Checkr vs First Advantage

Checkr8.4/10

First Advantage5.6/10

Scored in Background Check Services

The short answer

Checkr publishes per-report packages for employers, Basic from $29.99, Essential from $59.99 and Complete from $94.99, with court fees passed through at cost. First Advantage quotes its prices, lets small businesses pay as they go with no setup fee or minimums, and says 90% of US criminal screens close in one day.

By LeadChange Research TeamUpdated Nov 10, 2026Based on 13 sources, most recently checked Nov 10, 2026

Checkr

Best for: Employers that hire often and want to pay per report

Choose Checkr if

You want prices before you sign: Basic starts at $29.99 per report.
You need integrations with tools such as Greenhouse, Gusto, Rippling or BambooHR.
You screen gig or marketplace workers and want continuous checks.
You want add-on prices up front, such as identity verification at $4.99 a check.

Checkr plans and prices Checkr alternatives

First Advantage

Best for: Employers that want screening inside Workday, iCIMS, Bullhorn or another ATS

Choose First Advantage if

US turnaround matters most: 90% of US criminal screens close in one day.
You need fingerprinting, Form I-9 and E-Verify or tax credit services from the same provider.
You are a small business that wants no setup fee and no minimums.
You want a PBSA-accredited screening provider.

First Advantage pricing First Advantage competitors

LeadChange Score: editorial assessment based on public information.

Scorecard

Checkr wins 1First Advantage wins 11 tie

Checkr vs First Advantage by dimension
Dimension	Checkr	First Advantage
PricingCheckr publishes Basic from $29.99, Essential from $59.99 and Complete from $94.99 per report. First Advantage quotes prices; small business accounts pay as they go with no setup fee and no minimums.	Partly published	Quote only
Fit and supportFirst Advantage says 90% of US criminal screens close in one day; Checkr reports a 2–3 day average completion. First Advantage states standard integrations activate in days. 90% of U.S. criminal screens close in one day1	Small businesses, mid-market companies, enterprises	Small businesses, enterprises
SecurityBoth state SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001. First Advantage is PBSA accredited; Checkr describes an FCRA-compliant process. Yes2	SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR	SOC 2, ISO 27001

Key differences

Where Checkr and First Advantage differ (7)
Attribute	Checkr	First Advantage
Price transparency	Partly published3	Quote only4
Best for	Small businesses, mid-market companies, enterprises3	Small businesses, enterprises5
Native integrations	200+3	100+6
Typical implementation	Partner API integration averages about 2 weeks from start to finish7	Standard background check integration can be activated in days, not weeks6
Founded	20148	20039
Headquarters	San Francisco, California8	Atlanta, Georgia, US10
Ownership	Private8	Publicly traded10

Show 5 attributes where they are the same

Where they are the same (5)
Attribute	Checkr	First Advantage
Pricing model	Per check3	Per check4
API	7	11
SOC 2 Type II	2	12
ISO 27001	2	12
FCRA compliance	7	13

Analysis by dimension

Pricing. Checkr publishes Basic from $29.99, Essential from $59.99 and Complete from $94.99 per report. First Advantage quotes prices; small business accounts pay as they go with no setup fee and no minimums.

Capabilities. First Advantage covers criminal, drug and occupational health, financial, fingerprinting, identity, verification, motor vehicle, monitoring, Form I-9 and due diligence. Checkr covers criminal, verification, identity, driving records, continuous and international checks.

Integrations. Checkr lists 200+ integrations and documents a REST API and webhooks. First Advantage lists 100+ integrations and RESTful APIs.

Fit and support. First Advantage says 90% of US criminal screens close in one day; Checkr reports a 2–3 day average completion. First Advantage states standard integrations activate in days.

Security. Both state SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001. First Advantage is PBSA accredited; Checkr describes an FCRA-compliant process.

Neither one?

Certn

Certn has the highest LeadChange Score in Background Check Services after excluding these two (8.2/10).

Certn review

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Frequently asked questions

Is Checkr cheaper than First Advantage?

