Certn review (2026): is it worth paying for?
Self-serve background checks billed per check, US and Canada
Black Friday: is there a Certn sale?
Certn report card
Weak · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for online checks priced one by one
Certn lists US checks from $13.99 for a core criminal check up to $79.99 for the most complete one, with county fees of $9.99 and pass-through fees extra. Employment and education checks show Price Varies, and there is no free way to try it.
Who Certn is for
- 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
Who Certn is not for
- 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
Why Certn gets a 1.8
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for money$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.
- FFree plan and trialNo free plan or trial on the US pricing page.
- CFeaturesUS 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.
- CEase of useOrder online, but consent flows, packages and any API or ATS link are yours to set up. No store rating is on record.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, with an API and ATS integrations for enterprise buyers.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Certn's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/certn#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/certn.svg" alt="Certn: 1.8 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Certn stands among hiring and applicant tracking tools
Certn's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 30 of the 101 other hiring and applicant tracking tools we grade, and level with 23.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 39 of 101) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 102 hiring and applicant tracking tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Certn’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 12 of 101, level with 78
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 101, level with 63
- CFeaturesAbove 3 of 101, level with 71
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 101, level with 99
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 39 of 101, level with 62
Keep Certn, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Certn you would be making connections to other products, each kept working as those products change. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 48 of the 101 other hiring and applicant tracking tools grade higher.
What you could make
- Applicant tracking and employee records: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
What this rests on. Certn’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Certn?
Certn sells employment background checks that can be ordered online and are billed per check, in US dollars on its US pricing page. Criminal packages, identity verification, credit, social media, reference and driver checks are priced one by one, and enterprise buyers get custom packages, an API and ATS integrations.
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
Certn pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Certn is a paid product, starting at $13.99 per check, plus county and pass-through fees.
- Starts at
- $13.99 per check, plus county and pass-through fees
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| US Core Criminal Check | $13.99per check, plus county and pass-through fees | SSN trace, national criminal database, sex offender registry, watchlist and contingent county search. |
| US Complete Criminal Check | $49.99per check, plus pass-through fees | The same searches with a county criminal search across 7 years of addresses. |
| US Complete+ Criminal Check | $79.99per check, plus pass-through fees | Listed with the same components as Complete; the page does not say what the extra $30 adds. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Larger-scale implementation, bundled packages and tailored solutions, arranged through the sales team. |
Read from certn.co on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Certn before you buy.
Certn alternatives
- Certn vs Checkr
From $29.99
- Certn vs GoodHire
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Common questions
Does Certn have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Certn is listed for Web.
Does Certn have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Certn is listed for Web.
Is Certn open source?
Certn is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Does Certn have an API?
Yes. Certn offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.