Employment background check companies ensure the person you’re hiring is who they say they are and is safe to hire. The best background check companies verify resumes, identities, and personal backgrounds and provide credit checks, drug screens, and even healthcare checks for positions that require that degree of review.
To find the top background check companies for small businesses, we evaluated 14 leading solutions and narrowed our list to four. Here are our recommendations:
- Checkr: Best overall, especially for recruiters wanting AI tools
- Trusted Employees: Best for industry-specific background checks
- ShareAble for Hires: Best background check site for finance and bookkeeping firms
- backgroundchecks.com: Best for small companies needing customizable screening packages
All the providers on our list adhere to the requirements of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). They also offer solutions for tracking background check orders and viewing reports online.
I applied my over five years of experience evaluating payroll and HR software with my 10 years of experience in human resources to these recommendations. I considered over a dozen employment background screening companies in the market and narrowed the list down to the best options for small and midsized businesses (SMBs). I looked at several factors to finalize my recommendations, prioritizing pricing, ease of use, and functionality.
See our full methodology below.
Top Background Check Companies Compared
Our Score (out of 5) | Starter Pricing | Setup Fees | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 4.79 | $29.99-$79.99 per check | ✕ | 1-3 business days |
 | 4.33 | $29.95-$69.95 per check | ✕ | 1-3 business days |
 | 4.19 | $25-$60 | ✕ | A few minutes to 3 business days |
 | 4.11 | $36.47-$76.95 | A few minutes to 3 business days | |
Need help in creating a background check policy? Read our guide and download our customizable background check policy template.
Checkr: Best Overall for Recruiters Wanting AI Tools
Pros
- It has artificial intelligence (AI)-powered background checking.
- It has APIs and automations.
- It has an easy and intuitive interface.
- Checkr Chrome extension lets you access its dashboard from any Google web page.
- International background services cover 200-plus countries.
- It offers volume discounts.
Cons
- Drug testing, federal criminal checks, and previous employment verifications are paid add-ons.
- Volume discounts aren’t ideal for SMBs; they require 300-plus checks per year.
- Customer support is only via chat and ticket requests raised through its website.
- There are occasional glitches in the system.
- Some users complain of having experienced drug screening results taking longer than Checkr’s turnaround time (3-7 business days).
Overview
Who should use it:
Checkr offers services tailored to employers and small business owners needing background checks. Its screenings focus on residence and employment history, identity verification, and criminal and driving records. With its advanced machine learning and AI tools, recruiters can find qualified candidates through reliable background checks.
Why we like it:
Checkr’s screening options are designed to assess applicants easily while providing continuous monitoring of candidates and employees. Its compliance features and AI tools also help strengthen your hiring and screening processes. However, the turnaround isn’t as fast as the other background checking companies in this guide. For fast results of basic criminal checks, consider backgroundchecks.com or ShareAble for Hires—these providers attest that you can get criminal reports instantly online.
For companies that run under 300 background checks per year, Checkr offers three plans: Basic+, Essential, and Professional. Note that apart from the cost of each report, you may have to pay additional third-party fees, such as pass-through fees that some counties and states charge to retrieve records.
- Basic+: Starts at $29.99 per check
- Social Security number (SSN) trace, sex offender registry search, national criminal search, and global watch list records
- Essential: Starts at $54.99 per check
- Basic+, plus unlimited county criminal search
- Professional: Starts at $79.99 per check
- Essential, plus education verification (highest level) and employment verification (candidate’s current employment)
If you run more than 300 checks annually, contact the provider for volume discount pricing.
Add-on services
Checkr offers the following specialized screenings as paid add-ons.
- Continuous criminal record search (for employees): $1.70 per check
- Continuous Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) checks (for employees): $2.50 per check
- Credit report: $8 per check
- MVR: $9.50 per check
- Federal criminal records search: $10 per check
- Professional license verification: $12 per check
- International background check: Starts at $32 per check
- Onsite drug testing: Starts at $37 per check
- Lab-based drug testing: Starts at $60 per check
- It lets you place single and multiple background check requests and view reports online.
