Brandwave

Background check services:Which brands are most popular in search?

In August 2026, Checkr was the most searched among background check services worldwide, with an estimated 132K branded searches and 41.8% estimated Share of Search within this set. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

Share of Search, August 2026
  1. Checkr41.8%
  2. HireRight37.5%
  3. Accurate Background7.5%
  4. Certn6.7%
  5. Sterling5.7%
  6. GoodHire0.76%

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Share of SearchLeaderboard

Compare the background check services recruiters choose between. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

Share of Search among background check services worldwide, by month

Share of Search by month for Checkr, HireRight, Accurate Background, Certn, Sterling. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of search table
MonthCheckrHireRightAccurate BackgroundCertnSterlingGoodHire
Oct 202539.4%38.2%7.5%5.1%8.6%1.1%
Nov 202542.2%36.3%7.2%5.2%8.1%0.88%
Dec 202542.8%37.7%6.2%5.1%7%1.1%
Jan 202649.4%32.4%6.3%4.7%6%1.2%
Feb 202657.1%27%5%3.8%6%0.98%
Mar 202655.3%29.4%4.8%4.2%5.4%0.88%
Apr 202649.2%32.6%6.5%4.7%6%0.97%
May 202647.3%33.9%5.6%6.1%6.3%0.83%
Jun 202640.6%38.6%7.3%5.7%7.2%0.62%
Jul 202641.1%39.1%7.3%5.7%6%0.79%
Aug 202641.8%37.5%7.5%6.7%5.7%0.76%
Sep 2026——————

This month’s ranking, August 2026

  1. 1.Checkr

    41.8%

    Held 1st. 132K estimated branded searches, +5.9% vs prior month. Share +0.7 points.

  2. 2.HireRight

    37.5%

    Held 2nd. 119K estimated branded searches, -<0.01% vs prior month. Share -1.6 points.

  3. 3.Accurate Background

    7.5%

    Held 3rd. 23.8K estimated branded searches, +7% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.

  4. 4.Certn

    6.7%

    Moved from 5th to 4th. 21.2K estimated branded searches, +21.9% vs prior month. Share +1 points.

  5. 5.Sterling

    5.7%

    Moved from 4th to 5th. 18.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  6. 6.GoodHire

    0.76%

    Held 6th. 2.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare search popularity between leading brands

Which brand is most popular in search among background check services worldwide?

In August 2026, Checkr was the most searched among background check services worldwide, with an estimated 132K branded searches and 41.8% estimated Share of Search within this set. HireRight is in 2nd place, 4.2 percentage points behind at 37.5% Share of Search.

Global background check services, last 12 months ending September 2026
BrandShare of SearchPeakLowRank
Checkr39.4% → 41.8%57.1%Feb 202639.4%Oct 20251st
HireRight38.2% → 37.5%39.1%Jul 202627%Feb 20262nd
Accurate Background7.5%7.5%Oct 20254.8%Mar 20264th → 3rd
Certn5.1% → 6.7%6.7%Aug 20263.8%Feb 20265th → 4th
Sterling8.6% → 5.7%8.6%Oct 20255.4%Mar 20263rd → 5th
GoodHire1.1% → 0.76%1.2%Jan 20260.62%Jun 20266th

Each finding as a sentence

  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Checkr’s estimated Share of Search among background check services worldwide increased from 39.4% to 41.8%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, HireRight’s estimated Share of Search among background check services worldwide decreased from 38.2% to 37.5%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Certn’s estimated Share of Search among background check services worldwide increased from 5.1% to 6.7%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Sterling’s estimated Share of Search among background check services worldwide decreased from 8.6% to 5.7%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Checkr’s estimated Share of Search among background check services worldwide peaked at 57.1% in February 2026 and was lowest at 39.4% in October 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, HireRight’s estimated Share of Search among background check services worldwide peaked at 39.1% in July 2026 and was lowest at 27% in February 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Accurate Background’s estimated Share of Search among background check services worldwide peaked at 7.5% in October 2025 and was lowest at 4.8% in March 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Certn’s estimated Share of Search among background check services worldwide peaked at 6.7% in August 2026 and was lowest at 3.8% in February 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Sterling’s estimated Share of Search among background check services worldwide peaked at 8.6% in October 2025 and was lowest at 5.4% in March 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Accurate Background rose from 4th to 3rd among background check services worldwide.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Certn rose from 5th to 4th among background check services worldwide.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Sterling fell from 3rd to 5th among background check services worldwide.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, GoodHire held steady: its estimated Share of Search among background check services worldwide moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for background check services worldwide in August 2026?

  1. In August 2026, Certn overtook Sterling to rank 4th among background check services worldwide, at 6.7%.

  2. In August 2026, Checkr gained estimated Share of Search among background check services worldwide, from 41.1% to 41.8%.

  3. In August 2026, HireRight lost estimated Share of Search among background check services worldwide, from 39.1% to 37.5%.

  4. Accurate Background’s estimated Share of Search among background check services worldwide has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 5.6% to 7.5% in August 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for GoodHire worldwide fell 33.3% over 11 measured months, from 3.6K to 2.4K in August 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Sterling worldwide fell 33.2% over 11 measured months, from 27.1K to 18.1K in August 2026.

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