Checkr is the only one of the two with published prices, from $29.99 per report on Basic. First Advantage quotes its prices; small businesses pay as they go with no setup fee or minimums.

Is First Advantage good for background checks?

First Advantage is a public company founded in 2003 that is PBSA accredited and says 90% of US criminal screens close in one day.

Which is faster, Checkr or First Advantage?

First Advantage says 90% of US criminal screens close in one day. Checkr reports a 2–3 day average completion, from a few hours to a few weeks depending on the searches.

Do Checkr and First Advantage integrate with Workday?

Yes. Workday is among Checkr's integrations and among First Advantage's.

Do Checkr and First Advantage offer international checks?

Checkr lists international background checks with coverage in 200+ countries and territories. First Advantage describes multi-regional data privacy and legal compliance support.

Is Checkr or First Advantage more secure?

Both Checkr and First Advantage state SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001. Checkr states GDPR (unverified for First Advantage).

How this page was made

What it is built from
28 verified facts, each checked against the vendor's own pages or another primary source, most recently on Nov 10, 2026.
Method
Scored and compared with the LeadChange methodology, version 1.5. Read the methodology
Independent review
Not reviewed yet by our independent reviewer. How we review
Hands-on testing
We have not tested either product hands-on: this page uses public information only.
Who made it
The LeadChange Research Team, following a written research process. No named expert has reviewed this page. About us
Independence and errors
Who pays us never changes a score or a rank. If something here is wrong, tell us and we correct it publicly. Request a correction

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Checkr vs First Advantage

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Sources

The 13 pages this page's facts come from. The date beside each is our last check of the facts taken from it (the oldest, when they differ). The numbers beside the figures above link here.

Quotes from the sources

First Advantage fadv.com“90% U.S. criminal screens close in one day”
Checkr checkr.com/trust-and-security“A SOC 2 Type II report provides detailed information about the suitability of the design of controls and an independent auditor’s assurance” “Checkr follows the ISO 27001 standard to continuously identify, select, maintain, and improve information security controls”
Checkr checkr.com/pricing“Enterprise Custom solutions to meet your specific hiring requirements Contact sales for pricing” “Background check pricing for businesses of all sizes.”
First Advantage fadv.com/solutions/small-business-background-checks“Pay Only When You Screen With pay-as-you-go pricing, no account setup fees, and no minimum screening volume, you can order checks when you need them.”
First Advantage fadv.com/solutions/enterprise-background-checks“Enterprise Background Checks at Scale”
First Advantage fadv.com/integrations“Integration Partner Ecosystem: 100+ flexible integration options including Workday, iCIMS, Bullhorn, and more.” “Activate a standard background check integration in days, not weeks, with our unique combination of proprietary automated onboarding tools and white-glove service.”
Checkr docs.checkr.com/partners“We provide industry standard and easy to follow API documentation of our RESTful APIs, OAuth, a staging account, and an average implementation timeline of 2 weeks from start to finish.” “For more information on your obligations under FCRA, and Checkr’s responsibilities as a Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA)”
Y Combinator ycombinator.com/companies/checkr“Founded: 2014” “Location: San Francisco”
First Advantage fadv.com/about-us“Founded in 2003, We Aim to Deliver”
First Advantage (SEC filing) sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1210677/000095017024119269/fa-ex99_1.htm“Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, First Advantage performs screens in over 200 countries and territories” “First Advantage (NASDAQ: FA) is a leading global provider of employment background screening, identity, and verification solutions”
First Advantage fadv.com/api“Our Background Check API Makes Connecting Easy”
First Advantage trust.fadv.com“Compliance SOC 2 Type 2 ISO/IEC 27001:2022” “ISO/IEC 27001:2022 ISO/IEC 27701:2025 ISO 9001:2015”
First Advantage (SEC Form 10-K) sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1210677/000119312526076740/fa-20251231.htm“In addition, under the FCRA in the United States, both our customers and we are required to comply with many requirements under the FCRA as well as state-level laws regarding the use and delivery of consumer reports.”