Certn Review: Overview, Features, Pricing & Alternatives in 2025

Manual background checks slow your hiring down.

If you’re spending hours chasing references or decoding criminal record reports, I get why you’re researching smarter ways to screen candidates. The risk of missed red flags or identity fraud is real, especially if your team needs to move fast.

My research shows the biggest issue is wasted productivity and risk exposure when background screening is manual, fragmented, or error-prone. These headaches eat up valuable time and open your company up to risk.

After analyzing Certn’s full platform, I found they stand out by automating criminal checks, references, credential verification, and digital ID—all through a single, easy-to-use dashboard. Their international reach and continuous monitoring really target business pain points if you’re hiring across borders or in high-trust roles.

In this Certn review, I’ll break down how faster, simpler screening boosts your team’s productivity and trust in each new hire.

You’ll see first-hand how Certn’s key features, global coverage, pricing, and API integrations stack up when evaluated for real HR workflows and decision criteria.

If you want decision-making confidence, this analysis will give you the details and the features you need to hire with peace of mind.

Let’s get started.

Certn Overview

Certn has been around since 2016, based out of Victoria, Canada. I found their core mission is to fundamentally modernize background screening through smart automation and a much friendlier interface.

They primarily target small and mid-market companies that need faster, more reliable checks than what legacy providers typically offer. I think their real edge is a commitment to a better experience for everyone involved—not just your HR team, but your candidates as well.

Their recent acquisitions of firms in the UK and Australia signal a serious global push. This strategic expansion is a key point to consider in this Certn review.

Unlike industry giants like Sterling, Certn competes on agility and a superior user experience. You’ll find they offer a far more intuitive platform that feels less clunky and was clearly designed by people who actually need to run checks quickly.

They work with a lot of growing tech firms, staffing agencies, and SMBs across many industries, but their robust API makes them an increasingly viable choice for enterprise clients too.

From what I’ve seen, Certn’s entire strategy is about automation and building digital trust, which directly addresses the critical challenges of modern remote hiring. They understand that for your business, speed and compliance are simply non-negotiable.

Now let’s examine their capabilities.

Certn Features

Slow background checks cost you top talent.

Certn solutions are designed to modernize your hiring process, making background checks faster and simpler than ever. These are the five core Certn solutions that can transform how you build trust with your team.

1. Domestic & International Criminal Record Checks

Worried about hiring risks?

Verifying criminal history is crucial, but manual checks can be slow and unreliable, leaving you vulnerable to compliance issues.

Certn’s platform directly tackles this by tapping into extensive databases, including RCMP in Canada and global sources. From my testing, the platform quickly consolidates results into clear reports, which is a huge time-saver. This solution provides vital insight into a candidate’s past, mitigating your risk.

This means you get reliable, comprehensive criminal record checks, ensuring compliance and peace of mind when making hiring decisions.

2. Automated Reference & Credential Verification

Tired of endless phone tag for references?

Manually chasing references and verifying credentials can consume countless HR hours, delaying critical hiring decisions.

Certn automates this entire process, sending customizable, mobile-friendly questionnaires directly to references or institutions. What I love about this approach is how it eliminates manual data entry and follow-ups, freeing your team. This solution dramatically speeds up your time-to-hire.

So, you can skip the phone calls and get crucial insights faster, allowing you to focus on evaluating top candidates.

3. Digital Identity Verification

Can you be sure a candidate is who they claim to be?

Identity fraud is a real concern in remote hiring, making it difficult to verify a candidate’s authenticity before other checks.

Certn’s modern digital identity verification feature prompts candidates to submit a photo of their ID and a live selfie. Its biometric technology compares the selfie to the ID photo and analyzes the ID for authenticity. This adds a crucial layer of trust from the very start.

This means you establish a high degree of confidence in a candidate’s identity, preventing fraud before you even begin other screenings.

4. Credit & Financial Checks

Need financial insight without impacting credit scores?