- AI and machine learning tools categorize criminal charges from jurisdictions, making charges or findings easier to understand.
- Its online adverse action tools help generate candidate notifications and manage mandatory waiting periods automatically.
- When hiring employees, employers or HR managers can add tags to reports and download them in PDF file formats.
- Candidate portal provides real-time visibility into background check statuses and forms (like authorization and disclosure forms).
- “Candidate Story” feature allows you to ask applicants to submit additional context about their records and send supporting documents online.
- It can integrate with HRIS, ATS, and payroll solutions, such as Alliance Payroll, Bamboo HR, Breezy HR, EPAY Systems, FreshTeam, and LinkedIn Talent Hub.
Trusted Employees: Best for Industry-specific Background Checks
Pros
- It has a simple and intuitive interface.
- It has streamlined reporting and analytics.
- It offers background check packages for individuals and businesses.
Cons
- It has limited integration options.
- It lacks international background check services.
- Website’s chatbot can be annoying (pops up frequently while you’re browsing the site).
Overview
Who should use it:
Trusted Employees offers screening services that cover a wide range of industries, like retail, technology, education, staffing, financial services, healthcare, insurance, transportation, and manufacturing. It can even handle the screening requirements of nonprofits and volunteer organizations.
Why we like it:
Trusted Employees is the only provider on our list of top preemployment background check companies that offers flexible background check services catering to businesses of all sizes and in several industries. Its platform is generally simple to learn and use, but unlike Checkr, it doesn’t have an easy way to place bulk screening orders. It also lacks built-in integration with applicant tracking systems (ATS) and HR software.
If you plan to integrate the platform with your recruiting software, you have to contact the company to provide an API key. We recommend Checkr if you’re looking for background check organizations with solid integration options. And, in case you need preemployment screening services that extend outside of the US, Checkr is also a good choice, as it offers international background checks.
For businesses, Trusted Employees offers three plans: Basic, Advanced, and Comprehensive. Note that apart from the cost of each report, you may have to pay additional third-party fees, such as pass-through fees that some counties and states charge to retrieve records.
- Basic: Starts at $29.95 per check
- Multistate criminal search, global terrorist and Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) search, sex offender registry search, and identity verification with known aliases, SSN, and 10- to 15-year address history checks
- Advanced: Starts at $49.95 per check
- Basic, plus most wanted search, two county criminal checks, and two state federal court checks
- Comprehensive: Starts at $69.95 per check
- Advanced, plus seven-year county criminal and state federal searches
If you require more than 50 screenings a year, contact Trusted Employees for a custom package.
Individuals (like solopreneurs) wanting to run background checks for themselves can create a custom package. For $34.95, you can order a background report that includes credit, identity, address, and criminal checks. Employment and education verifications are also available as paid add-ons, costing $19.95 and $24.95 per check, respectively.
Add-on services
You can include these additional checks in your background screening package.
- Health care sanction: $9 per check
- Financial sanction: $9 per check
- Credit report: $12 per check
- Education verification: $14.95 per check
- Employment verification: $14.95 per check
- Driving record: $19.95 per check
- Drug test (rapid 5-panel): $40 per check
Trusted Employees also charges a service fee for the use of its secure “ApplyNow” tool. For $2 per applicant, your candidates can input the basic information needed to run their background checks. The “ApplyNow” solution even comes with an electronic signature tool, enabling your candidates to digitally sign the required background check consent form.
- Reporting insights include customizable scoring models and intuitive color coding tools to help screen applicants faster.
- It has simplified adverse action compliance processes and notifications.
- Risk assessment reporting provides comprehensive employee background check information to help you know whether or not an applicant is qualified based on the risk thresholds you set.
