Checkr or First Advantage: Which Has the Most Accurate Background Checks?

The labor market may be shifting in favor of employers, but that isn’t making hiring any easier. In a recent Robert Half survey, 93% of hiring managers said hiring takes longer than it did two years ago—and 47% cite background checks as a key culprit. HR professionals at mid-market and enterprise employers hiring at scale are feeling the pressure. 

Hiring teams can’t afford delays at any stage of the screening process—especially due to inaccurate reports that break candidates’ trust or leave your organization open to a higher level of risk and compliance violations.

Let’s dig into how Checkr and First Advantage (including Sterling, now a First Advantage company) compare on accuracy and confidence from customers.

Nearly one-third of hiring managers in the survey cited above admit to making a hiring mistake in the past two years; 57% say those errors contributed to higher turnover. When evaluating a background check provider’s report quality, consider the following factors.

Comprehensive criminal searches give you the confidence that you’re basing hiring decisions on accurate data. But, not every provider casts the same size net for records. The “hit rate” (number of reports with at least one record found) often comes down to how thorough their data search technology is and how many court sources they can access automatically, without manual work.

Recent benchmark studies show Checkr has a 62% higher hit rate for criminal records.

Why is Checkr’s hit rate so much higher than that of First Advantage? Let’s explore the reasons.

The scope of First Advantage’s criminal background checks is limited, which may lead to employers missing relevant criminal charges. One of the company’s most popular county criminal search products, County Felony Incl. Misdemeanor, is reported to search a county’s primary upper court index only, instead of the multiple indexes in that county.

Due to this limitation, First Advantage’s county criminal searches typically only cover about 60% of the felonies and misdemeanors in any given county. Moreover, when felony and misdemeanor records are stored in separate indexes within a county, First Advantage only retrieves felony records.

Checkr searches records stored across multiple indexes in each county's courthouses, resulting in a far more thorough county criminal search.

In addition, when First Advantage encounters an SSN trace exception during a criminal search, users report that only a single county-level search in the county of the candidate’s current address is run, instead of a comprehensive search to build a complete address history for that candidate. Searching fewer counties per background check increases the chance of missing a criminal record.

Checkr’s criminal background check packages always include a national background check, which serves as a “pointer search” for a candidate’s potential criminal records. If a national background check returns a hit, Checkr uses that data to identify all applicable counties in which to run a county background check to search for additional criminal records.

One reason Checkr can deliver more comprehensive background checks than First Advantage is robust, direct access to background data. Checkr owns most of its data sources, unlike most background check providers.

Although First Advantage reports include similar information, they may not have direct access to the data source, which may result in more limited search results and slower checks. In contrast, Checkr has the fastest access to the data and controls its quality and freshness, helping to ensure the most up-to-date criminal background searches. Our unique access to criminal records data means more comprehensive checks that include what other background screening providers miss.

Criminal background checks become more complex when you’re hiring at scale or hiring in multiple states. Depending on the state, county, or jurisdiction, the same criminal charge may be categorized differently. Sorting through this information while reviewing background check reports can be confusing, requiring time-consuming manual effort to ensure that classifications are correct.

Checkr's background check reports are intuitive and actionable, helping businesses streamline their hiring process. Checkr AI powers the charge classifier feature, which uses machine learning to rapidly categorize criminal charges from different jurisdictions across the US, so reports are standardized and easy to understand—helping minimize risk from manual review errors or inconsistent hiring decisions.

When First Advantage receives an order for a criminal background check, their team manually searches for records and assigned researchers enter information into their online system. Users report that it is challenging to review recent orders or edit packages directly from their dashboard, and a lack of context around charges complicates decision-making.

At Checkr, after data is retrieved and standardized, the user-friendly interface enables recruiters and hiring managers to quickly interpret and act on results, with features inspired directly by customer feedback like automated, color-coded tags and collapsible panels for enhanced focus.

Checkr outpaces First Advantage on average report turnaround time, based on recent head-to-head benchmark studies. This means First Advantage users may be getting less comprehensive reports—at a slower pace.

Reliance on manual processes can slow down background checks and increase the risk of human error, both of which can hold up hiring. That’s why 99% of Checkr screenings are automated for faster, more accurate background checks—vs. First Advantage’s 75% automation rate, which leaves a quarter of all its reports reliant on manual processes. 97% of customers say Checkr’s turnaround time is faster than the competition.

Are you wondering whether First Advantage is putting you at a disadvantage—and curious about what Checkr has to offer? When you’re choosing a background check provider, we believe real customers’ opinions are your best guide. Net promoter score (NPS) is a trusted indicator of how customers feel about a company; scores above 50 are considered excellent. Checkr’s NPS is +60, well above the B2B technology industry average of 36.

Our status as a G2 “Leader” for the fifth year running, based on verified user reviews, is another indication of our customer satisfaction. Checkr was also named Market Leader in G2’s background check category, denoting the highest product satisfaction scores. Learn more by visiting G2 for a side-by-side comparison of the four largest background check companies: Checkr, First Advantage, Sterling (acquired by First Advantage), and HireRight.

With 92% of hiring managers reporting that it’s difficult to find skilled talent, wouldn’t it help if your background check provider made hiring easier—not harder? Checkr’s direct access to data sources, wider search scope, and accurate reports help you hire with confidence. Our fast results, intuitive interface, robust support, and 200+ ATS integrations enable a seamless, efficient workflow. If you’re frustrated by the flaws of First Advantage, get a real advantage by joining more than 100,000 satisfied Checkr customers.

Learn more about how Checkr outpaces First Advantage, or schedule your Checkr demo today.

About the author

As VP of Product & Customer Marketing at Checkr, Bryan is responsible for educating current and prospective customers about the value and use of our products. He is passionate about understanding the needs of companies and candidates who use Checkr, and helping them get the most from the platform.