HireRight vs Sterling: two enterprise screeners, one merger
By Jean Luc · Updated September 26, 2026 · Sterling is now First Advantage; we compare what that means
These are two of the three legacy enterprise screeners, and they look alike: global programs, regulated-industry depth, no published pricing, sales-led contracts. Their overall Trustpilot scores look very different (Sterling 4.0, HireRight 1.1), but that gap is mostly history. Sterling's 4.0 comes from years of older, largely invited reviews. Its 100 most recent reviews are all unprompted and average 1.1, about the same as HireRight's 1.0.
The catch on Sterling's side is that Sterling, as a standalone company, is gone. First Advantage bought it for about $2.2 billion in 2024 and has finished the rebrand, so you are really evaluating First Advantage. HireRight has stayed independent since its 2024 take-private. Pick Sterling (First Advantage) for scale and its clinic network; pick HireRight to avoid a vendor mid-merger. If you don't need an enterprise program at all, neither is the best fit, and Checkr is.
HireRight vs Sterling at a glance
| HireRight | Sterling (now First Advantage) | |
|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | Not published; customized quote only | Not published; quote via sales |
| Ownership | Private since June 2024 (General Atlantic + Stone Point, ~$1.7B); Nashville | Part of First Advantage (NASDAQ: FA) since Oct 31, 2024 (~$2.2B) |
| Brand status | Unchanged | Rebrand complete: "Sterling is now First Advantage" |
| Trustpilot overall | 1.1 (~695 reviews, ~97% one-star) | 4.0 (~3,880 reviews, many older invited reviews) |
| Recent unprompted Trustpilot reviews | 1.0 (50 most recent) | 1.1 (100 most recent) |
| G2 (employers) | About 4.0 across ~210 reviews on its G2 listings | Now blended into First Advantage's listings |
| Integrations | 70 solutions across 45+ HCM and ATS providers (published) | Enterprise ATS integrations (count not published) |
| Self-serve signup | No; sales process | No; sales process |
Figures checked against each company's published pages and review-platform listings as of September 26, 2026. “Not published” means the company does not publish that figure.
What the candidate reviews really show
Trustpilot labels each review as unprompted or collected through a link the company shares. Neither HireRight nor Sterling has collected any recently: every one of their latest reviews is unprompted, and nearly all are one star. Both sets describe the same problems, stalled verifications, repeated document requests, and support that is hard to reach. On candidate experience, public data doesn't separate these two. Checkr is the contrast: it actively asks candidates for feedback, those candidates rate it 4.7, and even its unprompted reviews (1.4) edge out both.
What buying Sterling means now
The Sterling name you may know from past contracts now fronts First Advantage, the public company that absorbed it. That brings scale and a single global vendor, and it also brings the usual integration questions: which platform your program runs on, whether your account team changes, and what happens to existing Sterling workflows. If you are signing now, ask directly. Our First Advantage comparison covers the merged company in more depth.
When neither is the right fit
Both vendors are built for enterprise programs bought through procurement. If you run a few dozen checks a year, or want to start this week without a sales call, both are the wrong shape. Checkr publishes pay-as-you-go pricing from $29.99 per report, integrates with 200+ ATS and HR tools, and leads the three on candidate feedback, both invited (4.7) and unprompted (1.4). Its own known weak spots are chat-first support and slow county-court searches, covered in our Checkr vs HireRight and Checkr vs Sterling comparisons.
See Checkr pricing ↗Where HireRight wins
- Standalone company, not in the middle of integrating a merger
- Publishes an integration figure: 70 solutions across 45+ HCM and ATS providers
- Long-running global and regulated-industry screening programs
Where Sterling (First Advantage) wins
- The combined scale of First Advantage, if you want one vendor for global programs
- Established clinic and occupational health network for drug and health screening
HireRight vs Sterling FAQ
Is HireRight or Sterling better?+
It depends on whether the merger matters to you. Sterling is now First Advantage, which brings scale and a large clinic network but also a platform integration in progress. HireRight has stayed a standalone company. Candidate reviews don't separate them: their recent unprompted Trustpilot reviews average 1.1 (Sterling) and 1.0 (HireRight). Sterling's 4.0 overall score comes from years of older, largely invited reviews. Neither publishes pricing.
Is Sterling the same company as First Advantage now?+
Yes. First Advantage completed its roughly $2.2 billion acquisition of Sterling Check Corp. on October 31, 2024, and the brand merger is finished: sterlingcheck.com now reads "Sterling is now First Advantage. New name. Same expert insight." A Sterling contract today is a First Advantage contract.
Who owns HireRight?+
Funds affiliated with General Atlantic and Stone Point Capital. They took HireRight private in June 2024 in an all-cash deal valuing it at about $1.7 billion, having already owned about 75% of the shares. HireRight is headquartered in Nashville, and Guy Abramo is its CEO.
How much do HireRight and Sterling cost?+
Neither publishes prices. HireRight's pricing page offers a customized quote only, and First Advantage (Sterling) also sells through sales quotes. If you need a published per-check price, Checkr and GoodHire both start at $29.99 per report, plus court access fees.
What is a good alternative to HireRight or Sterling?+
For enterprise programs, the other one of the two, or First Advantage directly. For small and mid-size employers who want to buy without a sales cycle, Checkr publishes pay-as-you-go pricing from $29.99 per report and leads both on candidate feedback: candidates it invites rate it 4.7 on Trustpilot, and its unprompted reviews edge out HireRight's and Sterling's. Certn is the pick for Canadian and UK hiring.