Best Background Check Companies for Small Business With Continuous Monitoring 2019

The Best Background Check Software For Small Businesses

Looking for the best background check software to help your small business? Here are our top 10 choices to help with identity verification, record checks, and screening services.

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Background check software for small businesses helps make better hiring decisions by providing employers with an in-depth report on candidates. The best background check software includes identity verification, criminal record checks, monitoring, and all essential screening services.

If your business is considering using background check screening software when hiring, we've got you covered. Keep reading for a breakdown of the best background check software and screening services on the market.

Learn More About Our Top Picks

Read more below to learn why we chose these options.

Table of Contents

• The Benefits Of A Background Check Software
• The 10 Best Background Check Software
  • 1. Checkr: Best Overall Background Check Software
  • 2. HireRight: Best Background Check Software For International Screening
  • 3. Hireology: Best Background Check Software For Mid-Sized Businesses
  • 4. Sterling: Best Background Check Software For Enterprise Businesses
  • 5. PeopleG2: Best Background Check Software For Graded Reports
  • 6. Certn: Best Background Check Software For Small Businesses
  • 7. Global HR Research: Best Background Check Software With Advanced Screening
  • 8. ADP: Best Background Check Software With Payroll
  • 9. SurePayroll: Best Background Check Software With Employee Assessment Features
  • 10. Paycom: Best Background Check Software With Built-In HR Suite
• How To Choose The Right Background Check Software
• The Bottom Line On Background Check Software & Services
• Background Check Software FAQs
  • What is the best background check software?
  • What is the most popular background check service?
  • What is background check software?
  • How much does background check software cost?
  • How do employers perform background checks?
  • Do you have to do background checks when hiring?
• In Summary: The 10 Best Background Check Software

The Benefits Of A Background Check Software

If your business is considering adopting background check software, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the benefits of background check software to ensure that you make a valuable investment.

Check out the following benefits of background check software:

• Speed & Cost Effectiveness: Background checks help businesses save money by avoiding hiring mistakes and can quickly complete screening reports to speed up the hiring process.
• Improve Candidate Experience:Candidates are often left in the dark during the screening process. Background check software often includes candidate portals to keep them in the loop.
• Increase Hiring Confidence: Report adjudication helps businesses hire candidates who meet the company's standards and position requirements.
• Stay Compliant: Staying compliant with background check and screening services can be challenging for small businesses if done in-house. Background check services are familiar with and adhere to screening compliance requirements.

The 10 Best Background Check Software

The best background check software can handle identity verification, reference checks, criminal record checks, drug screening, credit checks, social media searches, and more. Checkr, ADP, Sterling, Hireology, HireRight, PeopleG2, and more earned our picks for the best background check software. Keep reading to learn more about our picks.

1. Checkr: Best Overall Background Check Software

Checkr	Visit Site

Pros

• Transparent pricing
• Background check API
• Continuous check services (monitoring)
• 76+ integrations

Cons

• Customer service complaints
• Complaints about longer turnaround times

Checkr is a screening software solution providing background checks for some of the largest companies in the US. Checkr recently acquired GoodHire, with the companies merging to offer the same impressive screening services while expanding its customer base. While GoodHire maintains its individual business entity, its services are identical to Checkr's and differ minimally in pricing.

As a background check and screening solution, Checkr combines all essential screening services, plus international screening, an API, plenty of third-party integrations, and the flexibility to serve businesses of all sizes.

Checkr Pricing

Checkr's pricing starts at $29.99/check on its Basic package including social security number tracing, sex offender registry checks, global watchlist records, and national criminal record checks. For businesses requiring more in-depth or customized screens, Checkr allows businesses to customize their screening packages with add-ons.

Checkr Features

Checkr is versatile enough to serve businesses across multiple industries with its vast selection of screening services and customization options. Businesses that require in-depth screening services or industry-specific options, such as FACIS level 3 screening or medical license monitoring, will be happy with Checkr.

Checkr's most notable features include:

• Global watchlist checks
• Social security number traces
• Education and employment verification
• Drug testing
• Credit checks
• National criminal records
• Screening API
• Report adjudication
• Continuous monitoring

Is Checkr Right For You?

Checkr's rich feature set, transparent pricing, and reputation as one of the most popular screening solutions on the market helped it earn our pick for the best overall background check software. Checkr has virtually every essential screening service option and customizable packages to help businesses get the most out of their background checks.

If your business is considering using Checkr, it's important to consider the solution's customer service and turnaround times, as previous clients have lodged complaints citing poor customer service and longer than expected turnaround times.