For roles involving financial responsibility, traditional credit checks can negatively affect a candidate’s score, creating unnecessary friction.

Certn performs a “soft pull” on credit files, providing insights into financial history without harming the candidate’s rating. Here’s what I found: the resulting report summarizes credit history and payment patterns clearly, which is incredibly useful. This feature helps you assess financial reliability responsibly.

The result is you gain important financial context for specific roles without negatively impacting your candidates’ credit standing.

5. Continuous Monitoring

Is a one-time check enough for ongoing risk?

A single background check only provides a snapshot, leaving your business exposed to new risks if an employee’s record changes.

Certn’s continuous monitoring solution proactively re-checks relevant databases for enrolled employees (with consent). This is where Certn shines: if new, reportable activity appears, the system flags it for your review, allowing timely intervention. This helps you manage ongoing risk effectively.

So, your company can proactively address potential risks, ensuring ongoing compliance and maintaining a safe work environment.

You’ll actually appreciate how these Certn solutions work together as an integrated platform rather than separate tools you have to piece together.

Certn Pricing

What’s the real cost of Certn?

Certn pricing operates on a custom quote model, meaning you’ll get a cost tailored to your specific background check needs. This flexible approach allows for highly precise budgeting based on your usage.

1. Pricing Model & Cost Factors

Understanding Certn’s cost drivers.

Certn’s pricing model is primarily usage-based, shifting to volume-based subscriptions for larger clients. What I found regarding pricing is that costs heavily depend on specific services or “searches” selected per check, like credit reports or international records. This a-la-carte structure means your total spend reflects the exact types and volume of checks you actually need.

Budget-wise, this means you only pay for what you use, avoiding bundled features that don’t align with your hiring practices, helping you optimize your spending.

2. Value Assessment & ROI

Maximizing your screening investment.

Certn offers significant value by streamlining the background check process, saving your HR team valuable time. From my cost analysis, the automation of reference and credential verification means you reduce manual effort and time-to-hire, which significantly boosts efficiency. This often translates to a strong return on investment, offsetting the per-check cost through improved operational speed.

This helps your budget by cutting down on administrative overhead, allowing staff to focus on strategic tasks rather than managing paperwork.

3. Budget Planning & Implementation

Planning for your total investment.

When considering Certn pricing, remember that costs scale with your usage, making budget forecasting critical. While there’s no self-serve free trial, a sales-led demo offers tailored insights into your specific needs, clarifying potential hidden costs. From my perspective, understanding add-on search costs upfront is crucial for accurate total cost of ownership.

This helps you avoid unexpected expenses, ensuring your finance team can accurately project quarterly or annual screening expenditures.

My Take: Certn pricing is designed for flexibility, catering to both smaller businesses with pay-as-you-go options and larger enterprises needing volume discounts. This approach allows you to scale costs with your specific hiring demands.

Overall, Certn pricing provides a flexible, usage-based model that scales to your specific needs, offering a modern alternative to traditional, opaque background check services. You gain control over your screening budget without compromising on quality or speed.

Certn Reviews

What do actual Certn customers truly think?

Exploring Certn reviews helps you understand real user experiences. I’ve analyzed feedback from various platforms to provide balanced insights into what customers truly think about the software.

1. Overall User Satisfaction

Users show strong satisfaction.

From my review analysis, Certn maintains exceptionally high ratings, averaging 4.7-4.8 stars across hundreds of user reviews on G2 and Capterra. What I found in user feedback is how positive user experiences consistently emerge, reflecting widespread approval. This overall sentiment suggests you can generally trust the consistent praise across the vast majority of Certn reviews.

This high satisfaction stems from Certn’s user-friendly interface and the remarkable efficiency you gain, making background checks hassle-free.

2. Common Praise Points

Speed, ease, and support delight users.

What stands out in customer feedback is the consistent praise for Certn’s speed and incredibly fast turnaround times. Users frequently report checks completing in minutes. Review-wise, the intuitive interface and exceptional customer support are also widely celebrated, streamlining your entire screening process efficiently.

