Head to head

Certn vs Persona

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

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

Persona

Sales-quoted

Modular identity platform for KYC, KYB, fraud, and workforce verification. Pricing is quote-based.

Where Persona fits

Marketplaces and fintechs building KYC or KYB
Trust and safety teams fighting coordinated fraud
HR teams verifying workers at scale
Product teams that need custom verification flows

At a glance

Detail	Certn	Persona
Starting price	$13.99/check	Sales-quoted
Free tier	–No	–No
MCP server	–No	–No
Public API	✓Yes	✓Yes
Listed under	Background check	Candidate fraud & AI detection
Capterra	4.6 from 81 reviews	4.9 from 28 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

Persona

Stands out: Building blocks for verification, workflows, fraud graph, and case review rather than a single fixed check.

Watch out: There is no public rate card. This is an identity stack for product and risk teams, not a cheap one-off ID scan.

Not the right fit for

Teams that only need a low-cost ID scan
Buyers who want a public per-check price

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

Persona

Modular KYC, KYB, and fraud graph
Hosted, embedded, and API options
Workforce and customer verification

Quote-only, no public rate card
Heavier than a single ID scan
Buying starts with a demo

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 18 Sep 2026

Persona

Sales-quoted

Sales-quoted. No public rate card on the vendor site. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

Common questions

Can you try Certn or Persona 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 18 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?