Certn
Reference check software
Background check software
Recruiting software
Pre-employment screening software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
Take the quiz to check if Certn and its alternatives fit your requirements.
Pay-as-you-go
Free Trial unavailableFree version unavailable
Small
Medium
Large
- Real estate and property management
- Education and training
- Information technology and software
What is Certn
Certn is a pre-employment screening platform that helps employers and staffing teams run background checks and related identity and credential verifications during hiring. It supports workflows for requesting candidate consent, collecting applicant information, and returning screening results to hiring teams. The product is typically used by HR, recruiting, and compliance stakeholders that need standardized screening across roles and geographies. It differentiates through an API-first approach and packaged screening programs that can be embedded into recruiting workflows.
Broad screening coverage options
Certn supports common pre-employment screening components such as criminal record checks (where available), identity verification, and employment/education-related verifications through configurable packages. This helps teams standardize screening requirements by role and location. It is suited to organizations that need a single system to manage multiple screening types rather than separate tools. Coverage and availability vary by country and check type, but the platform is designed to support multi-jurisdiction programs.
Workflow and consent management
The platform provides candidate-facing steps for data collection and consent, which are required in many jurisdictions. It centralizes status tracking so recruiters can see where each screening request sits (invited, in progress, completed, flagged). This reduces manual follow-ups compared with email-based processes. It also supports auditability by keeping screening artifacts and timestamps in one place.
Integrations and API connectivity
Certn offers integrations and APIs intended to connect screening into applicant tracking and recruiting workflows. This can reduce duplicate data entry and help trigger checks automatically at defined hiring stages. API connectivity is useful for organizations with custom recruiting stacks or multiple systems. Integration depth can be a differentiator versus tools that rely primarily on manual exports and imports.
Geographic variability in checks
Background check availability, turnaround times, and data sources differ significantly by country, state/province, and check type. Organizations hiring across many jurisdictions may need to validate Certn’s specific coverage and service levels for each location. Some checks may require additional documentation or manual steps depending on local regulations. This can complicate global standardization efforts.
Not a full recruiting suite
Although it integrates with recruiting systems, Certn’s core focus is screening rather than end-to-end recruiting. Teams looking for native capabilities like requisition management, interview scheduling, and offer management typically need an ATS alongside it. This adds vendor coordination and integration work. Buyers should evaluate whether their existing recruiting stack can support the desired workflow.
Compliance configuration required
Pre-employment screening requires careful configuration around consent language, adverse action processes, and data retention. Certn provides tooling to run checks, but employers remain responsible for using results in a compliant way. Organizations may need legal review and internal policy alignment before rollout. This can extend implementation timelines, especially in regulated industries.
Plan & Pricing
Pricing model: Pay-as-you-go (per background check / per screening) Free tier/trial: No permanently free tier or time-limited free trial stated on official site
Example per-check pricing (United States, USD) — listed on Certn’s official US pricing page:
- US Base Criminal Check – $17.99 per check (includes SSN trace, national criminal database, sex offender registry, global sanctions & 7-year lookback). Source: Certn US Pricing.
- US Single County Criminal Check – $28.50 per check. Source: Certn US Pricing.
- US Unlimited County Criminal Check – $49.99 per check. Source: Certn US Pricing.
- Social Media Check – $42.99 per check. Source: Certn US Pricing.
- Credit Report – $9.50 per check. Source: Certn US Pricing.
- Income Verification – Starting at $9.99 per check. Source: Certn US Pricing.
- Reference Checks – Digital $3.50 / Phone $28.99 per check. Source: Certn US Pricing.
- Motor Vehicle Records – $25.99 per check (state fees may apply). Source: Certn US Pricing.
- Employment / Credential Verifications – Price varies (jurisdiction and data-source pass-through access fees may apply). Source: Certn US Pricing and Pass-through Access Fees page.
Notes & important details from official Certn pages:
- Pricing is region-specific (US, EMEA, ANZ pages) and shown in local currency on each regional pricing page. (See US and EMEA pricing pages.)
- Pass-through access fees (charges for accessing government/private databases) may apply in addition to listed product prices; amounts vary by region and verification type. (See Certn pass-through access fees page and Employment Verification fee update.)
- Enterprise / large-scale/custom solutions are handled via contacting Certn (“Talk to an expert” / contact sales) for tailored pricing.
Seller details
Certn Holdings Inc.
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
2016
Private
https://certn.co/
https://x.com/certnco
https://www.linkedin.com/company/certn/
