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

HR AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition. 214 of the 252 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: 57
- GoodHire: 33
- First Advantage: 17
- BackgroundChecks.com: 14
- HireRight: 9
- Certn: 8

## Background screening

**Small business**: 82 of 84 answers did not name Sterling (Sterling is #7 of 8 at 0%).

- Checkr: first choice in 26 of those 82
- GoodHire: first choice in 24 of those 82
- BackgroundChecks.com: first choice in 8 of those 82
- Certn: first choice in 4 of those 82
- ShareAble for Hires: first choice in 2 of those 82
- Verified Credentials: first choice in 2 of those 82
- First Advantage: first choice in 1 of those 82
- Zinc: first choice in 1 of those 82

**Mid-market**: 75 of 84 answers did not name Sterling (Sterling is #8 of 12 at 2%).

- Checkr: first choice in 20 of those 75
- GoodHire: first choice in 9 of those 75
- BackgroundChecks.com: first choice in 6 of those 75
- Certn: first choice in 4 of those 75
- Verified First: first choice in 4 of those 75
- Bchex: first choice in 3 of those 75
- Accurate Background: first choice in 2 of those 75
- HireRight: first choice in 2 of those 75

**Enterprise**: 57 of 84 answers did not name Sterling (Sterling is #4 of 10 at 13%).

- First Advantage: first choice in 16 of those 57
- Checkr: first choice in 11 of those 57
- HireRight: first choice in 7 of those 57
- Accurate Background: first choice in 2 of those 57
- Mitratech AssureHire: first choice in 1 of those 57
- Sterling/First Advantage: first choice in 1 of those 57
- Verified First: first choice in 1 of those 57
- Zinc: first choice in 1 of those 57

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