we grade
Where they differ
At a glance
| Certn | Checkr | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $13.99 per check, plus county and pass-through fees | $29.99 per report, plus pass-through fees |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Certn | Checkr |
| Price read from | certn.co | checkr.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Checkr
- Prices exclude pass-through court and database access fees, passed on at cost.
- Basic has no county or state criminal search; federal search is only on Complete.
- Drug screening, MVR, education and other checks are billed on top of the package price.
- Enterprise pricing is not published; the other tiers are sold per report.
Key features
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.
Checkr
- Tiered criminal searches
- Packages step up from a national criminal search to unlimited county and state searches and a federal search on the Complete package.
- Add-on verifications
- Priced separately: motor vehicle records ($9.50 per check plus state fees), identity verification ($4.99), education from $12.50 and drug screening from $10.
- Continuous monitoring
- Continuous MVR monitoring is $2.50 per enrolled driver per month and alerts the employer to new violations or license status changes.
- Automated adjudication and ATS links
- Enterprise customers get rule-based adjudication, customized workflows and 200+ applicant tracking system integrations, per the pricing page.
- Other screening lines
- Separate tenant, mortgage income and employment, insurance and platform-trust products are listed on the same pricing page.
Plans
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.
Checkr
Basic$29.99
per report, plus pass-through fees
SSN trace, sex offender registry, global watchlist and national criminal search. No county or state searches.
Essential$59.99
per report, plus pass-through fees
Adds identity verification and unlimited county criminal searches to the Basic checks.
Complete$94.99
per report, plus pass-through fees
Adds unlimited state and federal criminal searches to the Essential checks.
EnterpriseCustom
Quote from sales: automated adjudication, 200+ ATS integrations and customized workflows.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Certn or Checkr?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Certn starts at $13.99 per check, plus county and pass-through fees, and Checkr starts at $29.99 per report, plus pass-through fees.
Which has a free plan, Certn or Checkr?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Certn nor Checkr 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.