Best Background Check Sites for July 2024

The Bottom Line

Background check sites help you find the best candidates and tenants by identifying high-risk criminal records and credit history. They can also verify personal information, past employment, education, and personal and professional references.

Most background check results come in days, but the most comprehensive reports can take weeks, particularly with international records. You’ll also pay more for these background checks, but it can save money in the long run. 

Overalll, we recommend First Advantage for your background check needs because it’s fast, hands-off, and offers international checks. But our other top picks are good options if you're looking for a great value, detailed reports, tenant background checks, or other features.

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Why You Can Trust Investopedia's Top Picks for Background Check Sites

Investopedia collected key data points from 22 popular companies to identify the most important factors for readers choosing a background check site. We used this data to review each company for price, background check information, and other features to provide unbiased, comprehensive reviews to ensure our readers make the right decision for their needs. Investopedia launched in 1999, and has been helping readers find the best background check sites since 2021.

What Is a Background Check Site?

Background check sites are run by companies that provide background checks, which are usually used as part of employment or tenant screening. Some specialize in either employment or tenant checks, while others do both. Some are fairly light on the details, while others are very thorough. In general, the more you're willing to pay, the more comprehensive the report will be. And some companies may have mobile apps for the purchaser or the candidate.

How Do Background Check Sites Work?

Background checks are used to vet a candidate or applicant and make an informed decision. Hiring or approving the wrong person could cost quite a bit of time and money, so relevant, accurate background screening can be invaluable. A thorough background check may consist of several kinds of searches, ranging from basic personal information to deeper analyses of finances, important life events, and online behavior.

Candidates usually need to consent to a background check for employment or tenancy. After the background check company gets consent, the candidate is screened in a variety of national, federal, and state databases, including public records, DMV records, court records, and criminal databases (and even social media, in some cases).

When the screening is complete, the background check site will present the candidate's information. Different sites will present the results in different ways, and some may make it easier to navigate than others (customer support will vary from company to company, as well). With this information in hand you can make a more informed decision about the candidate or applicant.

How to Find the Best Background Check Site

These are some of the most important things to look for when considering background check sites.

• FCRA-compliance: The FCRA mandates certain laws and regulations that background checks must abide by when they're used in certain ways, including that companies follow "reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy of the information concerning the individual about whom the report relates."
• Affordable, understandable fees: Check the fee details carefully—some companies and some service plans charge per report, which may get expensive quickly. Plans with unlimited checks may be more economical, although this depends on your company and your needs. Look for month-by-month memberships if you don't need the service year-round.
• Available types of background checks: You'll find sites that focus on certain kinds of checks, like identity verification or criminal history checks, along with sites that offer a wide variety of checks. There are also companies that specialize in checks for certain purposes, like employment screening or tenant screening.
• Speed of delivery of results: Some companies promise results faster than others, although this can depend in large part of the type of background check you request.
• Program integrations: Does the background check site integrate with any popular recruitment or applicant tracking programs?

Types of Background Check Searches

There are a variety of background check searches, ranging from basic information to comprehensive reports on finances, credit, employment, crime, and more. Background check sites may offer different kinds of searches, including:

Identification Checks

• Identity verification search: Identity verification helps employers and landlords verify that a person actually is who they say they are. This may include an address history check and a Social Security number (SSN) trace, which shows information related to the applicant's SSN and associated details and can help verify that a person's SSN is accurate. Identity verification may require contact information to get in touch with primary sources.
• Reverse phone lookup: A relatively simple type of search that provides identity information based on a phone number.
• Reverse email lookup: Another fairly simple search which provides identity information based on an email address.

Education/Employment Checks

• Education history search: Verifies the colleges or other educational institutions attended by the candidate. Some searches may only return the highest degree obtained.
  
• Employment history search: A background check company will research previous employers, in some cases contacting them to verify details.
• License and credential verification: Checks government and other agencies that provide licensing and credentials in various professions.

Public Record Checks

• Driving record search: Searches DMV records for driving violations (typically used for professions that require driving).
  
• Criminal background checks: Looks for reported data on criminal activity, using sources like county, state, and federal records.
• Civil court record checks: Looks for reported civil court outcomes, like lawsuits.
• Credit report check: Examines the candidate's credit history/consumer reports through the major credit bureaus and consumer reporting agencies (e.g. Experian, Equifax, TransUnion).

Online Record Checks

• Social media search: Some companies will search publicly availably social media records from networks like Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and others.
• Adverse media search: An adverse media search combs traditional media sources (newspapers, magazines, etc.) for negative references. This may cover online sources, print sources, or both.
• Dark web search: Some websites offer dark web reference searches as well.

Who Uses Background Check Services?

Background check services are typically used by some employers and landlords who want to vet their employees or tenants, respectively. Security clearances often require a background check as well.

• Employers: Not all employers require background checks. Companies that deal with sensitive information or provide one-on-one care services to people—like banks and childcare companies—may be more likely to require pre-employment screening. Depending on the company and the nature of the job, more or less thorough background checks may be required.
• Landlords: Landlords use background checks to identify applicants they'd prefer not to accept as tenants. Tenant screening includes personal details along with employment, credit, and debt information, but it also includes eviction and lawsuit history.
• Job seekers: In some cases, job seekers run background checks on themselves. This can be a useful tactic to show you what a prospective employer may see if they perform a background check on you. If you find any errors, you may be able to take steps to remedy them—or you could at least warn your potential employer about them ahead of time.
  

How We Chose the Best Background Check Sites

Investopedia researched 22 of the most popular background check sites and narrowed it down to the best six options based on a variety of features and considerations. We considered company reputation, price, ease of use, and how long it takes to receive results. If the report is for employment, we also made sure the company is FCRA compliant.

Guide to Background Check Sites

• Best Tenant Screening Services: Find background check sites that cater to landlords who need tenant screening.
• Best Rental Property Insurance Companies: Protect your investments with coverage from one of our top-rated insurance companies.
  
• Things You Didn't Know About Background Checks: Learn how companies conduct background checks, which situations may require more extensive checks, industries that tend to do background checks, and more.
• What Does Vetting Mean, and How Is It Done?: Vetting is the process of thoroughly investigating an individual or a company. Learn more about how vetting works.
• Due Diligence: Due diligence is an investigation, audit, or review conducted to confirm certain facts or details. Learn what due diligence entails and when it's needed.
  
• eIDV (Electronic Identity Verification
  
• Credit Checking: What It Is, How It Works, Example
• Credit Report vs. Investigative Consumer Report: How They Differ
• Title Search: What It Is, How It's Done, and Title Insurance
  
• The Cost of Hiring a New Employee
• How to Check Your Driving Record