GoodHire vs Checkr 2026: Same Owner, Same Packages, Different Buying Terms

GoodHire and Checkr cost the same in 2026: both sell Basic at $29.99, Essential at $59.99 and Complete at $94.99 per check, with identical searches in each package. GoodHire is a Checkr company, and its pricing page sends you to Checkr's list of pass-through fees. Pick Checkr if you need add-ons such as employment verification or ongoing monitoring, because Checkr prints those prices on its pricing page and GoodHire's pricing page does not.

The search phrase "GoodHire vs Checkr" suggests two rivals, but GoodHire's own logo reads "GoodHire, A Checkr Company" and its Help Center link points to Checkr's help site. So the useful question is not which screener is cheaper, but which storefront prices the extras your hires need. This page compares both on packages, add-ons, volume rules and a 20-hire year, with every price read on 28 October 2026.

GoodHire vs Checkr at a glance

Package prices and contents read on GoodHire pricing and Checkr pricing on 28 October 2026. Both label them as "starting from" prices.

Toolradar data: in the October 2026 snapshot of Toolradar, the software directory we run, each brand is named as an alternative to 4 other tools. That puts GoodHire above the median of 3 among 41 legal and compliance tools, and Checkr above the median of 2 among 220 compliance tools. Buyers shop them against each other even though one company runs both.

Do the packages actually differ?

No: the three packages contain the same searches on both sites. The only difference is wording, "per check" at GoodHire and "per report" at Checkr.

• Basic covers an SSN trace, the sex offender registry, a global watchlist search and a national criminal search. It has no county court search, so it fits roles where a national database check is enough.
• Essential adds identity verification and unlimited county criminal searches. It is the package to start from for most hiring, because a county search follows the candidate's address history instead of relying on one national database.
• Complete adds unlimited state criminal searches and a federal criminal search. Federal court records do not show up in county or state searches, per Checkr's add-on notes, so Complete matters for roles where a federal case would change the decision.

Neither brand bundles a county search or an employment check into a cheaper tier. Anyone choosing between the two on package contents alone is choosing between identical products.

What 20 hires a year cost on each package

A 20-hire year costs $1,199.80 on Essential at either brand, before pass-through fees. The table is our arithmetic on the printed per-check prices, and it applies to GoodHire and Checkr alike.

The step from Basic to Essential costs $600 a year at this volume, and it buys county coverage for every candidate. The step from Essential to Complete costs $700 more, and it buys state and federal records. Complete earns its price only where a federal conviction or a state-level record would change the hiring decision.

Twenty hires keeps GoodHire's printed prices in force. Its pricing page splits buyers at 50 checks a year: below that you buy the preset packages online, above it GoodHire asks for a custom quote. A team planning to cross that line during the year should ask for a quote early rather than assume the list price holds.

Add-ons: where the two storefronts part ways

Checkr prints a price for each add-on; GoodHire's pricing page lists none. GoodHire's own screening pages for employment verification, driving records and drug testing describe the services but show no price, so a GoodHire buyer has to ask for those figures. Checkr's pricing page lists them, read on 28 October 2026:

Two of those prices change the 20-hire bill. Verifying each hire's current employer adds $250 a year at the $12.50 rate, taking Essential to $1,449.80 before database fees. Keeping all 20 workers under continuous criminal monitoring for a year adds $408, by our arithmetic on the monthly rate.

There is also a cheaper route for some hires. Basic plus one county search costs $54.99, or $5 less than Essential, but a candidate who needs a second county search pushes that to $79.99. If your candidates rarely move, Basic with a single county search can save money; if they do, Essential's unlimited counties is the safer price.

Pass-through fees apply at both

Neither list price is the final bill. Checkr passes court, DMV and database fees through at cost with no markup, and GoodHire's pricing page warns that third-party fees may apply and links to the same Checkr pass-through fee list.

• Pennsylvania hires carry a $22.44 state police fee for the PATCH criminal history database.
• Employment verification carries a database fee that depends on the employer's provider, from $17.95 at AmCheck to $119.90 at The Work Number.
• Education verification fees vary by school and clearinghouse, from $3.95 at the low end of Parchment's range.

