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HireRight vs Certn

HireRight5.8/10

Certn8.2/10

Scored in Background Check Services

The short answer

HireRight sells by contract and publishes no prices; Certn lists US checks from $13.99, plus $9.99 per county search where it applies. HireRight, founded in 1990 in Nashville, reports a 1-day average US turnaround for 2025 and 70+ integrations, including Workday, ADP, Oracle and UKG.

By LeadChange Research TeamUpdated Based on 14 sources, most recently checked
Best for
Employers screening candidates across multiple countries

Choose HireRight if

  • You want screening under one enterprise contract.
  • Your HR system is Workday, ADP, Oracle or UKG.
  • You want drug testing and driving records from the same provider.
  • You track speed: HireRight reports a 1-day average US turnaround for 2025.
Best for
Teams hiring across borders that need one platform for many countries

Choose Certn if

  • You want to see prices first: US checks start at $13.99.
  • You pay per check, with no setup fees or minimums.
  • You build checks into your own product with a REST API and webhooks.
  • You want 24/7 support and single sign-on for your team.

LeadChange Score: editorial assessment based on public information.

Scorecard

HireRight wins 1Certn wins 21 tie

HireRight vs Certn by dimension
DimensionHireRightCertn
PricingCertn publishes US prices: $13.99 for Core, $49.99 for Complete and $79.99 for Complete+, with $9.99 per county search where it applies. HireRight requires a contract and publishes no prices. County searches on the US Core Criminal Check: $9.99 each where applicable, Third-party pass-through access fees may apply, Additional state fee may apply for US Motor Vehicle Records, Employment, education and credential verification priced case by case («Price Varies»)1Quote onlyPartly published
CapabilitiesHireRight documents 11 items on our screening checklist, adverse action and individualized assessment among them. Certn documents 8, from SSN trace and county searches to driving records. Criminal background checks, Financial screening, Identity verification, Employment verification, Compliance services, Drug testing, Driving record checks211 of 13 core capabilities8 of 13 core capabilities
SecurityBoth hold SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 and address GDPR. HireRight adds ISO 27701; Certn lets clients set data retention from 90 days to 3 years. Yes3SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPRSOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR
Fit and supportCertn serves small, midsize and enterprise employers, with 24/7 support. HireRight lists mid-market and enterprise customers and supports them by phone, web form and help center. Small businesses, mid-market companies, enterprises4Mid-market companies, enterprisesSmall businesses, mid-market companies, enterprises

HireRight or Certn: what matters most to you?

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

Key differences

Where HireRight and Certn differ (8)
AttributeHireRightCertn
Pricing modelQuote only2Per check4
Price transparencyQuote only5Partly published1
Best forMid-market companies, enterprises6Small businesses, mid-market companies, enterprises4
Native integrations70+7100+8
Support channelsPhone, web form, help center6Help center, contact form, email9
Founded19902201610
HeadquartersNashville, TN, US11Victoria, British Columbia, Canada12
OwnershipPrivate equity-backed11Private10
Show 5 attributes where they are the same
Where they are the same (5)
AttributeHireRightCertn
API613
SOC 2 Type II314
ISO 27001314
GDPR program314
FCRA compliance28

Analysis by dimension

Pricing. Certn publishes US prices: $13.99 for Core, $49.99 for Complete and $79.99 for Complete+, with $9.99 per county search where it applies. HireRight requires a contract and publishes no prices.

Capabilities. HireRight documents 11 items on our screening checklist, adverse action and individualized assessment among them. Certn documents 8, from SSN trace and county searches to driving records.

Integrations. Certn lists 100+ ATS and HRIS integrations, including Greenhouse, Lever, Workday and iCIMS. HireRight lists 70+, with Workday, ADP, Oracle and UKG among its HCM and ATS partners.

Security. Both hold SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 and address GDPR. HireRight adds ISO 27701; Certn lets clients set data retention from 90 days to 3 years.

Fit and support. Certn serves small, midsize and enterprise employers, with 24/7 support. HireRight lists mid-market and enterprise customers and supports them by phone, web form and help center.

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 cheaper, HireRight or Certn?

Only Certn can be priced in advance: its US Core Criminal Check costs $13.99, plus $9.99 per county search where it applies. HireRight sets prices by contract. Ask HireRight to quote the same package, county searches and court fees included, before you compare.

