Two of twelve models named Verified First first on the direct prompt; one named Accurate Background. Verified First was named by ten of the twelve models and Accurate Background by twelve and Verified First carries 17 labels and Accurate Background 27, 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 twelve 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.
Across every category in the September 2026 Edition, Verified First and Accurate Background were named in the same answer sixteen times, of the 25 answers naming Verified First and the 67 naming Accurate Background. In those answers Accurate Background took the first choice one time and Verified First one.
| 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 |
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.
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Three of four in this category shown.
“*Verified First* is widely regarded for its exceptional integration (often via a browser extension) and live, US-based customer support.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · scale prompt · first choice
“Verified First — best all-around mid-market fit” DeepSeek V4 Flash · direct prompt · first choice
“Best Overall for Mid-Market B2B Companies” Gemini 3.5 Flash · direct prompt · first choice
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Five of six in this category shown.
“Provider to research carefully: Accurate Information Corp (AIC). ... AIC has faced long-standing criticism from HR professionals regarding accuracy” Qwen 3.7 Flash · negative prompt · soft negative
“frequently cite them for errors and poor customer service” DeepSeek V4 Flash · negative prompt · soft negative
“Safe overall pick: Accurate Background or Checkr—both offer strong mid-market solutions” Kimi K2 · direct prompt · first choice
“These providers focus specifically on affordability and FCRA compliance for SMBs. They may be less feature-rich than Checkr but are strong on price.” Qwen 3.7 Flash · budget prompt · alternative
“Serves enterprise and mid-sized organizations with tailored solutions for healthcare credentialing, DOT compliance, and financial services” Claude Haiku 4.5 · direct 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.