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Zinc Background Checks Review

Zinc is a background checking platform for criminal, right to work, reference, financial, social media and employment verification checks in 195 countries, including the US. It charges a flat rate per check; prices are not published.

Company size
Small businesses, mid-market companies, enterprises
Pricing model
Per check
Integrations
20

Best for

  • Companies hiring in the US and in several other countries from one platform
  • Teams that use Workday, Greenhouse, SuccessFactors or BambooHR and want results stored there
  • Small employers that want pay-as-you-go checks they can cancel at any time

Not ideal for

  • Buyers who want published USD prices before creating an account
By LeadChange Research TeamUpdated Facts checked
How we evaluated Zinc

This review rests on 18 facts checked against Zinc’s official pricing pages and documentation, most recently on . We did not test the product hands-on: the score and the pros and cons use only those verified facts, as our methodology explains, and third-party ratings are quoted, never scored.

Our verdict

Zinc is a UK-registered background checking platform that runs checks in 195 countries, including US county, state and federal criminal checks, for teams hiring across borders. It charges a flat rate per check with integrations and setup included, states SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and PBSA accreditation, and does not publish its prices.

Strengths

  • Global coverage

    Checks in 195 countries, with routing that adapts to US state systems and disclosure restrictions.

    Evidence: Countries supported: 195 countries

  • Security credentials

    SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 (certificate 267532), GDPR and PBSA accreditation, with SSO options.

    Evidence: SOC 2 Type II: Yes

  • No setup or integration fees

    Integrations, setup support and personalized support are included at no extra cost.

    Evidence: Implementation fee: None

  • Published turnaround data

    Turnaround times per check are published and updated daily; US criminal checks average 3 days.

    Evidence: Turnaround time: US criminal checks average 3 days; US education checks average 8 days; turnaround published live per check type

Weaknesses

  • Prices not public

    Per-check rates are not shown on the website.

    Evidence: Price transparency: Quote only

  • No drug or MVR checks listed

    The check menu covers criminal, right to work, references, financial, social media, employment verification, CV and qualification checks.

    Evidence: Modules: Criminal, Right to work, References, Financial, Social media, Employment verification, CV comparison, Qualification

Price at a glance

  • Pricing model

    Per check

  • Price transparency

    Quote only

  • Contract term

    Monthly

Zinc background checks pricing

Quick answers

How much does Zinc cost?
Zinc charges a flat rate per check but does not publish its prices; small employers can use pay-as-you-go access and cancel any time.Based on Pricing model: Per check
Does Zinc run US background checks?
Yes. Zinc runs county, state and federal criminal checks in the US and adapts to state-level access restrictions.Based on County criminal search: Yes
Is Zinc SOC 2 Type II certified?
Yes. Zinc states it is SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified and GDPR compliant.Based on SOC 2 Type II: Yes
Which HR systems does Zinc integrate with?
It lists 20+ ATS and HRIS integrations, including Workday, Greenhouse, SuccessFactors and BambooHR, plus Zapier and an open API.Based on Notable integrations: Workday, Greenhouse, SuccessFactors, BambooHR, Zapier

Coverage of core background check services capabilities

Each core capability we evaluate in Background Check Services, checked against Zinc’s own documentation. “Not verified yet” means we have not confirmed it either way, not that it is missing.

4 verified of 13 core capabilities

Background Check Services

  • FCRA disclosure and consent · not verified yet
  • Identity and SSN trace · not verified yet
  • County criminal search
  • National criminal database · not verified yet
  • Sex offender registry search · not verified yet
  • Employment and education verification
  • Motor vehicle records · not verified yet
  • Drug and health screening · not verified yet
  • Adverse action workflow · not verified yet
  • Individualized assessment support · not verified yet
  • Dispute and reinvestigation · not verified yet
  • State and local rule handling
  • ATS and onboarding integration

Specifications

Fit

Industry focus
Financial services, hospitality, retail, healthcare, education, childcare, technology, public sector
Countries supported
195 countries

Product

Modules
Criminal, Right to work, References, Financial, Social media, Employment verification, CV comparison, Qualification

Integrations

Open API
Yes

Zinc integrations

4 integrations we documented, by how they connect. Zinc reports 20 native integrations in total.

Native integrations

Zinc background checks integrations

Zinc integration coverage

The 10 apps that background check services products document most often, and whether Zinc documents each.

4 of the 10 most-connected apps documented by Zinc; median of the 21 products compared: 5

  • Workday · documented by 17 of 21
  • iCIMS · documented by 16 of 21
  • Greenhouse · documented by 15 of 21
  • Bullhorn · documented by 12 of 21
  • Lever · documented by 10 of 21
  • SmartRecruiters · documented by 9 of 21
  • ADP · documented by 7 of 21
  • BambooHR · documented by 7 of 21
  • Dayforce · documented by 7 of 21
  • SAP SuccessFactors · documented by 7 of 21

Integrations each vendor documents (native, marketplace, Zapier or API), 21 live background check services products. Not documented does not mean not possible.

Background Check Services

Zinc alternatives

Zinc background checks alternatives

Security and compliance

  • SOC 2 Type IIYes
  • ISO 27001Yes
  • GDPR programYes
  • Single sign-onYes

Implementation and support

Implementation fee
None
Support channels
Live chat, Knowledge base, Customer success team

Zinc: frequently asked questions

How long do Zinc US checks take?

Zinc reports an average of 3 days for US criminal checks and 8 days for US education checks.

Does Zinc require a long-term contract?

Not on its pay-as-you-go plan for 50 or fewer hires a year, which can be canceled at any time.

Where is Zinc based?

Zinc Work Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales.

What is Zinc used for?

Zinc is a background check services product built for small businesses, mid-market companies, and enterprises. Its modules include Criminal, Right to work, References, Financial, and 4 more.

What are the best alternatives to Zinc?

In our background check services ranking, the highest-scored products other than Zinc are Checkr, Certn, and Turn. Compared side by side, by reason to switch: Zinc alternatives.

What are the pros and cons of Zinc?

Strengths documented on the vendor’s own pages: global coverage, security credentials, and no setup or integration fees. It is less suited to buyers who want published USD prices before creating an account.

Does Zinc have an API?

Yes. Zinc offers an open API to customers.

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