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2. HireRight: Best Background Check Software For International Screening

HireRight	Visit Site

Pros

• Integrates with 38 applicant tracking systems
• International background checks
• Custom industry-specific packages

Cons

• Non-transparent pricing
• Poor candidate experience
• Poor customer service

HireRight is a background check and screening service company designed for use by small to large businesses spanning multiple industries, including hospitality staffing, construction, retail, nonprofits, tech, and healthcare.

Small businesses using HireRight will be redirected to the company's subsidiary backgroundchecks.com while larger businesses will remain on the HireRight platform.

Over the years, HireRight has acquired several background check services to expand its service range and now offers screening services across approximately 200 countries.

HireRight Pricing

Small businesses using HireRight's screening service can choose between three pricing packages, starting at $33.15/check. The company also offers custom screening packages tailored to the needs of the staffing, construction and manufacturing, retail, and volunteer organizations.

Larger mid-to-large sized businesses will need to contact HireRight directly for pricing.

HireRight Features

HireRight doesn't lack any features that one would expect from a background check and screening service. The software includes everything from monitoring services to basic social security number traces. Here's a look at HireRight's best screening features:

• I-9 and e-verification
• Executive intelligence screening
• Monitoring services
• Drug and health screenings
• Hiring feedback survey reports
• Identity checks
• International background check and screening

Is HireRight Right For You?

HireRight is a good match for businesses that are looking for international screening services. With an advanced set of screening features and services across 200 countries, HireRight is especially useful for businesses looking to screen international applicants and verify their employment eligibility.

Businesses should be wary of HireRight's reputation for poor customer service before signing up with the service. Moreover, candidates have lodged complaints about the service's long turnaround times.

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3. Hireology: Best Background Check Software For Mid-Sized Businesses

Hireology	Visit Site

Pros

• Custom screening packages
• Many integrations
• Robust recruiting and hiring tools

Cons

• Non-transparent pricing
• Vague service descriptions

Hireology combines hiring, HR, and payroll solution within a single software system. In general, Hireology prioritizes the recruiting and hiring processes with features that include an employee referral system, automated verifications, application tracking, virtual onboarding, advanced insights, and more.

As a part of its hiring solution, Hireology includes background checks, reference checks, identity verification, and more, so businesses can be confident with their hiring choices.

Hireology Pricing

Those interested in Hireology's screening solutions will need to contact the company directly for pricing information and a product demo.

Hireology Features

Hireology's features generally focus on the recruiting and hiring process, as is true to its name. Despite offering payroll and HR services, Hireology is primarily a background check software. Here's a look at Hireology's screening features:

• Reference checks
• Candidate pre-screening surveys
• Drugs screening
• 10 custom screening packages
• Identity verification
• Employee referral programs
• Marketing support for open roles
• Career site and SEO support
• Document storage

Is Hireology Right For You?

Hireology is a good solution for mid-sized businesses needing customizable screening reports or industry-specific screening packages. However, Hireology may lack the wealth of screening tools and features to meet the complex needs of larger businesses.

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4. Sterling: Best Background Check Software For Enterprise Businesses

Sterling	Visit Site

Pros

• Long-term monitoring option
• Social media searches
• Customizable self-service portal

Cons

• SterlingNOW has limited features
• Lacks pricing transparency

Sterling is an employee screening and background check software solution designed for businesses of all sizes. The software features a variety of screening and background check options, from identity verification to medical license monitoring.

Despite offering small business screening services, Sterling has earned a reputation as the preferred background check software for enterprise sizes businesses, including Lego, Crocs, Kimberly-Clark, Siemens, and more.

Sterling Pricing

Sterling's pricing starts at $35/check for basic checks with a social security number trace, multistage criminal check with verification, sex offender searches, and a single county criminal search.

The solution's higher-tier plans add seven-year record searches, terrorism watchlist checks, and the option to personally select the location.

Sterling Features

Sterling's features are notably extensive and include all essential background check software and screening solutions. Sterling's screening features include:

• Sanctions, risk, and compliance checks
• Customizable self-service portal
• Onboarding support
• Medical license monitoring
• Executive background checks
• Financial checks and screening
• Executive background checks
• 30+ integrations

Is Sterling Right For You?

Sterling's background check and screening solutions don't leave much to be desired, as the software boasts a robust feature set.

However, Sterling's solutions are better suited to larger businesses with complex background check and screening needs, rather than those who are looking for basic screening options.

