Compare/Head to head

Certn vs CrossChq

Same facts, side by side: starting price, free tier, MCP, API and what each one is actually built for.

Starting price

Certn

$13.99/check

Background screening with public self-serve checks. US Core Criminal is $13.99 on the USD card; a separate CAD card is published for Canada.

Where Certn fits

  • US and Canadian employers buying criminal and identity checks
  • Staffing teams that want self-serve packages
  • ATS-connected hiring on Greenhouse, Lever, or Workday
  • Buyers who want a public check price instead of a CRA quote

CrossChq

Sales-quoted

Automated reference checks, fraud detection, and quality-of-hire analytics. Pricing is quote-based.

Where CrossChq fits

  • TA teams replacing manual reference calls
  • Companies on Workday, Greenhouse, or iCIMS
  • Quality-of-hire programmes that want structured reference data
  • Hiring that needs fraud signals on applications

At a glance

DetailCertnCrossChq
Starting price$13.99/checkSales-quoted
Free tier–No–No
MCP server–No–No
Public API✓Yes–No
Listed underBackground checkAssessments, Background check, Reference checks
Capterra4.6 from 81 reviews4.9 from 15 reviews

Where they pull apart

Certn

Stands out: A rare public rate card for screening (criminal, identity, and verifications priced per check in both USD and CAD), plus ATS names (Greenhouse, Lever, Workday) on the marketing site.

Watch out: There are two rate cards, one in USD and one in CAD, and the figures differ. Check you are reading the one for your hiring country before you budget, and remember county searches and pass-through access fees stack on the headline check.

Not the right fit for

  • Teams that want one global rate card rather than per-country pricing
  • Enterprises standardised on Sterling or First Advantage
  • Buyers who need a free trial of a background check

CrossChq

Stands out: References as structured data plus fraud and quality-of-hire, not a phone-tag spreadsheet.

Watch out: Pricing is quote-based, so budget from a quote.

Not the right fit for

  • SMBs that want a $42 Veremark package
  • Teams that only need a criminal background check
  • Buyers who need a public price grid

Pros and cons

Certn

  • Public self-serve check prices rather than a CRA quote
  • Greenhouse, Lever, and Workday named
  • Identity plus criminal plus verifications in one vendor
  • Two currency cards to keep straight
  • County searches and access fees stack on the headline price
  • No trial

CrossChq

  • Structured references instead of phone tag
  • Workday, Greenhouse, and iCIMS named
  • Fraud and quality-of-hire in the same product family
  • No published pricing grid
  • Not a criminal background check
  • SMB packages like Veremark may be cheaper for simple references

What each one costs

Certn

$13.99/check

Self-serve USD on the US site: US Core Criminal $13.99, Complete $49.99, Complete+ $79.99; Basic Canadian Criminal $17.99, Enhanced $21.50; OneID $3.50; digital references $3.50; Social Media $42.99; MVR $25.99. County searches add $9.99 where applicable, and third-party pass-through access fees may apply. A separate CAD card is published at certn.co/pricing. Enterprise and volume are quoted. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 4 Nov 2026

CrossChq

Sales-quoted

Crosschq does not publish a price, and crosschq.com has no pricing page. Buyers book a demo for a quote. The $399/mo figure on some review sites does not come from Crosschq. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 4 Nov 2026

Common questions

Can you try Certn or CrossChq for free?
Neither carries a free tier on our listing.

Not the pair you wanted?

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Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 4 Nov 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?