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Sterling Logo

Technology-enabled background check service

Table of Contents

Sterling - 2026 Pricing, Features, Reviews & Alternatives

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All user reviews are verified by in-house moderators and provider data by our software research team.  Learn more

Last updated: January 2026

Sterling overview

What is Sterling?

Sterling is a technology-enabled service that helps businesses in finance, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, and other industries conduct employee background checks and identity verification. It enables recruiters to conduct criminal background checks and civil court record searches to gain insight into breach of contracts, civil judgments, domestic disputes, and restraining orders.

Sterling's drug and health screening functionality enables organizations to conduct various types of online training and occupational health screening, such as Fit For Duty exams, vaccination checks, and biometric services. It uses machine learning algorithms to perform social media checks, whilst maintaining compliance with EEOC, FCRA, and GDPR guidelines. The post-hiring workforce monitoring module provides real-time risk alerts on employee criminal activities, including DUIs, assaults, and theft. Hiring managers can use the self-service portal to access and download dashboards to gain insight into the entire background and drug and health screening process.

Sterling comes with an API, which allows users to integrate the system with third-party applications, such as Workday, Jobvite, Linkedin, and more. It provides a separate candidate portal, which lets applicants upload relevant information and track background check completion progress. The built-in corporate and government forms library provides access to forms, such as disability disclosure, tax withholding, emergency contacts, and employee benefits.

Starting price

1

Alternatives

with better value for money

Sterling’s user interface

Ease of use rating:

Sterling reviews

Overall rating

4.0

/5

30

Positive reviews

70

%

Rating breakdown
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend7.79/10
Rating distribution

5

4

3

2

1

14

7

7

0

2

Pros
“Overall excellent experience. Salesforce is top notch and customer service has been responsive.”
CC

Chris C.

Director of Human Resources

“Great program, using this is very helpful to the business field I am in and makes things move along fluidly.”
MB

Melissa B.

Human Resources

“This work great for performing credit checks on rental applications. Work seamlessly and gives me results within 24 hours.”

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Anonymity request

Cons
“There are times when my company processes 20 or more background checks per day. We've had some trouble with turn-around times under these situations.”
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Richard K.

Onboarding and Benefits Coordinator

“Whenever we need a client package set up, the feedback is always extremely slow and frustrating. Even when we express that we need it done quickly.”
HL

Heather L.

Controller

“I'm not sure why it got stuck other than I was told the court was taking a long time releasing records but overall that was the only con I really encountered.”
Verified reviewer profile picture

Sharyn S.

HR Supervisor

Who uses Sterling?

Based on 30 verified user reviews.

Company size

Enterprises

Small Businesses

Midsize Businesses

Top industries

Staffing and Recruiting
Hospital & Health Care
Internet
Real Estate
Others

Use cases

Background Check Services
Background Check
Human Capital Management
Human Resource Apps
Online HR

Sterling's key features

Most critical features, based on insights from Sterling users:

Background screening
Data verification
Summary Reports
Online applications
Employment screening
Employment Eligibility Verification

All Sterling features

Features rating:

API
Batch processing
Reporting & statistics
Reporting/Analytics
Employee onboarding
Third-Party integrations
Compliance management
Self service portal
Status tracking
Alerts/Notifications
Dashboard
Identity verification
Onboarding
Records management
Screening services integration

Sterling alternatives

Sterling logo

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1

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Sterling pricing

Value for money rating:

Starting from

1

Pricing details
Subscription
Free trial
Free plan
Pricing range

User opinions about Sterling price and value

Value for money rating:

To see what individual users think of Sterling's price and value, check out the review snippets below.

“Overall excellent experience. Salesforce is top notch and customer service has been responsive.”
CC

Chris C.

Director of Human Resources

“Great program, using this is very helpful to the business field I am in and makes things move along fluidly.”
MB

Melissa B.

Human Resources

Sterling integrations (29)

Integrations rated by users

We looked at 30 user reviews to identify which products are mentioned as Sterling integrations and how users feel about them.

Greenhouse logo
Greenhouse

Integration rating: 1.0 (1)

Sterling support options

Typical customers

Freelancers
Small businesses
Mid size businesses
Large enterprises

Platforms supported

Web
Android
iPhone/iPad

Support options

Phone Support
FAQs/Forum
Knowledge Base
Email/Help Desk

Sterling FAQs

Q. What type of pricing plans does Sterling offer?

Sterling has the following pricing plans:
Starting from: $1.00

These products have better value for money


Q. Who are the typical users of Sterling?

Sterling has the following typical customers:
Freelancers, Large Enterprises, Mid Size Business, Non Profit, Public Administrations, Small Business


Q. What languages does Sterling support?

Sterling supports the following languages:
English


Q. Does Sterling offer an API?

Yes, Sterling has an API available for use.


Q. What other apps does Sterling integrate with?

Sterling integrates with the following applications:
Cornerstone HR, Bullhorn ATS & CRM, iCIMS Hire, Lever, SmartRecruiters, Jobvite, Avature, Pereless, Agile HR, Mitratech TalentReef, SmartSearch, LinkedIn for Business, Fountain, JazzHR, Greenhouse


Q. What level of support does Sterling offer?

Sterling offers the following support options:
Phone Support, FAQs/Forum, Knowledge Base, Email/Help Desk

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