This is especially true as SterlingNOW, the software's small business solution, has fewer features than its enterprise screening services.

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5. PeopleG2: Best Background Check Software For Graded Reports

PeopleG2	Visit Site

Pros

• Graded reports
• Many integrations
• Social media screening

Cons

• Customer complaints about extra charges
• Reputation for poor customer service

PeopleG2 is background check software with screening solutions for businesses of all sizes. Customers can choose from PeopleG2's screening service packages to create a custom solution that works for their business.

PeopleG2's standout feature is its graded screening reports. The software's graded reports allow businesses to order screening reports to be graded according to your business's candidate preferences, so you can quickly review whether an applicant is a good fit.

PeopleG2 Pricing

PeopleG2's pricing starts at $29.99/check for its Basic screening package which includes county and national-level screening reports, social security number traces, and a sex offender search in one state.

If your business requires more in-depth screening services, PeopleG2 also offers a Standard and Comprehensive screening package with more screening options.

PeopleG2 Features

PeopleG2 boasts all the features one would expect from a background check and screening software, with the inclusion of graded reports, PeopleG2 is one of the most fully-featured background screening software solutions on the market.

Here's a look at PeopleG2's background screening features:

• Compliance support
• Civil court checks (county, state, and federal)
• Social media screening
• Executive background checks
• Graded reports
• International screening
• Drug testing
• Identity checks
• Criminal record checks
• Credit Checks

Is PeopleG2 Right For You?

PeopleG2 is best for businesses looking for a background check service that complements their recruiting processes.

Although PeopleG2's background check and screening services don't stand out among the crowd, the solution's graded reports make it a great solution for those businesses that highly prioritize hiring individuals who best meet the company's hiring standards.

PeopleG2's features may be a bit too complex for businesses that only need simple background check software features.

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6. Certn: Best Background Check Software For Small Businesses

Certn	Visit Site

Pros

• Transparent pricing
• Quick turnaround times
• Customizable screening packages

Cons

• Limited integrations
• Pricey screening add-ons

Certn is cloud-based software offering background checks and screening services for small to enterprise-sized businesses. Leveraging the power of AI, Certn promises to provide background checks in minutes rather than days.

Although Certn has several high-profile enterprise clients, the company also boasts a dedicated tool for small to mid-sized businesses called Certn Lime. Through the Certn Lime platform, small businesses can quickly verify identities, manage drug screening, check for criminal records, perform credit checks, and more in pre-employment screening.

Certn Pricing

For small businesses requiring a very low volume of checks, Certn Lime starts at $20 + pass-through fees for its USA – Basic Criminal Check, which includes a social security number trace, national criminal database search, sex offender search, global sanctions, and terrorist watchlist checks.

Additional services such as more advanced checks, screening, and identity verification are priced as individual services and vary depending on your selection. For enterprise seizes businesses or those requiring a high volume of checks, you'll need to contact Certn for pricing information.

Certn Features

Certn boasts all the most common background check software and screening features that businesses need, including everything from identity verification to criminal record checks. Better yet, Certn offers a la carte check and screening add-ons to help businesses customize their screening packages.

Here's a look at Certn's features:

• International background checks
• Reference checks
• Employment verification
• Education verification
• Credit checks
• Criminal record checks
• Background screening API

Is Certn Right For You?

Certn is a great option for small businesses looking for a simple, straightforward background check and screening solution without a contract. The company excels at providing users with clear pricing and estimated turnaround times, so businesses can avoid having their recruiting and hiring processes held up by delayed background checks.

Be sure to estimate the prices for the background check and screening packages before diving in, as some users have complained about Certn's add-on service prices being on the expensive side.

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7. Global HR Research: Best Background Check Software With Advanced Screening

Global HR Research	Visit Site

Pros

• 100% US-based customer support
• Strong candidate-facing tools
• Fingerprinting services
• 29 integrations

Cons

• Challenging to use
• Nontransparent pricing

Global HR Research is the team behind the Clairiti pre-employment background check software. Businesses across multiple industries can use the company's background check and screening services, including those in retail, utilities, construction, staffing, government, healthcare, gaming and entertainment, and more.

Global HR Research Pricing

Global HR Research does not publish its pricing online, so prospective customers will need to contact the company directly for pricing.

