# Sterling alternatives: what AI models name instead, November 2026

Gane Index, November 2026 Edition. 219 of the 252 answers in the 1 category where Sterling holds a standing named it neither first nor as an alternative; these are the first choices those answers made. Page: https://www.gane.ai/index/hr/vendors/sterling/alternatives

## Named instead, most often (every category and segment added)

- Checkr: 79
- GoodHire: 34
- First Advantage: 15
- Certn: 10
- HireRight: 7
- HireShield: 4

## Background screening

**Small business**: 82 of 84 answers did not name Sterling (Sterling is #9 of 10 at 0%).

- Checkr: first choice in 29 of those 82
- GoodHire: first choice in 28 of those 82
- BackgroundChecks.com: first choice in 2 of those 82
- BackgroundReport.com: first choice in 2 of those 82
- Certn: first choice in 2 of those 82
- HireShield: first choice in 2 of those 82
- ShareAble for Hires: first choice in 2 of those 82
- 5 Star Background Checks: first choice in 1 of those 82

**Mid-market**: 74 of 84 answers did not name Sterling (Sterling is #12 of 15 at 0%).

- Checkr: first choice in 31 of those 74
- Certn: first choice in 7 of those 74
- GoodHire: first choice in 4 of those 74
- Accurate Background: first choice in 3 of those 74
- AccuSourceHR: first choice in 2 of those 74
- HireShield: first choice in 2 of those 74
- 5 Star Background Checks: first choice in 1 of those 74
- BackgroundChecks.com: first choice in 1 of those 74

**Enterprise**: 63 of 84 answers did not name Sterling (Sterling is #4 of 10 at 12%).

- Checkr: first choice in 19 of those 63
- First Advantage: first choice in 15 of those 63
- HireRight: first choice in 7 of those 63
- GoodHire: first choice in 2 of those 63
- Certn: first choice in 1 of those 63
- Turn: first choice in 1 of those 63

Published under CC BY 4.0. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.