Checkr vs First Advantage (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, First Advantage grades higher than Checkr: 2.0 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
First Advantage 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 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
Pick First Advantage if
- Fits if you screen at volume and want identity, drug and criminal checks from one vendor
- Makes sense if you already use Sterling, which now sits under First Advantage
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a price on the page, as every purchase goes through Contact Us
- Not for you if you want to sign up and order one check today, because there is no self-serve route
- Skip it if you hire a few people a year, since the vendor pitches volume
- Watch out: Sterling's old site now redirects here, so those customers deal with this vendor
How we grade them
| 1.8GPACheckrWeak | 2.0GPAFirst AdvantageFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CNo price is published; every purchase goes through Contact Us, so there is no figure to set against this category's $95 middle price. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free and no trial on the pricing page. The free profile it mentions is for candidates, not for the employer who is paying. | FNo free plan, trial or self-serve sign-up on the site. |
| Features | 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. | BBackground checks, identity, verifications, drug and occupational health, I-9, E-Verify and monitoring. The listing shows no gap in the core work of screening. |
| Ease of use | CAn employer account, candidate consent flows and often an applicant tracking system link to set up. No store rating is on record. | CSold through sales and tied into your HR or applicant tracking system, so setup comes first. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with links to 200+ applicant tracking systems and an enterprise tier. There is no app to install. | BWeb only, with an API and integrations with HR systems. We found no desktop or phone app listed. |
| Best for | background checks sold per report | a large screening vendor that now includes Sterling |
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: Checkr and First Advantage. How we grade
Where they differ
In commonWebPublic APIWorkflow automationApplicant trackingEmployee records
At a glance
| Checkr | First Advantage | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $29.99 per report, plus pass-through fees | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Checkr | First Advantage |
| Price read from | checkr.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
First Advantage
- No prices are published; every purchase goes through Contact Us.
- The site has no self-serve sign-up or free trial.
- Sterling's old site now redirects to First Advantage messaging, so Sterling customers deal with this vendor.
Key features
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.
First Advantage
- Background checks
- Criminal background checks, sanctions and compliance searches, fingerprinting and investigative research, offered globally.
- Identity solutions
- Identity checks aimed at catching candidate fraud at hiring, onboarding and after hire.
- Verifications
- Confirmation of job history, skills and credentials, plus social media and media checks as separate services.
- Drug and occupational health
- Drug-free, safety and compliance screening, with random program management for drug and alcohol testing.
- I-9, E-Verify and monitoring
- Handles US employment eligibility paperwork and ongoing post-hire monitoring.
- Integrations and API
- Lists integrations with HR systems and hiring workflows, and an API for building and automating screening workflows.
Plans
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.
First Advantage
Pricing could not be confirmed. See fadv.com.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Checkr or First Advantage?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Checkr starts at $29.99 per report, plus pass-through fees, and First Advantage has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Checkr or First Advantage?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Checkr nor First Advantage 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.