Global HR Research Features

As Global HR Research offers a full suite of pre-employment screening services, businesses looking for advanced reports will enjoy the platform's feature set. Here's a look at Global HR Research's top screening service features:

• Civil background checks
• Motor vehicle records
• Social media searches
• Social security number trace
• Criminal background checks
• International screening
• Drug and health screenings
• Medical, motor vehicle, sanctions, and criminal records monitoring
• Fingerprinting
• Credit reports

Is Global HR Research Right For You?

If your business needs to run a large volume of background checks and requires advanced screening features, such as fingerprinting, sanctions monitoring, international global screening, criminal records monitoring, and more, Global HR Research could be a good match.

While Global HR Research boasts impressive features, they may be too complex for small businesses. If your small business has simple background check and screening needs, another solution might be a better fit.

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8. ADP: Best Background Check Software With Payroll

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Pros

• Seamless integration with ADP software
• Robust screening features
• Many third-party integrations
• International screening

Cons

• Nontransparent pricing
• No long-term monitoring options

ADP is payroll and HR software with a plethora of recruitment and hiring tools, including background checks and screening services. Businesses using ADP have access to one of the most robust payroll and HR software solutions on the market, in addition to a full-featured pre-employment screening process.

ADP Pricing

To get information about ADP's background check and screening services you'll need to contact the company directly.

ADP Features

ADP's background check and screening features are comprehensive, except that the software doesn't support monitoring services. If you want to continue monitoring your employees, you'll need to run additional checks manually.

That said, there's not much lacking in ADP's screening software solution. Here are the most notable ADP pre-employment screening features:

• Criminal background checks
• Employment verifications
• Drug testing
• Medical screening
• Education verifications
• Credit reports
• Credential verifications
• I-9 verification
• International screening
• FACIS level 3 screening

Is ADP Right For You?

ADP is one of our picks for the best payroll software for small businesses.

Combined with great payroll and HR features, ADP's excellent background check and screening features make it a great choice for businesses looking to keep payroll, HR, and recruiting solutions confined to a single platform.

The catch is ADP's lack of pricing transparency which can make it challenging to compare to other background check software.

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9. SurePayroll: Best Background Check Software With Employee Assessment Features

SurePayroll	Visit Site Read our Review

Pros

• Behavioral assessments
• Performance reviews
• No contracts
• Integrated payroll and HR solution

Cons

• Limited features
• Non-transparent pricing

SurePayroll is a cloud-based payroll software for small businesses that offers full-service payroll and HR solutions for small businesses with up to 100 employees. The software's background check and screening services are basic, but its built-in behavior and skill assessment features make it a solid hiring solution.

SurePayroll earned our pick as one of the best nanny payroll software, with its strong HR features (including screening services) and full-service payroll combining to create one of the best options on the market.

SurePayroll Pricing

SurePayroll does not post its prices, but interested businesses can get in touch to set up a demo and get a pricing estimate.

SurePayroll Features

SurePayroll's screening and background features aren't as fleshed out as some of the other options on this list, but they can handle the needs of small businesses looking for basic background check and screening services.

However, SurePayroll's pre-employment assessments are a rarity when it comes to screening software, which sets it apart from the competition.

SurePayroll's screening and background check features include:

• Identity verification
• County and state criminal record checks
• Drug screening
• Hiring skill and behavior assessments
• Employee performance reviews

Is SurePayroll Right For You?

SurePayroll is a basic software solution that completely avoids feature bloat. This simplicity extends to the software's screening services, as there are certainly screening services with more features, but if your small business is only in need of basic screening services, SurePayroll is the way to go.

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10. Paycom: Best Background Check Software With Built-In HR Suite

Paycom	Visit Site Read our Review

Pros

• Hire from within the software
• Secure document storage
• e-Verification
• Part of a complete HR and payroll solution

Cons

• Unintuitive interface
• Non-transparent pricing

Paycom is payroll and HR software offering background check and screening services as a part of its HR solution. As cloud-based software, Paycom focuses on providing solutions that move with your business and seamlessly integrate with the platform's suite of business solutions.

Businesses using Paycom's background check and screening services gain access to FCRA-compliant reports, criminal record searches, drug testing, and much more.

Paycom Pricing

Paycom does not disclose its pricing, so you'll need to reach out to Paycom's sales team to schedule a demo or get a pricing estimate.

Paycom Features

Paycom's background check and screening services include all the basic features one would expect of a background check service, from reference checks to education verification. However, the software's features are pretty basic when compared to a standalone background check software solution.

Here's a breakdown of Paycom's best background check and screening features:

• Reference checks
• eVerification
• Drug test management
• National and country criminal searches
• Education verification
• Sex offender registry checks
• Employment verification

Is Paycom Right For You?

