While Checkr pricing is fairly straightforward, working out which plan you need can be challenging. In this detailed guide, we’ll explain the solution’s features to help you find the right subscription for your requirements. Afterwards, discover how Vertice’s SaaS Purchasing Platform can help you save time and money during the procurement cycle and wider SaaS operations. 

What Checkr can do for you

Checkr is a background check platform that offers several services for screening job candidates. Checks include criminal records at the federal, state, and county level, drug and health screenings, education and employment verifications, driver screenings, and more. 

By using Checkr, hiring managers can significantly expedite the process of screening applicants. The platform offers a mobile-friendly portal where candidates can fill in required details and get real-time visibility into background check status. 

From there, Checkr uses artificial intelligence to automatically categorize and standardize report data, provide accurate completion ETAs, and filter out information in line with local compliance laws. 

As 99% of Checkr background checks are automated, there’s less chance for human error, reducing risk and improving compliance. Furthermore, 84% of checks are ready in less than 15 minutes — in comparison, manual checks often take several days at minimum. 

With Checkr’s Assess adjudication tool, it’s easy to make compliant hiring decisions in accordance with screening reports, while candidates can provide context around records and charges. The platform also offers continuous monitoring for criminal and driver records, plus over 100 native integrations and a developer API. 

Checkr pricing structures and tiers

Checkr pricing is simple and transparent, so it’s relatively easy to choose the solution you need. If you run under 300 background checks per year, you can opt for one of the plans below. However, if you run more than 300 background checks per year, you can request a custom quote from the Checkr sales team. 

You’ll likely want to consider the following plans as the initial basis for your screening, and then liaise with your HR and legal teams to decide which supplemental checks you require according to job duties, potential risks, and industry requirements. If necessary, you can also subscribe to recurring background checks for candidates in the United States. 

Checkr pricing – Basic+

Cost: from $29.99 per check.

The Checkr Basic+ service is the quickest check to complete and is suitable for the simplest requirements. It includes an SSN trace and sex offender registry check, as well as global watchlist and national criminal searches. 

If the national criminal search identifies a potential record, a county criminal search is automatically completed at an additional cost of $15 per check. 

Checkr pricing – Essentials

Cost: from $54.99 per check.

As with the Basic+ check, the Essentials check includes an SSN trace, sex offender registry check, global watchlist search, and national criminal search. In addition, it includes unlimited county criminal searches, which is ideal if you require a more complete picture. 

In comparison, you’ll have to pay $15 per county criminal search if you opt for the Basic+ check instead, so this is important to weigh up.

Checkr pricing – Professional

Cost: from $79.99 per check.

Checkr’s most in-depth screening service is the Professional tier. It includes everything in the Basic+ and Essential plans, as well as education verification (highest level) and current employment verification. You should opt for this plan if you need more extensive screening off the bat. 

Additional Checkr costs to consider

Checkr has a few potential additional costs to consider. For starters, be mindful of the passthrough fees which may be charged by third parties such as state and county courts. These are charged in roughly 10% of counties in the US, and can range from a few dollars to almost $100 depending on your location.

Furthermore, Checkr offers a range of specific checks that aren’t included in the core screening prices. You’ll find further details of these costs below.

Criminal and civil searches

• Federal criminal search – $10/check
• State criminal search – from $10/check
• Global watchlist search – $9/check
• Continuous criminal search – $1.70/individual per month
• Fraud Abuse Control Information System (FACIS) search – from $6/check
• Federal civil search – $15/check
• County civil search – $40/check

Verifications

• Employment verification – from $12.50/check
• Education verification – $12.50/check
• Professional license verification – $12/check
• Reference verification – $10/check
• Pre-employment credit report – from $8/check

Motor vehicle record (MVR) report

• Motor vehicle record (MVR) report – $9.50/check

Drug tests and health assessments

• Clinic-based drug test – from $60/test
• Onsite drug test – from $37/test
• Occupational health assessment – from $23/test

Department of Transportation (DOT) checks

• Commercial MVR with CDLIS search – $14.50/check
• DOT employment verification – from $19.50/check
• DOT drug and alcohol test – from $72/test
• DOT physical – from $110/test
• Drug and alcohol clearinghouse search – $20/check

Adjudication tools

• Assess Lite – included
• Assess Standard – $2.49/report
• Assess Premium – $4/report

International background checks

• International Basic+ – from $32/check
• International Professional – from $102/check
• International Professional+ – from $124/check

I-9 verifications

• Form I-9 – $7/form

Other vendors offering background checks and screening

Comparing vendors is essential step for picking the right solutions and opitmizing your organization’s procurement operations. Here are three competitor products and how they size up against Checkr:

Checkr pricing vs HireRight

HireRight offers a broad range of screening services similar to Checkr. The solution is known for its extensive customization options and scalability, which can be better suited to enterprise businesses with more complex screening requirements. 

However, this does mean HireRight pricing is often somewhat more expensive than Checkr. For smaller businesses, the vendor also offers a self-service solution called BackgroundChecks.com, with prices starting from $36.47 per check — a similar cost to the Checkr Basic+ service.

Checkr pricing vs Sterling

Sterling is another comprehensive applicant screening platform offering a diverse range of background checks. The vendor leans quite heavily towards enterprise customers, and is utilized by over 60% of Fortune 100 companies. 

Sterling pricing is typically more expensive than Checkr — in line with its enterprise focus — but exact costs are not publicly disclosed. However, this higher cost is justified by the vendor’s strong customer support, plus robust compliance and security measures that make it a solid choice for organizations operating in heavily regulated industries.

Checkr pricing vs Hireology

Like Checkr, Hireology offers extensive background checks for job applicants, but this forms part of its end-to-end hiring solution that can handle other tasks like job postings, applicant tracking, and onboarding. 

Hireology pricing is generally considered competitive for its integrated hiring platform, but there are additional fees on top of the monthly subscription if you require background checks. Whether the solution makes sense for you depends on whether you already have an HR and recruitment platform — Hireology can meet this need while offering built-in candidate screening.

Checkr pricing – the Vertice verdict

On the whole, Checkr’s transparent, pay-as-you-go pricing makes it an excellent choice for businesses of all sizes requiring candidate screening. The highly customizable cost structure means you can tailor the perfect background check in line with your risk tolerance and compliance requirements. Automation and AI also make the entire process significantly more efficient. Generally speaking, Checkr may be more affordable than competitor solutions too. 

If you’re planning to acquire Checkr within your own business, why not let Vertice help? Our expert buyers can enter direct SaaS contract negotiations with vendors and arrange the best possible deal, leveraging our exclusive pricing benchmarks for over 16,000 vendors so you won’t pay more than you have to. 

Furthermore, our SaaS Purchasing Platform helps you manage spend across your entire tech stack. In-depth usage reporting unlocks easy SaaS license management and the opporturnity to right-size contracts according to what you actually require. We manage over $3.4 billion in spending across our partners — want to know more about how we could help your business? Get in touch with the form below.