That makes employment verification the line to watch. A $12.50 check that routes to The Work Number costs more than ten times its list price, so a team verifying every hire should budget for the database fee, not only the add-on.

Five checks before your first order

The package price is only the starting point, so a few decisions made before the first order keep the bill close to the list price at either brand.

1. Map each candidate's address history. Essential covers every county the candidate has lived in for one price, while Basic plus a single county add-on only saves money for someone who has stayed in one place.
2. Price Complete against a narrower build. At Checkr, Essential plus a federal search and one state search starts at $79.99 by our arithmetic, below Complete's price. Complete stays the better buy when a candidate's history spans several states, because its state searches are unlimited.
3. Ask where employment records sit. The verification fee depends on the database the previous employer uses, so ask the vendor how it will route the check before you add verification to every hire.
4. Flag Pennsylvania candidates. Each one carries the PATCH database fee on top of the package, which adds up for an employer hiring mostly in that state.
5. Plan for volume. GoodHire moves employers above 50 checks a year to a quote, and Checkr's Enterprise tier, also by quote, lists automated adjudication, 200+ ATS integrations and customized workflows. Teams near that volume should compare both quotes rather than the list prices.

Once a candidate clears the check, the rest of the first week runs through onboarding; the best onboarding software ranking covers the tools that take over from there.

Which one should you use?

• Use Checkr if you need any add-on, plan more than a handful of checks, or want ongoing monitoring. Every price is on one page, so you can model the full cost before you sign up. Our Checkr pricing breakdown prices four common hires with fees, and the Checkr review covers the product itself.
• Use GoodHire if you run a few checks a year from the three packages and like its storefront, which our GoodHire review covers. The package prices match Checkr's, so you give up nothing on those, but get add-on prices in writing before ordering.
• Look elsewhere if you need a quote-based enterprise vendor with a different network: our Checkr vs HireRight comparison and the best background check services ranking cover the wider field.

For the full cost of screening a new hire, read how much a background check costs. Work eligibility is a separate step: see whether E-Verify is free and the best I-9 and E-Verify software. If you are choosing the hiring stack around the check, the best ATS for small business compares the applicant tracking systems that sit around the check.

Frequently asked questions

Is GoodHire owned by Checkr?

Yes. GoodHire's site carries the logo "GoodHire, A Checkr Company", its Help Center link points to Checkr's help site, and its pricing page links to Checkr's pass-through fee list.

Is GoodHire cheaper than Checkr?

No. In October 2026 both sell Basic at $29.99, Essential at $59.99 and Complete at $94.99 per check, with the same searches in each package. The cost difference comes from add-ons, which Checkr prices on its pricing page and GoodHire's pricing page does not list.

How much do 20 background checks a year cost?

By our arithmetic on printed prices, 20 checks cost $599.80 on Basic, $1,199.80 on Essential and $1,899.80 on Complete at either brand, before court and database fees. Employment verification and monitoring add to that.

Which package includes a county criminal search?

Essential and Complete include unlimited county criminal searches at both brands. Basic does not; at Checkr you can add a single county search for $25 plus court fees.

Does GoodHire offer volume pricing?

GoodHire's pricing page sends employers running more than 50 checks a year to a custom quote with more than 100 screening options. Below 50 checks, the preset packages apply.

Does Checkr charge for continuous monitoring?

Yes. Checkr's continuous criminal search costs $1.70 per individual per month, and continuous MVR monitoring costs $2.50 per enrolled driver per month, plus any state fees.

Sources and method

Prices and package contents were read on 28 October 2026 on each vendor's own pages. Annual figures are our arithmetic: the printed per-check price times 20 hires, before tax and pass-through fees. Toolradar figures come from the GoodHire and Checkr profiles, October 2026 snapshot.

Cite this: HRpresso, "GoodHire vs Checkr 2026: Same Owner, Same Packages, Different Buying Terms", prices checked 28 October 2026.

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