This efficiency means you save significant time on hiring, while candidates enjoy a smooth, mobile-friendly experience for your team.

3. Frequent Complaints

Minor issues, but worth noting.

Review-wise, common complaints are relatively minor, primarily focusing on occasional delays with more complex or international background checks. What you should know is that users also desire more pre-built integrations with smaller, niche HR systems. My analysis shows these issues are generally considered understandable, not major drawbacks for most users.

These aren’t typical deal-breakers, but rather specific areas where Certn could enhance your experience further.

Overall, Certn reviews reflect genuine user satisfaction with strong core performance. You’ll find it an intuitive, fast solution. Consider their minor points for complex international needs.

Best Certn Alternatives

Considering competitive background check options?

The best Certn alternatives include several strong competitors, each better suited for different business situations, operational scales, and specific compliance requirements you might have.

1. GoodHire

Prioritizing simplicity and small business budget?

GoodHire shines for small businesses needing straightforward domestic checks and clear compliance guidance without dedicated HR legal teams. What I found comparing options is that GoodHire offers exceptional simplicity and cost transparency, which can be an excellent alternative if your team values ease of use over complex features.

Choose GoodHire when your main need is basic domestic screening and a user-friendly, transparent pricing model.

2. Checkr

Need deep API integration for tech platforms?

Checkr truly excels for tech companies and platforms requiring extensive, custom API integration to embed background checks directly into their products. From my competitive analysis, Checkr’s strong API is ideal for high-volume automation, making it a powerful alternative if you need thousands of embedded checks.

You should choose Checkr if your enterprise is a tech platform needing deep developer-centric integration for automated screening.

3. Sterling

Global enterprise, regulated industry requirements?

Sterling is the go-to for Fortune 500 companies in heavily regulated sectors like healthcare or finance, demanding immense global scale and specialized compliance expertise. Alternative-wise, Sterling delivers unmatched industry-specific global compliance, though its interface is less modern than Certn’s.

Your situation calls for Sterling if you’re a large, regulated enterprise needing deep industry compliance and a massive global footprint.

The best Certn alternatives depend heavily on your specific hiring volume and technical integration needs. Take time to assess your priorities.

Setup & Implementation

Certn implementation: easier than you think.

Certn implementation generally offers a low-friction deployment, especially for standard users. This Certn review section will detail what to expect, from setup to adoption, ensuring you’re fully prepared for a smooth transition.

1. Setup Complexity & Timeline

Deployment can be surprisingly quick.

For most users leveraging Certn’s web-based dashboard, setup is incredibly intuitive. You can often begin inviting candidates almost immediately after account creation. What I found about deployment is web-based setup is extremely simple, making initial implementation swift. API integrations for ATS/HRIS, however, extend this timeline, requiring developer resources for custom connections.

For API integrations, plan for developer time and structured testing. Otherwise, expect a straightforward, guided setup process.

2. Technical Requirements & Integration

What technical setup is involved?

Certn’s web platform requires minimal technical intervention, primarily a browser and internet access. For deeper integration, you’ll engage with their API for connecting to your Applicant Tracking System or HRIS. From my implementation analysis, API documentation is well-supported and clear, yet it still demands internal developer bandwidth or external IT assistance for successful deployment.

Allocate dedicated IT or development resources for any API integration work. For dashboard use, virtually no technical preparation is needed.

3. Training & Change Management

How quickly will your team adapt?

Thanks to Certn’s user-friendly interface, training needs are remarkably low for HR teams. Most administrators grasp core workflows, like inviting candidates and reading reports, in under an hour. Implementation-wise, the platform’s intuitive design minimizes resistance, fostering rapid user adoption. Candidates also find the mobile-friendly process very straightforward.

Focus on familiarizing your team with the dashboard and report interpretation. Minimal formal training sessions are typically required for success.

