The Best Background Check Companies of 2019
March 20, 2019
To help you find the right background check service, we researched and analyzed dozens of options. Here is a roundup of the background check services we think are best and an explanation of how we chose them.
Best Picks
GoodHire
Summary
3; Plus add-on searches are available
NAPBS Accreditation:
Yes
Electronic Consent Form:
Yes
Customer Service:
Phone, email and live chat
GoodHire has everything small businesses need from a background check provider. It offers a variety of services, including criminal history searches, education and employment verifications, and drug testing. Background checks can be purchased on an individual basis, and there are no monthly minimums. GoodHire is also accredited by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners, and it has an easy-to-use online system and excellent customer service.
AccurateNow
Summary
Background Check Packages
3; Plus add on searches available
NAPBS Accreditation
Yes
Electronic Consent Form
Yes
Customer Service
Phone and email
AccurateNow offers three different background check packages designed specifically for small businesses. It also offers supplementary searches that can be tacked on to any of the plans. You can purchase the background checks one at a time, and there are no monthly minimums. Additionally, AccurateNow's reports are easy to read and understand, and the customer service is top-notch.
eNannySource
Summary
Background Check Packages
3; Plus add on searches available
NAPBS Accreditation
No
Electronic Consent Form
Yes
Customer Service
eNannySource conducts background checks on any household employee. The company offers you three levels of screening options and gives you the ability to add on supplementary searches. eNannySource simplifies the process by obtaining each candidate's consent and returning results via email.
BackgroundReport.com
Summary
Background Check Packages
2
NAPBS Accreditation
No
Electronic Consent Form
No
Customer Service
Phone and email
BackgroundReport.com is one of only a handful of DIY background check websites that can be legally used for pre-employment screening. The website, which is simple to use, involves job candidates in the background-screening process. It not only alerts them that a background check is being conducted, but also gives them an opportunity to respond to any red flags that are uncovered.
HireRight Express
Summary
Background Check Packages
2; Plus add on searches available
NAPBS Accreditation
No
Electronic Consent Form
No
Customer Service
Phone, email and live chat
HireRight offers a comprehensive suite of background screenings, including an abundance of checks designed specifically for health care industry workers. In addition, the company conducts deep criminal history searches and provides a wide variety of verifications, such as those for past education and employment.
Our Methodology
To determine the best background check services in 2019, we spent dozens of hours researching the top companies. Here is an explanation of our selection process.
Locating the Best Services
To determine the best background check services for small businesses, very small businesses and medical practices, we started by listing more than 80 vendors that conduct employee background checks. These included a combination of vendors we found via online searches and those we discovered through interviews with small business owners.
Choosing the Best Services
We narrowed down our list by eliminating vendors that don't specialize in employee background checks or don't work with small organizations. We ultimately settled on 19 services to consider as best picks: AccurateNow, Accurate Background, Checkr, Corra, Crimcheck, easyBackgrounds, EBI, Employment Screening Resources, Employment Screening Services, EmployeeScreenIQ, GoodHire, HireRight, InfoMart, Justifacts, PreCheck, Pre-employ, Private Eyes, SterlingBackcheck and Verified Credentials. (See the full list of background check services and their websites below.)
Researching Each Service
Next, we researched each provider by investigating its services, reviewing sample background check reports, reading user comments and interviewing more business owners. We also considered the pricing when available. After narrowing the list down to 17, we contacted each company's customer service department and posed as would-be business or medical practice owners.
Analyzing Each Service
Our process involves putting ourselves in the mindset of a small business or medical practice owner and gathering the data that would be readily available to such an individual. We perform all of our research by visiting company websites, making calls to customer service representatives and interviewing real users. In all, we analyzed each service based on factors such as cost, types of criminal searches conducted, ease of use, how easy the reports are to access and understand, how long searches take, Better Business Bureau complains and, finally, accreditation with the National Association of Professional Background Screeners.
Methodology for the DIY Service
For this category, we used a methodology similar to the one detailed above. However, we only considered websites that abide by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and are legally allowed to conduct background checks for pre-employment purposes. We ultimately settled on four websites to examine further: Backgroundchecks.com, FindOutTheTruth.com, BackgroundReport.com and BackgroundSearcher.com.
Methodology for Household Employee Services
For this category, we used a methodology similar to the one detailed above. However, we only considered companies that offer specific options for household employees. The companies we examined were Background Checks for Nannies, Childcare Background Search, GoNannies, GTM, HireSafe, eNannySource, ESR Screened Caregiver, NannyVerify and Safelutions. (See the full list of background check services specializing in household employees, and their websites, below.)
Services
AccurateNow
BackgroundReport.com
HireRight Express
eNannySource
GoodHire