- Trusted Employees integrates only with Workable but has flexible APIs to help integrate with your software of choice.
ShareAble for Hires: Best Background Check Company for Financial Firms
Pros
- It has straightforward and reasonably priced plans.
- It has a self-service candidate portal.
- It offers instant criminal reports.
Cons
- It doesn’t offer specialized screenings like drug testing and driver records.
- It can get expensive for volume checking.
- Instant criminal results are not available in Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Massachusetts, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming, and Washington, D.C.
Overview
Who should use it:
ShareAble for Hires is part of the TransUnion system, so it provides the credit checks and screening services fast and entirely online. Financial, bookkeeping, and accounting firms can use its services to ensure that their new hires aren’t arriving with burdensome financial debt and credit issues.
Why we like it:
Similar to backgroundchecks.com, Shareable for Hires offers near-instant employment screening, criminal record, and credit checks. It provides different preemployment screening options but lacks the specialty checks (like driver record screenings and drug testing) offered by the other background screening companies in this guide.
Plus, because of the online process and speed of the background checks, ShareAble for Hires doesn’t provide any software integrations. The workaround is to save a printed (or PDF) copy of the report and then attach it to your HR or payroll system, or add it to a secure employee personnel file. If you want integration capabilities, we recommend Checkr (for built-in integrations) or Trusted Employees (for an API).
backgroundchecks.com: Best for Small Companies That Want Custom Screening Packages
Pros
- It has “instant” criminal record checks.
- It offers volume discounts for 50-plus background check orders per year.
- It offers a customizable landing page for your self-service portal.
Cons
- Starter plan is expensive compared to the other providers on our list.
- Multicounty background searches are available only in its highest tier.
- It lacks international screening services.
- It charges a one-time registration fee.
Overview
Who should use it:
Most companies that do background checks typically offer standard preemployment screening packages with specialized check services you can add to them. For small businesses that need a custom plan, backgroundchecks.com lets you combine its screening options to create your own package with the searches, checks, and verifications you need.
Why we like it:
Similar to Trusted Employees, it caters to businesses in different industries (although, the selection isn’t as wide), such as staffing, construction, manufacturing, and retail, including volunteer organizations. It offers a self-service portal where candidates can input basic information needed for background checks, as well as track and view screening reports. Online documents (such as authorization and disclosure forms) are available, including preadverse and adverse action tools.
While backgroundchecks.com offers instant criminal reports, its basic screening package (costing $36.47) isn’t as affordable as ShareAble for Hires, which only charges $25 for its starter plan. Its platform also doesn’t have Checkr’s AI and machine learning tools to help make tracking and understanding preemployment screening reports easier for employers and recruiters.
backgroundchecks.com has three screening packages, but it also lets you create your own plan (custom-priced). You may also need to pay additional third-party fees, such as pass-through fees that some counties and states charge to retrieve records.
- Instant Criminal+: $36.47
- Criminal record, sex offender registry, and SSN validation
- Instant Criminal+ Local County: $54.95
- Instant Criminal+, plus one county level search
- Instant Criminal+ All Counties: $76.95
- Instant Criminal+, plus multiple county level search
Note that in most cases, Backgroundchecks.com charges a one-time registration fee (call for a quote). If a fee applies, new clients will see it in their online shopping cart after having placed their first order through its website.
If you run more than 50 checks in a year, backgroundchecks.com offers volume discounts. Contact the provider to request a quote.
Add-on services
backgroundchecks.com offers a variety of specialized screening services, such as the following:
- Credit report: $7.50 per check
- Driving record: $7.50 per check
- Employment, reference, and education verification: $13.25 each per check
- Bankruptcy report: $16 per check
- Federal civil court search: $16 per check
- Professional license and certification verification: $21.45 per check
- County civil court history search: $23.45 per check
- Drug screening: $36.50 per check
- Background check ordering and report tracking are completely online.
- It provides access to an online database with at least 650 million records and 20 million photos.