4. Support & Success Factors

Will vendor support smooth your rollout?

Certn’s support quality stands out, playing a crucial role in successful implementation. Their responsive team, accessible via chat, email, and phone, resolves queries quickly and professionally. What I found about deployment is reliable support lowers barriers to adoption, particularly for less technical teams, ensuring ongoing success and quick issue resolution.

Leverage their support team for any initial questions or integration challenges. Proactive communication with them is a key success factor.

Certn implementation offers a refreshingly straightforward path to modern background checks. Overall, its user-friendly design and robust support make for a highly manageable deployment, allowing you to achieve rapid operational efficiency.

Who’s Certn For

Is Certn the right fit for your team?

This Certn review analyzes who the software serves best, offering practical guidance to help you quickly determine if it matches your specific business profile, team size, and use case requirements.

1. Ideal User Profile

Fast-growing companies seeking efficient hiring.

Certn is ideal for HR Managers, Talent Acquisition Specialists, and Recruiters at modern, growth-oriented companies. From my user analysis, businesses prioritizing speed and candidate experience for high-volume, recurring hiring needs will find Certn a perfect match.

You’ll succeed if your goal is to significantly reduce administrative overhead and time-to-hire with a frictionless candidate experience.

2. Business Size & Scale

Optimal for agile, growing operations.

Certn excels for small to mid-sized companies (50-1,000 employees) and growing mid-market firms focused on modernizing their screening processes. What I found about target users is that firms needing scalable, modern screening solutions thrive, especially when moving away from clunky legacy providers.

You’ll know you’re the right size if your business values speed, automation, and a user-friendly platform over complex enterprise-only features.

3. Use Case Scenarios

Streamlining high-volume background checks.

Certn shines in scenarios like high-volume, recurring hiring, gig economy operations requiring rapid identity verification, and general reduction of time-to-hire. User-wise, you’ll find it perfect for tenant screening or automating reference and credential checks across your applicant pool.

You’ll appreciate this solution if your core need is fast, reliable, and candidate-friendly background screening for ongoing roles.

4. Who Should Look Elsewhere

Not for every complex screening need.

If your primary focus involves infrequent, highly specialized international background checks that require deep, obscure country-specific expertise, Certn might occasionally show slower turnaround times. From my user analysis, businesses requiring extensive niche HRIS integrations with older, less common systems may find pre-built options limited.

Consider alternative providers specializing in extremely niche integrations or those with hyper-focused global compliance for highly infrequent, complex international cases.

The Certn review indicates the solution is best for those seeking speed, efficiency, and a great candidate experience in their screening process.

Bottom Line

Certn earns a top-tier verdict.

My Certn review reveals a standout background screening solution. This final assessment synthesizes key strengths, minor limitations, and ideal use cases to guide your decision-making process.

1. Overall Strengths

Certn excels in core functionality.

The platform’s modern interface, rapid turnaround times for domestic checks, and exceptional customer support are consistently praised. From my comprehensive analysis, its intuitive design reduces user friction significantly for both administrators and candidates.

These strengths translate into unparalleled efficiency and a smoother hiring process, freeing up valuable HR resources.

2. Key Limitations

Minor caveats exist for specific scenarios.

Occasional delays for complex international background checks are noted, which is often an industry-wide challenge. Based on this review, some niche HR integrations are still developing, but core integrations are robust and expanding steadily.

These limitations are generally manageable trade-offs, not significant deal-breakers, given the platform’s overwhelming benefits and focus.

3. Final Recommendation

Certn is a highly recommended solution.

You should choose Certn if your priority is fast, user-friendly, and reliable background screening, especially for SMBs and mid-market needs. From my analysis, it truly simplifies the screening process, enabling quicker hiring decisions with confidence.

Your decision should prioritize modern experience and excellent support; Certn delivers a confident assessment for these criteria.

My Certn review demonstrates a highly confident recommendation for most businesses seeking modern, efficient background screening. This platform streamlines your hiring.