Background screening · October 2026 Edition
HireRight vs Sterling
One of fourteen models named HireRight first on the direct prompt; one named Sterling. HireRight was named by thirteen of the fourteen models and Sterling by thirteen and HireRight carries 34 labels and Sterling 25, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in one category this edition.
Named in one category this edition.
First-choice share2%2%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate29%32%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#7#8A position in a field of 12; printed, not drawn.
Labels3425A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, HireRight reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Accurate Background was named alongside these two in twelve of the fourteen direct answers. Checkr vs HireRight · Checkr vs Sterling · GoodHire vs HireRight
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
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
HireRightFirst choices, of fourteen modelsSterling
Direct112 against HireRight · 2 against Sterling
Paraphrase002 against HireRight
Comparative00
Budget-constrained001 against HireRight · 1 against Sterling
Scale-constrained00
Negative115 against HireRight · 5 against Sterling
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Across every category in the October 2026 Edition, HireRight and Sterling were named in the same answer seventy-nine times, of the 120 answers naming HireRight and the 93 naming Sterling. In those answers Sterling took the first choice seven times and HireRight twelve.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where HireRight and Sterling stood in it.
| 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 | |
HireRight Sterling first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, HireRight on the left and Sterling on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where HireRight and Sterling stood in it.
HireRight first, Sterling not the choice
1 of 14 modelsSterling was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.MiniMax M2.5Checkr, HireRight alternatives: Accurate Background, GoodHire, IntelliCorp
Sterling first, HireRight an alternative
1 of 14 modelsHireRight was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Grok 4.1 FastSterling alternatives: Checkr, GoodHire, HireRight
Neither was the first choice, one was named
1 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Mistral SmallMitratech AssureHire alternatives: Accurate Background, Sterling
Neither was named
11 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Claude Haiku 4.5Accurate Background, Checkr alternatives: Mitratech AssureHire
GPT-5.4 miniCheckr alternatives: Atlantic Employee Screening, Certn, Hireology
Gemini 3.5 FlashCheckr alternatives: Accurate Background, Certn, Verified First
Perplexity SonarCheckr alternatives: Accurate Background, GoodHire, Mitratech AssureHire
DeepSeek V4 FlashAccurate Background alternatives: Certn, Checkr, GoodHire
Llama 4 MaverickMitratech AssureHire alternatives: Accurate Background, BackgroundChecks.com, Certn, GoodHire, HireShield
Qwen 3.7 FlashGoodHire alternatives: Accurate Background, Checkr, CredCheck, Dun & Bradstreet, Sovren, Verified First
Kimi K2Checkr alternatives: Accurate Background, Certn, GoodHire, iprospectcheck
GLM 4.7 FlashXCertn, Checkr alternatives: Accurate Background, Cisive, GoodHire
GPT-6 LunaCheckr alternatives: Accurate Background, First Advantage
Muse Glimmer 30BBchex, Verified First alternatives: Accurate Background, DISA Global Solutions, GoodHire, Mitratech AssureHire, Orange Tree
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
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Level: the same share of first choices.
HireRight0%#8 of 8Sterling0%#7 of 8Mid-marketThe figures above
Level: the same share of first choices.
HireRight2%#7 of 12Sterling2%#8 of 12Enterprise
HireRight leads by fifteen points.
HireRight27%#1 of 10Sterling13%#4 of 10What the models said about HireRight
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Avoid Enterprise Giants (for now): ... their implementation times can be painfully slow” Gemini 3.5 Flash · paraphrase prompt · hard negative
“FCRA violations on record — the FTC fined HireRight Solutions $2.6 million” DeepSeek V4 Flash · negative prompt · hard negative
“2012 FTC Penalty: $2.6 million civil penalty ... Complaints nearly tripled in 2025” Kimi K2 · negative prompt · hard negative
“Many reputable providers like First Advantage, HireRight, and others generally have better track records.” MiniMax M2.5 · negative prompt · first choice
“HireRight or Checkr offer the best balance of features, integrations, and scalability” MiniMax M2.5 · direct prompt · first choice
“If you hire internationally or need enterprise coverage, HireRight and First Advantage are usually stronger fits.” Perplexity Sonar · comparative prompt · alternative
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
Also compared
Checkr vs HireRightCheckr vs SterlingGoodHire vs HireRightGoodHire vs SterlingBackgroundChecks.com vs HireRightBackgroundChecks.com vs SterlingCertn vs HireRightCertn vs SterlingVerified First vs HireRightVerified First vs SterlingAccurate Background vs HireRightAccurate Background vs SterlingAll twenty-eight head-to-head pages and the full background screening standing
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.