Certn vs Sterling
One of fourteen models named Certn first on the direct prompt; one named Sterling. Certn was named by thirteen of the fourteen models and Sterling by thirteen and Certn carries 29 labels and Sterling 25, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in one category this edition.
Named in one category this edition.
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the background screening page.
By framing
CertnFirst choices, of fourteen modelsSterling
Across every category in the October 2026 Edition, Certn and Sterling were named in the same answer twenty times, of the 68 answers naming Certn and the 93 naming Sterling. In those answers Sterling took the first choice zero times and Certn zero.
Every model, every framing
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | |||||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | | ||||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | |||
| Perplexity Sonar | | | | |||
| Grok 4.1 Fast | | | ||||
| Mistral Small | | | | |||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | | | |
| Llama 4 Maverick | | |||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | ||||
| Kimi K2 | | | ||||
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | | | ||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | ||||
| GPT-6 Luna | ||||||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | |
Certn Sterling first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Certn on the left and Sterling on the right.The direct prompt
Certn first, Sterling not the choice
1 of 14 modelsSterling was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Sterling first, Certn not the choice
1 of 14 modelsCertn was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Neither was the first choice, one was named
6 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Neither was named
6 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
Sterling13%#4 of 10Certn0%#9 of 10What the models said about Certn
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Four of five in this category shown.
“Cheaper options like Certn exist but have reliability concerns (e.g., login issues, variable support), making them riskier” Grok 4.1 Fast · budget prompt · soft negative
“recommended for lighter, pay-as-you-go needs, making them suitable for small businesses with budget constraints” Mistral Small · budget prompt · first choice
“If you need the absolute lowest per-report cost and can self-serve: Certn ~ $13.99-$17.99/check.” Muse Glimmer 30B · budget prompt · first choice
“Start with Checkr Professional or Certn Business for most mid-market B2B companies” GLM 4.7 FlashX · direct prompt · first choice
What the models said about Sterling
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Trustpilot reviews highlight disorganization, incompetence, extremely slow turnaround times (weeks/months), poor customer support” GLM 4.7 FlashX · negative prompt · hard negative
“$4.75 million FCRA class action settlement for providing outdated information to employers” DeepSeek V4 Flash · negative prompt · hard negative
“Recently sued in 2024 for allegedly falsely reporting criminal history and arrest warrants” MiniMax M2.5 · negative prompt · hard negative
“Stick with well-established, accredited providers like Sterling, HireRight, GoodHire, or TransUnion SmartMove” Mistral Small · negative prompt · first choice
“Sterling (now part of First Advantage) \u2013 Strongest fit for mid-market B2B.” Grok 4.1 Fast · direct prompt · first choice
“Best for: Large enterprises needing comprehensive health screenings - Limitations: Quote-based pricing” Kimi K2 · comparative prompt · alternative
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.