Certn vs HireRight (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, HireRight grades higher than Certn: 2.0 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
HireRight 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 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 HireRight if
- Fits if you screen many people a year, across several countries
- Works for HR teams that already run an applicant tracking system HireRight connects to
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a price before talking to anyone, as none is published
- Not for you if you want to sign up and run one check today, because there is no self-serve route
- Skip it if you hire only a few people a year, as the vendor pitches volume
- Watch out: no free plan or trial is shown anywhere on the pages we read
How we grade them
| 1.8GPACertnWeak | 2.0GPAHireRightFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CThe pricing page publishes no figure at all, only a customized quote, so there is nothing to set against this category's $95 middle price. We leave it at the ordinary grade and say so. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan or trial on the US pricing page. | FNo free plan and no trial is shown. Everything starts with a sales request. |
| 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. | BCriminal, employment, ID, drug and alcohol, I-9 and E-Verify and extended workforce screening, with global coverage. The listing shows no gap in the core work of screening. |
| 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. | CBought through sales and wired into an HR or applicant tracking system, so there is setup before it works. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with an API and ATS integrations for enterprise buyers. | BWeb only, with the vendor listing 70 integrations across 45+ HCM and ATS providers. |
| Best for | online checks priced one by one | large-company screening, quoted on request |
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 HireRight. How we grade
Where they differ
In commonWebWorkflow automationApplicant trackingEmployee records
At a glance
| Certn | HireRight | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $13.99 per check, plus county and pass-through fees | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Certn | HireRight |
| Price read from | certn.co | Not confirmed |
| 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.
HireRight
- No prices are published; the pricing page only offers a customized quote.
- Sold through sales (Talk to Sales); no self-serve sign-up or free trial is shown.
- The vendor says it screens over 85M people a year, so it is built for larger programs.
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.
HireRight
- Criminal searches
- County criminal, felony and misdemeanor searches, a healthcare statewide criminal check and a global criminal search of government record sources.
- Employment verification
- Confirms a candidate's stated employment history with employers or their authorized agents, in the US and in other countries.
- Global ID check
- Validates a candidate's passport or national identity document to determine whether it is authentic.
- Drug and alcohol testing
- Instant and lab-based testing options for pre-employment and ongoing screening.
- I-9 and E-Verify
- An online service for managing US employment eligibility verification, listed alongside the screening products.
- Extended workforce screening
- A separate online solution for managing background screening of contractors and other extended workforce.
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.
HireRight
Pricing could not be confirmed. See hireright.com.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Certn or HireRight?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Certn starts at $13.99 per check, plus county and pass-through fees, and HireRight has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Certn or HireRight?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Certn nor HireRight 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.