Checkr vs Certn: two challengers with different home turf
By Jean Luc · Updated August 7, 2026
This is the only comparison in our cluster where both sides are modern self-serve platforms, so the usual transparency argument cancels out. What decides it is geography. 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. Both publish self-serve rates, so the transparency argument that decides our other comparisons cancels out here.
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.
At a glance
| Checkr | Certn | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $29.99/report (Basic) | Self-serve rates published; basic criminal check about $17.99 per third-party summaries of Certn's rate card |
| 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) | 4.1 (996 reviews) | 1.7 (certn.co listing) |
| 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 August 7, 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 genuine UK operation it bought rather than built. A US company with a Toronto office or a UK subsidiary is exactly who should be getting quotes from both.
The candidate-review gap deserves attention
Certn beats Checkr on employer ease-of-use scores, and that matches its G2 badges. But its 1.7 on Trustpilot, against Checkr's 4.1 at four times the volume, is the widest employer/candidate split of any vendor we compare. The pattern in candidate complaints industry-wide is delays and unreachable support; whatever the cause, your applicants experience the screening company you choose, and this is the one metric where these two are not close.
Where Certn wins
- Canadian hiring: native infrastructure returns criminal checks in minutes
- UK hiring through the acquired-and-integrated Credence operation
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
Is Checkr or Certn cheaper?+
For a basic criminal check, Certn: third-party summaries of its published self-serve rates put a basic check around $17.99, versus Checkr's Basic package at $29.99. 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, and it isn't close. Certn was built in Canada (Victoria, BC), returns Canadian criminal checks in minutes, and acquired the UK's Credence in 2022 (fully rebranded to Certn in 2024), giving it native 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 decisively: 4.1 on Trustpilot (996 reviews) vs Certn's 1.7 on its certn.co listing. Both companies show the industry's employer/candidate split; Certn's is much wider.
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.