# Certn review (2026): is it worth paying for? > Self-serve background checks billed per check, US and Canada Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. 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. - **Category:** Hiring & Applicant Tracking - **Made by:** Certn - **Website:** https://certn.co - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want to try before paying, as there is no free plan or trial. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, Certn is a paid product, starting at $13.99 per check, plus county and pass-through fees. - **Pricing model:** Paid - **Free plan:** None. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | 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. | | Enterprise | Custom | Larger-scale implementation, bundled packages and tailored solutions, arranged through the sales team. | Read from https://certn.co/us/pricing/ on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Certn before buying. ## 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. ## Good for - Small employers wanting to order a check online with no contract - Teams hiring in Canada and the US, with country-specific pricing pages - Platforms that want screening through an API ## 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 1.8 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. 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. - **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. - **Free plan and trial: F.** No free plan or trial on the US pricing page. - **Features: C.** US 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: C.** Order 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: B.** Web only, with an API and ATS integrations for enterprise buyers. These are ToolGPA's own grades. 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. ## Where it 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). The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/hiring ## Keep it, 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. - You could make: Applicant tracking and employee records: an app builder makes these well. - You could not: Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** Applicant tracking, Employee records, Public API, Workflow automation ## Alternatives - [Checkr](https://toolgpa.com/tools/checkr): Pay-per-report background checks for hiring, with an API. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/certn-vs-checkr) - [GoodHire](https://toolgpa.com/tools/goodhire): Employment background checks priced per check, with custom quotes. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/certn-vs-goodhire) - [HireRight](https://toolgpa.com/tools/hireright): Global employment background screening, sold by quote. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/certn-vs-hireright) - [First Advantage](https://toolgpa.com/tools/first-advantage): Background screening and identity checks for employers. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/certn-vs-first-advantage) - [Accurate](https://toolgpa.com/tools/accurate-background): Global employment background screening, sold through sales. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/accurate-background-vs-certn) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://certn.co/us/pricing/ - https://certn.co Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/certn Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).