Paycom can handle recruiting, hiring, paying, management, and even termination all within a single platform. As such, Paycom is an excellent solution for businesses looking to build a fully-integrated recruiting, HR, and payroll suite.

However, when it comes to screening, Paycom doesn't offer industry-specific screening pricing packages, so you'll need to ensure that Paycom's features suit your business's unique needs.

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How To Choose The Right Background Check Software

Choosing the right background check software for your business depends on your business's background check needs, including the number of reports you'll run, third-party integration support, and pricing.

Beyond the basics, you'll need to familiarize yourself with background check software's basic features.

Here's a look at the top features background check software should include:

• Civil court search (Federal, state, and county)
• Motor vehicle searches
• Credit checks
• Identity verification
• Social media screening
• Drug testing
• Reference verification
• Criminal record checks
• Monitoring
• FCRA compliance
• Industry-specific features (license monitoring, sanctions reporting, etc.)

Once you have a good idea of your needs, you'll have a solid foundation on which to build your final decision.

The Bottom Line On Background Check Software & Services

Background check software can bolster your business's recruiting and hiring processes.

When you have a detailed look at your candidate's history and have verified the information they've provided, you can make a data-backed hiring decision to choose the best candidate for the job.

To choose the right background check software, you'll need to assess your business's screening requirements and determine the best match.

That said, background check software is only one part of the hiring process that can be optimized. Check out the following HR and hiring resources to improve your business's hiring processes:

• How To Know When To Hire Employees
• How To Create A Successful New Hire Onboarding
• Guide To Small Business HR

Background Check Software FAQs

What is the best background check software?

The best background check software depends on your needs. Our picks for the best background check software include Checkr, Hireology, ADP, Sterling Check, PeopleG2, HireRight, and more.

What is the most popular background check service?

Checkr is arguably one of the most popular background check software solutions, with major clients including Uber, DoorDash, and Netflix. However, Sterling Check and HireRight are also popular options.

What is background check software?

Background check software is a collection of pre-employment screening software offering identification verification, license monitoring, criminal background checks, drug screening, and credit checks.

How much does background check software cost?

Background check software prices vary greatly depending on the software solution you choose and the depth of the screening report you choose.

Many background check software options charge on a per-report basis, rather than requiring users to sign a long-term contract.

How do employers perform background checks?

Employers perform background checks by using information provided by an employee and verifying it with data available on public databases.

In most cases, where a background check is required by law or regulation, employers choose to outsource their background checks to third-party background check software solutions to simplify the process, save time, and ensure compliance with screening laws.

Do you have to do background checks when hiring?

In most cases, there's no need to conduct a background check when hiring a new employee. However, in certain industries and positions, it's either required by law or strongly recommended that you perform a background check.

For example, teachers, law enforcement officers, nurses, and other public-facing positions may be required to have background checks performed before being permitted to work in the field.

In Summary: The 10 Best Background Check Software

1. Checkr:
   • Best overall background check software
   • Starting at $29.99/check
   • Global, national, state, and county-level checks
2. HireRight:
   • Best background check software for international screenings
   • Pricing starting at $33.15/check
   • Global screening solutions
3. Hireology:
   • Best background check software for mid-sized businesses
   • Custom pricing
   • Industry-specific screening packages
4. Sterling:
   • Best background check software for enterprise businesses
   • SterlingNow prices start at $35/check
   • Extensive screening features and customization
5. PeopleG2:
   • Best background check software for graded reports
   • Starting at $29.99/check
   • Strong recruiting features
6. Certn:
   • Best background check software for small businesses
   • Basic screening starts at $20/check
   • Tends to be pricey
7. Global HR Research:
   • Best background check software for advanced screening
   • Custom pricing
   • Includes fingerprinting services
8. ADP Payroll:
   • Best background check software with payroll
   • Contact for pricing
   • Tons of integrations
9. SurePayroll:
   • Best screening software with employee assessment features
   • Unpublished pricing
   • Integrated HR and payroll solution
10. Paycom:
    • Best background check software with built-in HR suite
    • Custom pricing
    • Screen and hire employees within the same platform

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A New York native, Davina earned her BA in English from SUNY Geneseo in 2018. After graduating, she began her career as a freelance writing generalist before finding a niche writing about SaaS. Davina unironically enjoys testing and reviewing software on her free time but otherwise can be found oscillating between hobbies every few weeks or so — most recently, longboarding.

View Davina Ward's professional experience on LinkedIn.

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