# Sterling alternatives: what AI models name instead, September 2026

HR AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition. 190 of the 216 answers in the 1 category where Sterling holds a standing named it neither first nor as an alternative; these are the first choices those answers made. Page: https://hr-ai-index.com/vendors/sterling/alternatives/

## Named instead, most often (every category and segment added)

- Checkr: 55
- GoodHire: 25
- First Advantage: 22
- BackgroundChecks.com: 11
- Certn: 11
- HireRight: 11

## Background screening

**Small business**: 69 of 72 answers did not name Sterling (Sterling is #8 of 9 at 0%).

- Checkr: first choice in 22 of those 69
- GoodHire: first choice in 18 of those 69
- BackgroundChecks.com: first choice in 6 of those 69
- Certn: first choice in 6 of those 69
- GCheck: first choice in 2 of those 69
- HireShield: first choice in 2 of those 69
- Bchex: first choice in 1 of those 69
- HireRight: first choice in 1 of those 69

**Mid-market**: 63 of 72 answers did not name Sterling (Sterling is #9 of 10 at 0%).

- Checkr: first choice in 19 of those 63
- GoodHire: first choice in 7 of those 63
- BackgroundChecks.com: first choice in 5 of those 63
- Certn: first choice in 5 of those 63
- Verified First: first choice in 2 of those 63
- Accurate Background: first choice in 1 of those 63
- Background Investigation Bureau: first choice in 1 of those 63
- EDIFY Screening: first choice in 1 of those 63

**Enterprise**: 58 of 72 answers did not name Sterling (Sterling is #5 of 8 at 2%).

- First Advantage: first choice in 22 of those 58
- Checkr: first choice in 14 of those 58
- HireRight: first choice in 10 of those 58
- Accurate Background: first choice in 1 of those 58
- BackgroundChecker.com: first choice in 1 of those 58
- DISA Global Solutions: first choice in 1 of those 58
- First Advantage + Sterling: first choice in 1 of those 58
- Mitratech AssureHire: first choice in 1 of those 58

Published under CC BY 4.0. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.