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First Advantage vs Accurate Background

First Advantage5.6/10

Accurate Background4.6/10

Scored in Background Check Services

The short answer

Neither publishes prices. First Advantage, a NASDAQ-listed company based in Atlanta, offers drug and occupational health screening, fingerprinting, tax credits and monitoring, 100+ integrations, SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001.

By LeadChange Research TeamUpdated Based on 13 sources, most recently checked
Best for
Employers that want screening inside Workday, iCIMS, Bullhorn or another ATS

Choose First Advantage if

  • You want tax credit services and fingerprinting from your screener.
  • You use iCIMS, Workday or Bullhorn.
  • You want SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001.
  • You are a small business that wants no setup fee and no minimums.
Best for
Employers that want global searches, more than 60 integrated solutions and 24/7 support from one provider

Choose Accurate Background if

  • You want customer support around the clock.
  • You want credit checks and social media searches in one service list.
  • You order checks at high volume through a client platform.
  • You hire in aviation, construction, insurance or staffing.

LeadChange Score: editorial assessment based on public information.

Scorecard

First Advantage wins 2Accurate Background wins 12 ties

First Advantage vs Accurate Background by dimension
DimensionFirst AdvantageAccurate Background
PricingNeither lists prices: First Advantage shows none before sign-in and charges small businesses per screen with no setup fee; Accurate sells through contracted agreements. Quote only1Quote onlyQuote only
CapabilitiesAccurate adds credit checks, sanctions, global searches and a rules-based adjudication engine. First Advantage adds fingerprinting, tax credits and due diligence investigations. Criminal Background Checks, Verifications, Driving History, Drug & Health Screening, Form I-9 & E-Verify, Credit Checks, Identity verification, Monitoring Services, Sanctions, Social Media Searches, Global Searches, Business Intelligence210 of 13 core capabilities13 of 13 core capabilities
IntegrationsFirst Advantage lists 100+ integrations and RESTful APIs. Accurate lists more than 60. 100+310 documented (vendor says 100+)9 documented (vendor says 60+)
Fit and supportFirst Advantage runs a small business offer and serves enterprises, with a support portal and chat. Accurate serves small businesses through enterprises with 24/7 support. Small businesses, enterprises4Small businesses, enterprisesSmall businesses, mid-market companies, enterprises
SecurityFirst Advantage holds SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001. Both are PBSA accredited; Accurate Background names no SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification on the pages we reviewed. Yes5SOC 2, ISO 27001None verified

First Advantage or Accurate Background: what matters most to you?

We match on verified product facts for this need, never on who pays us.

Key differences

Where First Advantage and Accurate Background differ (6)
AttributeFirst AdvantageAccurate Background
Pricing modelPer check1Quote only6
Best forSmall businesses, enterprises4Small businesses, mid-market companies, enterprises7
Native integrations100+360+6
Founded2003819972
HeadquartersAtlanta, Georgia, US9Irvine, California, US2
OwnershipPublicly traded9Private2
Show 3 attributes where they are the same
Where they are the same (3)
AttributeFirst AdvantageAccurate Background
Price transparencyQuote only1Quote only6
API1011
FCRA compliance1213

Analysis by dimension

Pricing. Neither lists prices: First Advantage shows none before sign-in and charges small businesses per screen with no setup fee; Accurate sells through contracted agreements.

Capabilities. Accurate adds credit checks, sanctions, global searches and a rules-based adjudication engine. First Advantage adds fingerprinting, tax credits and due diligence investigations.

Integrations. First Advantage lists 100+ integrations and RESTful APIs. Accurate lists more than 60.

Fit and support. First Advantage runs a small business offer and serves enterprises, with a support portal and chat. Accurate serves small businesses through enterprises with 24/7 support.

Security. First Advantage holds SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001. Both are PBSA accredited; Accurate Background names no SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification on the pages we reviewed.

Neither one?

Checkr

Checkr has the highest LeadChange Score in Background Check Services after excluding these two (8.4/10).

Checkr review

Frequently asked questions

Which is better, First Advantage or Accurate Background?

First Advantage suits an employer that wants tax credits, fingerprinting and named security certifications; Accurate suits one that wants 24/7 support and credit checks in the same service list.

What kind of background check does First Advantage run?

Criminal checks, drug and occupational health screening, financial checks, fingerprinting, identity verification, employment and education verification, motor vehicle records and ongoing monitoring.

How fast is First Advantage?

First Advantage reports that 90% of US criminal screens close in one day, with automation on about 90% of US criminal searches.

Is Accurate Background a private company?

Yes. It is privately held and describes itself as the largest minority-owned global provider of employment background screening.

Do First Advantage and Accurate Background integrate with Workday?

Yes. First Advantage names Workday among its integrations, and Accurate lists Workday as a premiere partner.

What are First Advantage alternatives?

Accurate Background is one among quoted screeners, with 24/7 support. HireRight, Checkr and GoodHire are other providers we compare.

Is First Advantage or Accurate Background more secure?

First Advantage states SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 (unverified for Accurate Background).

How this page was made

  • What it is built from

    23 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

First Advantage or Accurate Background? Your answer in 3 questions

Your team size, what matters most and your role: see which one fits more of your answers, from verified facts. Then you can ask a provider that takes requests through us for a quote.

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First Advantage vs Accurate Background

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Sources

The 13 pages this page's facts come from, with the day we last checked each one. The numbers beside the figures above link here.

Quotes from the sources
  1. 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.”
  2. Accurate Background accurate.com“Driving History Drug & Health Screening” “1997 Accurate Background founded (July 31) by Dave Dickerson”
  3. First Advantage fadv.com/integrations“Integration Partner Ecosystem: 100+ flexible integration options including Workday, iCIMS, Bullhorn, and more.”
  4. First Advantage fadv.com/solutions/enterprise-background-checks“Enterprise Background Checks at Scale”
  5. 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”
  6. Accurate Background accurate.com/about-us/company-facts“Business Model: Enterprise and mid-market background screening services delivered through contracted business agreements” “Number of Integration Solutions and Partners: More than 60 integrated solutions”
  7. Accurate Background accurate.com/employment-screening/criminal-background-checks“We offer both enterprise-level packages and small business solutions to put the power into your hands – at a budget that makes sense for your business.”
  8. First Advantage fadv.com/about-us“Founded in 2003, We Aim to Deliver”
  9. 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”
  10. First Advantage fadv.com/api“Our Background Check API Makes Connecting Easy”
  11. Accurate Background accurate.com/solutions/background-check-api“Connect your web or mobile application to an easy-to-use background check API your IT team will love and your HR department won’t want to live without.”
  12. 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.”
  13. Accurate Background accurate.com/privacy-policy“Most of the personal information we collect is for the purpose of providing a background report under the FCRA.”

What the LeadChange Score means

A 0–10 editorial assessment built only from verified facts, across six weighted dimensions: capabilities, pricing, integrations, security, fit and support, and data confidence.

Payments, commissions and lead fees are never inputs.