# Verified First alternatives: what AI models name instead, September 2026

HR AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition. 203 of the 216 answers in the 1 category where Verified First 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/verified-first/alternatives/

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

- Checkr: 59
- GoodHire: 28
- First Advantage: 26
- HireRight: 16
- BackgroundChecks.com: 11
- Certn: 11

## Background screening

**Small business**: 71 of 72 answers did not name Verified First.

- Checkr: first choice in 23 of those 71
- GoodHire: first choice in 20 of those 71
- BackgroundChecks.com: first choice in 6 of those 71
- Certn: first choice in 6 of those 71
- GCheck: first choice in 2 of those 71
- HireShield: first choice in 2 of those 71
- Bchex: first choice in 1 of those 71
- HireRight: first choice in 1 of those 71

**Mid-market**: 61 of 72 answers did not name Verified First (Verified First is #5 of 10 at 7%).

- Checkr: first choice in 20 of those 61
- GoodHire: first choice in 8 of those 61
- BackgroundChecks.com: first choice in 5 of those 61
- Certn: first choice in 5 of those 61
- Background Investigation Bureau: first choice in 1 of those 61
- EDIFY Screening: first choice in 1 of those 61
- First Advantage: first choice in 1 of those 61
- HireShield: first choice in 1 of those 61

**Enterprise**: 71 of 72 answers did not name Verified First.

- First Advantage: first choice in 25 of those 71
- Checkr: first choice in 16 of those 71
- HireRight: first choice in 15 of those 71
- Accurate Background: first choice in 2 of those 71
- BackgroundChecker.com: first choice in 1 of those 71
- Checkster: first choice in 1 of those 71
- DISA Global Solutions: first choice in 1 of those 71
- First Advantage + Sterling: first choice in 1 of those 71

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