Background screening · November 2026 Edition
BackgroundChecks.com vs Spokeo
Zero of fourteen models named BackgroundChecks.com first on the direct prompt; zero named Spokeo. BackgroundChecks.com was named by eleven of the fourteen models and Spokeo by nine and BackgroundChecks.com carries 20 labels and Spokeo 12, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in one category this edition.
Named in one category this edition.
First-choice share2%2%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate25%58%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#6#7A position in a field of 15; printed, not drawn.
Labels2012A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, BackgroundChecks.com reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Checkr was named alongside these two in twelve of the fourteen direct answers. Checkr vs BackgroundChecks.com · Checkr vs Spokeo · Certn vs BackgroundChecks.com
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the background screening page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
BackgroundChecks.comFirst choices, of fourteen modelsSpokeo
Direct00
Paraphrase00
Comparative00
Budget-constrained111 against BackgroundChecks.com · 5 against Spokeo
Scale-constrained00
Negative004 against BackgroundChecks.com · 2 against Spokeo
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where BackgroundChecks.com and Spokeo stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | |||||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | |||||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | ||||
| Perplexity Sonar | ||||||
| Grok 4.20 | | | | |||
| Mistral Small | | | ||||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | |||||
| Llama 4 Maverick | | |||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | |||||
| Kimi K2 | | |||||
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | ||||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | ||||
| GPT-6 Luna | ||||||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | | |
BackgroundChecks.com Spokeo first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, BackgroundChecks.com on the left and Spokeo on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where BackgroundChecks.com and Spokeo stood in it.
Neither was the first choice, one was named
1 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Muse Glimmer 30BCheckr alternatives: AccuSourceHR, Accurate Background, BackgroundChecks.com, Certn, HireShield, Mitratech AssureHire, Turn, Verified First
Neither was named
13 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Claude Haiku 4.5AccuSourceHR alternatives: Accurate Background, Bchex, Mitratech AssureHire
GPT-5.4 miniCheckr alternatives: Certn, GoodHire, VICTIG
Gemini 3.5 FlashCheckr alternatives: Accurate Background, Certn, Verified First
Perplexity SonarCheckr alternatives: AccuSourceHR, Certn, Mitratech AssureHire, Verified First
Grok 4.20Checkr alternatives: Certn, GoodHire
Mistral SmallCertn, Checkr alternatives: ADP RUN, Mitratech AssureHire, Verified First
DeepSeek V4 FlashCertn, Checkr alternatives: Accurate Background, GoodHire, Turn
Llama 4 MaverickCheckr alternatives: AccuSourceHR, Bchex, Certn, ClearStar, First Advantage, GoodHire, Mitratech AssureHire, Turn, Verified First
Qwen 3.7 FlashCheckster alternatives: BrightCheck, Certified Background, GoodHire
Kimi K2Certn, Checkr alternatives: First Advantage, GoodHire, Verified First
GLM 4.7 FlashXCheckr alternatives: Certn, GoodHire
MiniMax M2.5Checkr alternatives: Accurate Background, Certn, GoodHire
GPT-6 LunaAccurate Background alternatives: Checkr
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
BackgroundChecks.com leads by four points.
BackgroundChecks.com4%#4 of 10Spokeo0%#– of 10Mid-marketThe figures above
Level: the same share of first choices.
BackgroundChecks.com2%#6 of 15Spokeo2%#7 of 15Enterprise
BackgroundChecks.com is not named for this buyer.
BackgroundChecks.com—not namedSpokeo0%#– of 10What the models said about BackgroundChecks.com
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Allegations of overcharging; holding reports hostage until additional business details are provided” GLM 4.7 FlashX · negative prompt · hard negative
“Trustpilot score ~2.7/5... Complaints center on inaccurate data, poor customer service” Grok 4.20 · negative prompt · hard negative
“BBB customer review ratings average 1/5 stars with multiple scam allegations.” Muse Glimmer 30B · negative prompt · hard negative
“GoodHire or backgroundchecks.com (from the Sterling group) stand out as strong, affordable options” Grok 4.20 · budget prompt · first choice
“Best for Custom Packages ... well-regarded for allowing small businesses to customize exactly what they screen for” Qwen 3.7 Flash · budget prompt · alternative
“backgroundchecks.com is best for small companies needing customizable screening packages” Llama 4 Maverick · comparative prompt · alternative
What the models said about Spokeo
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Four of five in this category shown.
“Be especially cautious about using consumer background check services like Spokeo and Intelius for employment or rental decisions.” Claude Haiku 4.5 · negative prompt · hard negative
“such as *MyLife* and *Spokeo*) have faced FTC fines and actions for deceptively marketing their services as "background checks"” Gemini 3.5 Flash · negative prompt · hard negative
“consumer-oriented tools (like Spokeo or TruthFinder, which are cheaper but not FCRA-compliant and risky” Grok 4.20 · budget prompt · hard negative
“I'd recommend starting with Spokeo for occasional searches or BIB.com for more comprehensive employment screening needs” MiniMax M2.5 · budget prompt · first choice
Also compared
Checkr vs BackgroundChecks.comCheckr vs SpokeoCertn vs BackgroundChecks.comCertn vs SpokeoGoodHire vs BackgroundChecks.comGoodHire vs SpokeoAccurate Background vs BackgroundChecks.comAccurate Background vs SpokeoAccuSourceHR vs BackgroundChecks.comAccuSourceHR vs SpokeoAll twenty-one head-to-head pages and the full background screening standing
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.