9 Best Background Check Sites & Services in 2024

The best background check companies meet the unique needs of your business with multiple screening options, fast turnaround times, an easy-to-use interface, compliance tools, and analytics for better decision-making. Let’s take a look at the best background check companies in 2024.

Running background checks on your own can be time-consuming and expensive. Working with a company to conduct your organization’s screenings can save time and support compliance with local, state, and federal hiring laws like the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

Here’s a look at five companies that provide the best background checks for employers.

Checkr offers multiple background check services for small, medium, and large size businesses in a range of industries. The platform makes it easy to sign up and get started the same day with several preset packages with popular search selections. The company’s API seamlessly integrates with your existing ATS and HRIS systems, streamlining your background check processes and saving you time by automating common workflows. Checkr's compliance workflows help ensure you only receive reportable records, which minimizes your organization's risk, can protect your reputation and helps support compliance with local, state, and federal background check guidelines. Dedicated and responsive customer and candidate support teams are available via phone, email and chat.

Packages start at $29.99 per report for companies that only need to run a few checks per year. Checkr also provides discounted volume pricing for companies that run several hundred background checks per year or more. Multiple add-ons searches and screenings are also available for an additional fee to help you customize your background checks to meet your organization’s needs.

First Advantage provides background check services to small, mid-market, enterprise, and global organizations across various industries. The company offers a variety of screening options, giving you the flexibility to choose the best employment background check for your organization. First Advantage’s industry-specific packages are designed to meet the needs of specific verticals, and its compliance management tools help reduce organizational risk.

Pricing starts at $29 per check and varies based on the screenings you include.

HireRight offers a suite of screening options for small, medium, enterprise, and global businesses. It offers pre-established packages for businesses in various industries plus add-on products employers can use to customize background checks for job candidates. Small and medium-sized businesses can purchase single criminal background checks through HireRight's self-service option.

Pricing starts at $36.47 for a single background check. But many features, such as HireRight's mobile-friendly applicant center and tools to streamline ban-the-box compliance, adjudication, and adverse action are add-ons that cost extra.

Accurate provides background check services for businesses of all sizes. The company offers a self-service small business solution for companies running fewer than 100 checks annually and an enterprise solution for companies with higher volume. Both options have built-in compliance tools to help support compliance with local, state, and federal hiring regulations. You can choose from preset background check packages or customize your screenings to fit your organization's needs.

Background checks costs for small and medium-sized businesses start at $30.99 per report, depending on the package you choose.

Sterling provides industry-specific background check solutions to businesses in 17 industries with services tailored for each vertical. The company offers a range of solutions so that you can choose the best background check services for your unique needs. Its offerings include general, drug, health, financial, and business screenings and verification services.

In February 2024, First Advantage announced a purchase agreement to acquire Sterling. When the transaction closes, the two background check companies will begin operating as First Advantage though their combined service offerings remain unknown.

You can purchase a one-month membership for $23.99 or a three-month membership for $19.19 per month. Both options include up to 100 searches per month.

Personal background checks generally aren’t compliant with the Fair Credit Reporting Act, so they shouldn’t be used for employment purposes. But they can help you learn more about specific individuals, like potential roommates or neighbors. You can even search to see what information is available about you.

Here are four of the best background check companies for personal use.

Checkr is a highly-ranked, FCRA-compliant background check company for employers, but also offers personal background checks. Though this self-background check cannot be used for employment purposes, it can give users a chance to preview what employers and landlords might see.  This can help individuals anticipate questions, review the report for errors or inaccuracies, and save time instead of searching public records on your own.

The easy-to-order report can be requested in just a few steps using basic personally identifying information. The search includes a Social Security Number trace, national criminal record search, global watchlist search, and sex offender registry search. Results are available to view in the online candidate portal. 

Each report is $49.99, with $1 from every screening donated to fair chance initiatives through Checkr.org.

TruthFinder combs billions of public records in a single search to help you learn more about specific individuals. You can search a person’s name, phone number, email address, and more to find information about their background.

TruthFinder offers multiple subscription options that include unlimited searches. For example, their people search tool is $28.05 for one month and reverse phone lookup is $4.99 per month. The company also offers PDF reports for $3.99 per month and dark web monitoring for $2.99 per month.

Intelius offers three types of searches to help you learn more about distant relatives, friends, neighbors, co-workers, or people you're dating. The company’s searches claim they can help you avoid email and telemarketing scams and determine whether potential online buyers or sellers are legitimate.

