The First Advantage Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about First Advantage in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
First Advantage
The Insider’s Guide
Background screening and identity checks for employers
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among hiring and applicant tracking tools, read from First Advantage’s own pages.
Made by First Advantage · checked Nov 13, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from First Advantage’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on First Advantage’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 13, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.0
GPA, above 54 of the 101 other hiring and applicant tracking tools we grade
First Advantage is a background screening provider covering criminal checks, verifications, identity solutions, drug and occupational health screening, and I-9 and E-Verify. It offers an API, integrations with HR systems and tools for contractors and students. Sterling's site now says Sterling is a First Advantage company. No prices are published.
To get you started, here are 7 things to know about First Advantage, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Sold through sales and tied into your HR or applicant tracking system, so setup comes first.
- 1
Best for a large screening vendor that now includes Sterling
No price is published, there is no self-serve sign-up, and Sterling customers now deal with the same company.
- 2
It runs on Web
Web.
- 3
Background checks
Criminal background checks, sanctions and compliance searches, fingerprinting and investigative research, offered globally.
- 4
Identity solutions
Identity checks aimed at catching candidate fraud at hiring, onboarding and after hire.
- 5
Verifications
Confirmation of job history, skills and credentials, plus social media and media checks as separate services.
- 6
A 2.0 GPA, above 54 of 101
That is against the other hiring and applicant tracking tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 7
Keep it
To replace First Advantage 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.
First Advantage at a glance
- Pricing
- Paid
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- First Advantage
- Category
- Hiring & Applicant Tracking
- Our grade
- 2.0 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for a large screening vendor that now includes Sterling
First Advantage covers criminal checks, verifications, identity, drug and occupational health, and I-9 and E-Verify, with an API and HR system links. No price is published, there is no self-serve sign-up, and Sterling customers now deal with the same company.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | No 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 | F | No free plan, trial or self-serve sign-up on the site. |
| Features | B | Background 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 | C | Sold through sales and tied into your HR or applicant tracking system, so setup comes first. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web only, with an API and integrations with HR systems. We found no desktop or phone app listed. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who First Advantage is for
- 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
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- Employers screening candidates in several countries
- Transportation and healthcare hirers with driver or occupational health needs
- Companies that want screening wired into an HR system
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
First Advantage's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site.
No free plan, trial or self-serve sign-up on the site.
We could not confirm First Advantage’s current prices from its own site, so this guide lists no plans. fadv.com has them.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Background screening and identity checks for employers. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, workflow automation, applicant tracking, employee records.
The listing shows no gap in the core work of screening.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
Its own pages name no integrations.
First Advantage is made by First Advantage.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
54/101
Other hiring and applicant tracking tools it is graded above
First Advantage's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 54 of the 101 other hiring and applicant tracking tools we grade, and level with 21.
It stands best on features (B, above 75 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. First Advantage’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 12 of 101
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 101
- BFeaturesAbove 75 of 101
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 101
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 39 of 101
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace First Advantage 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.
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.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. First Advantage’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.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Checkr, HireRight, GoodHire, Accurate and Certn
The 5 tools First Advantage is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 1.8GPA
Checkr
From $29.99
Pay-per-report background checks for hiring, with an API.
- 2.0GPA
HireRight
Paid
Global employment background screening, sold by quote.
- 1.6GPA
GoodHire
From $29.99
Employment background checks priced per check, with custom quotes.
- 2.0GPA
Accurate
Paid
Global employment background screening, sold through sales.
- 1.8GPA
Certn
From $13.99
Self-serve background checks billed per check, US and Canada.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
10
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is First Advantage free?
No. First Advantage is a paid product.
What platforms does First Advantage work on?
First Advantage is available on Web.
Does First Advantage have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. First Advantage is listed for Web.
Does First Advantage have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. First Advantage is listed for Web.
Is First Advantage open source?
First Advantage is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Does First Advantage have an API?
Yes. First Advantage offers a public API, according to its own site.
Who makes First Advantage?
First Advantage is made by a company of the same name.
What are the alternatives to First Advantage?
The closest alternatives to First Advantage in our directory are Checkr, HireRight, GoodHire, Accurate and Certn.
How does First Advantage compare with other hiring and applicant tracking tools?
First Advantage's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 54 of the 101 other hiring and applicant tracking tools we grade, and level with 21.
Could I make my own version of First Advantage?
To replace First Advantage you would be making connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from First Advantage’s own pages on Nov 13, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from First Advantage's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by First Advantage. Prices change, so check fadv.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- First Advantage, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/first-advantage
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "First Advantage: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/first-advantage
Know someone choosing between hiring and applicant tracking tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/first-advantage/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded hiring and applicant tracking tools after First Advantage, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Hiring & Applicant Tracking Insider's GuideEvery one of the 102 hiring and applicant tracking tools we grade, compared
- Manatal Insider's GuideLow-cost per-user ATS and recruitment CRM with AI candidate matching2.8 GPA
- Breezy HR Insider's GuideFlat-priced applicant tracking with a free one-job plan2.6 GPA
- JOIN Insider's GuideMultiposting and applicant management priced per open job2.6 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what First Advantage’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. First Advantage is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by First Advantage. Prices and plans change: check fadv.com before you buy.