Sterling vs Zenefits Comparison: Reviews, Features, Pricing & Alternatives in 2026

Detailed side-by-side comparison to help you choose the right solution for your team

Updated Apr 2026 8 min read

Sterling

0.0 (0 reviews)

Sterling provides comprehensive background screening and identity verification services to help you build a foundation of trust and safety for your global workforce and customers.

Starting at --
Free Trial NO FREE TRIAL
VS

Zenefits

0.0 (0 reviews)

Zenefits is an all-in-one HR platform that streamlines your payroll, benefits, and compliance management through a single automated dashboard to simplify complex administrative tasks for growing small businesses.

Starting at $8/mo
Free Trial NO FREE TRIAL

Quick Comparison

Feature Sterling Zenefits
Website sterlingcheck.com zenefits.com
Pricing Model Custom Subscription
Starting Price Custom Pricing $8/month
FREE Trial ✘ No free trial ✘ No free trial
Free Plan ✘ No free plan ✘ No free plan
Product Demo ✓ Request demo here ✓ Request demo here
Deployment saas mobile cloud mobile
Integrations Workday Oracle SAP SuccessFactors iCIMS Greenhouse Lever SmartRecruiters Jobvite Bullhorn UKG Slack Google Workspace Microsoft Office 365 QuickBooks Online Xero Checkr Expensify Asana Salesforce Zapier
Target Users small-business mid-market enterprise small-business mid-market
Target Industries healthcare retail financial-services
Customer Count 0 0
Founded Year 1975 2013
Headquarters New York, USA San Francisco, USA

Overview

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Sterling

Sterling helps you hire with confidence by providing fast and reliable background screening and identity verification. You can streamline your entire hiring process, from criminal record checks and employment verification to drug and health screening. The platform is designed to integrate directly into your existing HR tech stack, allowing you to manage candidates globally while maintaining compliance with local regulations.

You can reduce manual paperwork and speed up your time-to-hire using their mobile-first candidate experience. Whether you are a small business making your first hire or a global enterprise managing thousands of employees, the software provides the tools you need to verify identities and maintain a safe workplace. By automating the collection of candidate data, you can focus on making better hiring decisions rather than chasing documentation.

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Zenefits

Zenefits provides you with a centralized platform to manage your entire employee lifecycle, from onboarding to offboarding. You can automate your payroll processing, sync health insurance benefits directly with your HR data, and track employee hours without manual data entry. The software acts as a single source of truth, ensuring that changes made in one area—like a new hire's salary—automatically update across your tax filings and insurance providers.

You can empower your employees to manage their own information through a self-service portal, reducing the administrative burden on your HR team. Whether you are hiring your first employee or managing a team of hundreds, the platform helps you stay compliant with labor laws and tax regulations. It eliminates the need for messy spreadsheets and disconnected systems by bringing your people operations into one intuitive interface.

Overview

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Sterling Features

  • Criminal Background Checks Access automated searches of national and local criminal databases to identify potential risks before you extend a job offer.
  • Identity Verification Verify candidate identities in real-time using biometric technology and government-issued ID scanning to prevent sophisticated identity fraud.
  • Employment Verification Confirm your candidate's professional history and education credentials automatically to ensure they have the experience they claim.
  • Drug and Health Screening Manage employee drug testing and occupational health screenings through a massive network of collection sites with digital results.
  • Mobile Candidate Hub Give your candidates a mobile-friendly way to submit information and track their screening status from any device.
  • Global Compliance Tools Stay compliant with built-in tools that adapt to local privacy laws and industry-specific regulations across different countries.
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Zenefits Features

  • Automated Onboarding. Send digital offer letters and collect tax forms automatically so your new hires can start working on day one.
  • Benefits Administration. Connect with over 250 carriers to manage health, dental, and vision plans directly within your HR platform.
  • Integrated Payroll. Sync your hours, deductions, and tax withholdings automatically to ensure your team gets paid accurately and on time.
  • Time and Attendance. Track employee hours and PTO requests that flow directly into payroll to eliminate manual data entry errors.
  • Employee Self-Service. Give your team the power to update their personal info, view paystubs, and request time off via a mobile app.
  • Compliance Management. Stay ahead of government regulations with automated ACA tracking, COBRA administration, and digital filing for tax forms.

Pricing Comparison

S

Sterling Pricing

Z

Zenefits Pricing

Essentials
$8
  • Core HR management
  • Time and scheduling
  • Integrations library
  • Employee mobile app
  • Automated onboarding
  • Document management

Pros & Cons

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Sterling

Pros

  • Extensive global reach for international background checks
  • Seamless integration with popular applicant tracking systems
  • User-friendly interface for both recruiters and candidates
  • Comprehensive reporting that simplifies compliance audits

Cons

  • Turnaround times can vary by jurisdiction
  • Customer support response times can be slow
  • Pricing structure is complex for smaller organizations
A

Zenefits

Pros

  • Intuitive user interface makes navigation easy for employees
  • Automated onboarding saves hours of manual paperwork
  • Seamless integration between HR data and payroll processing
  • Mobile app provides convenient access for remote workers

Cons

  • Customer support response times can be inconsistent
  • Payroll and benefits are often separate add-on costs
  • Initial setup of insurance carriers can be complex
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