Checkr vs Certn: two challengers with different home turf
By Jean Luc Poitier, SEO and growth marketing strategist · Checkr Reviews · Updated November 1, 2026
This is the only comparison in our cluster where both sides are modern self-serve platforms that publish their rates, so the transparency argument that decides our other comparisons cancels out. Geography decides this one. Checkr (San Francisco, 140,000+ customers) has the deeper US machine: unlimited county court searches on its mid tier, 200+ ATS integrations, continuous monitoring, and adjacent tenant and driver products. Certn (Victoria, BC, ~$139M raised) is the Canada-first challenger: Canadian criminal checks in minutes, native UK operations via its Credence acquisition, cheaper basic checks, and the highest ease-of-use scores in the category on G2.
Hiring mostly in the US: Checkr. Hiring in Canada or the UK, or mostly running light criminal checks on a budget: Certn deserves a serious look. The one caution flag on Certn's side is candidate sentiment, where its Trustpilot score sits far below Checkr's.
Checkr vs Certn at a glance
| Compared on | Checkr | Certn |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $29.99/report (Basic) | Self-serve rates published; US Core Criminal $13.99, plus $9.99 per county search where applicable |
| Comprehensive tier | $94.99 Complete: county + state + federal US courts | Enterprise packages by quote; no published rate card at that tier |
| Pass-through fees | Court/DMV fees at cost on top of report prices | Also applies; US employment verification access fees run $29.95 to $130.69 |
| Home-turf coverage | US court depth; international add-ons from $32 | Canada native (minutes for criminal checks); UK native via Credence (acquired 2022, rebranded 2024) |
| G2 (employers) | 4.5 (457 reviews) | 4.8 (~203 reviews); Easiest to Use / Easiest Admin badges |
| Trustpilot (candidates) | 3.9 (1,030 reviews) | 1.9 (certn.co listing, 39 reviews) |
| Integrations | 200+ ATS/HRIS/payroll | ATS integrations offered; catalog smaller (count not published) |
| Ownership | Private; San Francisco; ~$680M raised | Private; Victoria, BC; ~$139M raised; ~270 staff post-Credence |
| Beyond employment | Tenant, driver/Trust API, Personal profiles, continuous monitoring | Identity verification (Trustmatic acquisition); property-tech screening in Canada |
Figures checked against each company's published pages and review-platform listings as of November 1, 2026. “Not published” means the company does not publish that figure.
Geography is the real decision
Screening quality is a function of infrastructure where your candidates live. Checkr's asset is thousands of US county courts wired into one order flow, which is why its Essential tier's unlimited county searches matter. Certn's asset is the Canadian system, where digital identity verification lets a criminal check clear in minutes, plus a UK operation it bought rather than built. A US company with a Toronto office or a UK subsidiary should get quotes from both.
Candidate reviews favor Checkr
Certn beats Checkr on employer ease-of-use scores, and that matches its G2 badges. On Trustpilot, where candidates post, Checkr leads 3.9 to 1.9. Part of that lead comes from Checkr inviting candidates to review, and those invited candidates rate it 4.6. Unprompted reviews skew negative for every screener, since people post when something goes wrong, so read both numbers. Your applicants deal with whichever screening company you choose, and Checkr has collected their feedback.
Where Certn wins
- Canadian hiring: native infrastructure returns criminal checks in minutes
- UK hiring through Credence, which Certn acquired and integrated
- Cheaper entry point for basic criminal checks than Checkr's $29.99 Basic
- Best ease-of-use scores in the category on G2 (4.8, Easiest to Use badges)
Checkr vs Certn FAQ
Is Checkr or Certn cheaper?+
For a basic criminal check, Certn: Certn's US pricing page lists its US Core Criminal check at $13.99, versus Checkr's Basic package at $29.99. Both cover an SSN trace, a national criminal database, the sex offender registry, and a global watchlist, and Certn adds $9.99 for each county search it runs where applicable. The gap narrows as you add searches, both charge pass-through fees on some checks, and Certn's US employment verifications carry access fees that can exceed the check itself. For comprehensive US court coverage, compare Checkr's Complete ($94.99) against a Certn quote.
Which is better for hiring in Canada or the UK?+
Certn, by a wide margin. It was built in Canada (Victoria, BC) and returns Canadian criminal checks in minutes. It also acquired the UK's Credence in 2022 (fully rebranded to Certn in 2024), so it runs its own UK screening operations. Checkr covers international checks from $32 as add-ons, but its court-runner depth is a US asset.
How do their reviews compare?+
Employer platforms favor Certn slightly: 4.8 on G2 (~203 reviews) with Easiest-to-Use badges, vs Checkr's 4.5 (457 reviews). Candidate platforms favor Checkr: 3.9 on Trustpilot (1,030 reviews) vs Certn's 1.9 on its certn.co listing. Checkr has invited candidates to review, and those candidates rate it 4.6. Unprompted reviews skew negative for every screener, Checkr included, so weigh both.
Is Certn big enough to rely on?+
It's a real company: roughly $139M raised, around 270 people after the Credence acquisition, plus the Trustmatic identity-verification acquisition in Europe. It is an order of magnitude smaller than Checkr (140,000+ customers, ~$680M raised), which mostly matters for integration breadth and US infrastructure depth rather than viability.