- Aside from candidates, vendors and subcontractors are granted access to self-service portals that allow them to manage their screening processes but following your standards.
- It has customizable preadverse and adverse processes, enabling you to use custom notices and change the notification timelines.
To find the right background check company, it’s important to take a look at several factors—from pricing to offered services. Here are some of the things you should know before selecting a company to help you screen candidates:
- Your employment screening needs: Businesses have different employment screening needs, depending on which industry they belong to. Finding a company that can handle the company’s background check requirements can help mitigate hiring risks and potential legal issues. For example, finance-related companies may require credit history checks and professional license verifications for their new hires, while retail businesses may need employee drug tests and criminal history searches.
- FCRA compliance: Be sure to look for background screening companies that have FCRA-compliant databases. Note that you can be subject to potential lawsuits in case you make a hiring decision based on candidate data that isn’t FCRA compliant.
- Pricing: Apart from transparent and affordable pricing, you should consider the number of background checks you need. A pay-as-you-go package is great for those that don’t hire often, while a fixed monthly plan is ideal for companies that need to run around 50 checks a year. Having access to volume discounts is also optimal, as it can help you negotiate for better rates based on your background check orders.
- Report submission timelines: Those requiring fast turnaround times will benefit from having reports available to them either instantly or within 1-3 days.
- Online tools: Consider whether or not you want an entirely online experience, from placing and tracking preemployment screening orders to candidates digitally signing off required authorization forms for conducting background checks. Having access to compliance solutions that can handle preadverse and adverse action notices is also helpful. Some background check providers even have AI tools to assist you in understanding reports with confusing legal jargon.
- Check user reviews: When looking for the best background check for employers, it’s important to read the feedback that users post on online review sites. These will help you determine the quality of service that providers offer, including whether there are trends of report submission delays and other complaints.
Methodology: How We Evaluated Employee Background Check Companies
Background checking should be a part of onboarding plans (if background checking is a standard practice) and employment termination (if there is a concern about substance use). Assuming that a small business would prefer to work with one employee background check company rather than several, we prioritized employment background check companies that include most of the services an employer would need.
The ones we chose are affordable and allow you to choose either packages of background checks or one type of test, like a preemployment drug screen. Click through the tabs below for a more detailed breakdown of our evaluation criteria.
15% of Overall Score
We looked at pricing and gave higher points for providers with plans starting at less than $30 per search and those with transparent pricing. Providers with no setup or membership fees also score higher in our evaluation.
25% of Overall Score
In our evaluation, we looked at providers with fast turnaround times and offered robust employee screening options with additional niche background check services, such as MVRs, drug screening, credit checks, and licensure checks. Extra points were also given to providers with communication tools for both applicants and employers.
20% of Overall Score
FCRA compliance means a provider must perform background checks that are transparent, accurate, and fair to applicants. This means that a provider should inform and ask applicants for consent before a background check. If there are inaccuracies in a report, the provider should allow candidates to dispute this information. Also, it should provide tools for handling preadverse and adverse action notices.
15% of Overall Score
For this criterion, we gave points to providers that allow easy tracking of a background check status for both applicants and employers. To get a perfect score in this criterion, a platform should be easy to use and mobile-friendly, allow integration with HR software, offer bulk ordering tools, and have live support via chat and phone.
10% of Overall Score
We gave higher points for companies that have more than 100 user reviews, without complaints of report inaccuracies, and more than 4.5 out of 5 scores on review sites (like G2 and Capterra).
15% of Overall Score
In our evaluation, we gave points to providers that offer FCRA-compliant reports and allow both employers and candidates to access their background check reports online.
Bottom Line
Background check companies provide assurance that the people you’re hiring don’t have red flags that could affect your business. The best employment background check companies provide an all-in-one background screening service with online report storage and a dashboard that can share data with your other HR software, making your overall employee hiring experience easier and more consistent while also ensuring compliance with the law.