How long does a HireRight background check take?

HireRight reports an average US turnaround of 1 day for 2025, with 90% of cleared requests done in under a day. Certn says many of its checks finish in minutes. Both are the vendors' own figures, and county court searches can take longer.

How does Certn do employment verification?

Employment verification is part of Certn’s US Complete+ Criminal Check, at $79.99, which verifies the most recent employer and the highest education. Ordered on its own, employment, education and credential verification is priced case by case.

Do HireRight and Certn integrate with Workday?

Yes. Workday is one of HireRight’s 70+ integrations, with ADP, Oracle and UKG. Certn connects to Workday too, next to Greenhouse, Lever and iCIMS among its 100+.

Is Certn FCRA compliant?

Certn says its platform adheres to the FCRA, and its data retention policy names the FCRA, PIPEDA and GDPR. HireRight states that its products and disclosures follow FCRA requirements.

Which is more secure, HireRight or Certn?

Both have SOC 2 Type II reports and ISO 27001 certificates, published through trust centers. HireRight also holds ISO 27701 for privacy. Certn adds single sign-on through Okta, Azure AD or JumpCloud.

Who are HireRight’s competitors?

Certn is one. HireRight also competes with Checkr, First Advantage, GoodHire and Accurate Background, and we compare each of them with HireRight.

How this page was made

  • What it is built from

    31 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

HireRight or Certn? 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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HireRight vs Certn

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Sources

The 14 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. Certn certn.co/us/pricing“*Certn automatically completes county searches where applicable at a charge of $9.99. Additional third-party pass through access fees may apply.” “Prices are accurate at the time of submission. Pricing is in United States Dollars (USD).”
  2. HireRight hireright.com/llms.txt“[Services](https://www.hireright.com/services/search): Full listing of services including criminal, financial, identity, verification, compliance, drug, and driving background services” “Business Model: Contract Required”
  3. HireRight trust.hireright.com“Now Available - HireRight SOC 2 Type II 2026” “Badges ISO 27001:2022 ISO 27701 SOC 2 Type II”
  4. Certn certn.co/us“Whether you’re managing high-volume hiring, scaling a small team, or running a check on yourself. Certn has you covered.” “Start running checks in minutes. Pay per check with no setup fees or minimums, and add team members as you grow.”
  5. HireRight hireright.com/pricing“Get a Customized Pricing Quote At HireRight, we understand that organizations may have their own unique hiring conditions. That’s why we offer flexible, customizable background screening solutions that are designed to meet your industry, regulatory, and budgetary requirements.”
  6. HireRight hireright.com/company/ai-info“Customers: Mid-market, enterprise, healthcare, life sciences, transportation, financial services, business services, professional services, Technology, Media, Telecommunications, Gig and Staffing” “You can also fill out our customer service support form: http://customersupport.hireright.com/client or call us at 888.234.5380”
  7. HireRight hireright.com/partners“70+ Integrations to Help Streamline the Hiring Process or Improve Efficiency”
  8. Certn certn.co/background-screening-api“Certn offers pre-built integrations with 100+ leading ATS and HRIS systems.” “Certn ensures that our platform adheres to industry specific standards — including FRCA and SOC-III — so you can be assured data privacy is paramount.”
  9. Certn certn.co/contact“I’m a current customer that needs help Visit our help centre for all your troubleshooting needs.”
  10. Certn certn.co/about-certn“Certn was founded in 2016 and is backed by funding from Export Development Canada, B Capital Group, Telstra Ventures, Inovia Capital, and Tribe C”
  11. HireRight sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1859285/000114036124031658/ny20031827x3_ex99-1.htm“NASHVILLE, Tenn. – June 28, 2024 – HireRight Holdings Corporation” “Announces Completion of Acquisition by General Atlantic and Stone Point Capital”
  12. BetaKit betakit.com/certn-raises-65-1-million-cad-to-scale-background-check-tech-beyond-canada“Victoria-based startup Certn has raised $65.1 million CAD”
  13. Certn certn.co“Embed background checks directly into your onboarding flow. Clean documentation, straightforward implementation, and a RESTful API built for developers”
  14. Certn certn.co/security“SOC 2 Type 2 Period: Sept 2024 – Sep 2025” “Surveillance Cleared ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Date: Oct 31, 2025”

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.