Intelius offers multiple unlimited search offerings, including people search starting at $24.86 for one month. The company also offers downloadable report files for a one-time fee of $3.99 and identity protection services for $9.95 per month or $119.40 per year.

Instant Checkmate offers four search types to help you learn more about a specific person, address, phone number, or email address. The site’s search options claim they can help you stay safe by learning more about a potential roommate, neighbor, seller, or buyer. The site  can help you reconnect with people from your past.

Instant Checkmate offers unlimited people searches for $35.12 for a single month or $28.09 per month when you purchase a three-month subscription. You can buy unlimited reverse phone lookups for $5.99 per month. The company also offers downloadable report files for a one-time fee of $3.99 and dark web monitoring for $1.99 per month.

A background check site is an online platform or service provider that provides information about individuals' personal, professional, or criminal history. These sites gather data from various sources, such as public records, court documents, and other databases, to compile comprehensive reports, such as criminal background checks. Background check sites are commonly used by employers, landlords, and individuals who want to gather information about someone's background before making decisions such as hiring, renting, or entering into a personal relationship.

The background check company that’s right for you depends on your specific needs and whether you're completing a check for personal or professional use. The best background check companies are easy-to-use with fast turnaround times and customer service teams to answer your questions. They offer a range of screening options, tools, and features that allow you to customize your search based on your unique hiring needs.

If you need help with pre-employment screenings, working with an FCRA-compliant background check company is critical to support compliance with local, state, and federal hiring regulations. Depending on your budget and hiring volume, you may want to look for features like mobile dashboards for easy applicant tracking and analytics and reporting tools to help you evaluate and improve your hiring process. Time-saving features that help you automate common workflows and seamlessly integrate the background check process with your existing systems are also important.

If you’re an individual trying to find the best online background check, look for services that have affordable and transparent pricing, fast search results, mobile apps, and live customer support. Depending on how many background checks you need, you may also want to look for a service that offers unlimited searches.

Background checks are most commonly used by employers for pre-employment screenings to determine eligibility for a role and make informed hiring decisions. Organizations may also use background checks to screen potential volunteers to help ensure they’re qualified and capable of performing the required tasks.

The best online background check companies for employers help companies make fair and informed hiring decisions about job candidates while remaining compliant with local, state, and federal hiring regulations. They can help confirm that a candidate has the education, work history, education experience, and professional licenses necessary for the position the company wants to fill.

Not all background checks are conducted by businesses and non-profit organizations. Some individuals conduct background checks for personal reasons. Personal background checks can help people stay safe and avoid scams by providing information about potential roommates, neighbors, partners, online buyers and sellers, unknown phone numbers, and email addresses. They can also help you find and reconnect with people you’ve lost touch with.

Pricing for the best background check service varies based on multiple factors, including the scope of your searches, types of add-on searches and screenings you include, the number of searches you complete, and the provider you work with. For example, Checkr's background check packages start at $29.99, with volume discounts also available. You can contact Checkr for a custom quote or sign up and create an account on the same day.

The information included in a background check varies based on the type of check you complete (employment vs personal) and the screenings you include.

An employment background screening may include criminal background checks, driving records (MVR) checks, employment history, education verification, credit checks, and more—depending on the positions you’re hiring for. The best background check sites offer multiple search options, so you can choose the one that meets the unique needs of your business.

A personal background report may include a person’s contact information, public records, such as marriage/divorce records, property records, criminal records and civil judgments, reverse phone lookup, and more.

Background checks can provide a wealth of information about an individual. Using a third-party background check provider offers many benefits for employers. Experienced, FCRA-compliant background check services can help employers maintain compliance with complex laws and regulations, streamline the background check process for more efficient hiring, and provide an improved candidate experience, enhancing your business’s reputation.

Checkr’s modern platform provides fast and accurate screenings to help you find qualified candidates for your organization and make informed hiring decisions. Our services save you time by automating workflows and help minimize your risk by supporting compliance with local, state, and federal guidelines governing background checks. Get started today.

*Descriptions of service offerings, website images, and pricing mentioned in this article are accurate as of date of publication.

About the author

Sara Korolevich serves as checkr.com’s editor and content manager. In this role, she produces educational resources for employers on a broad range of screening topics, including background check compliance and best practices. She also writes about Checkr’s company and product news to keep customers updated and informed.