Recruitment · head to head
Checkr vs Glassdoor
Checkr
Recruitment
Background check platform priced per report, with third-party court fees passed through separately
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Glassdoor
Recruitment
Employer review and salary transparency app owned by Recruit Holdings, the same parent as Indeed
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Glassdoor has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Checkr advertised per-report prices exclude court and database access fees, so the real cost per candidate varies by jurisdiction and is higher than the sticker in many counties; Glassdoor it shares the same parent company, Recruit Holdings, as Indeed, whose revenue depends on employer ad spend, which sits in tension with Glassdoor's role as an independent employer watchdog.
- They diverge on capability: Checkr covers Package pricing, Glassdoor covers Employee reviews.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Checkr and Glassdoor actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Recruitment).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Checkr
- Package pricing
- API and dashboard
- Adjudication tools
- Continuous checks
- Candidate portal
Only in Glassdoor
- Employee reviews
- Salary reports
- Interview insights
- CEO approval rating
- Job listings
- Company comparisons
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Checkr
- A company running high-volume hourly or gig hiring that needs API-driven checks integrated into an existing ATSnot Glassdoor
- A startup or mid-size employer wanting self-service ordering through a dashboard without a dedicated screening account managernot Glassdoor
- An employer that needs continuous rescreening for driving-related roles rather than a one-time check at hirenot Glassdoor
- A company budgeting screening costs that needs to model court fee variance across the states it hires innot Glassdoor
Glassdoor
- Researching a company's culture and management reputation before accepting a job offernot Checkr
- Comparing self-reported salary data for a role before a negotiationnot Checkr
- Reading anonymous interview reports to prepare for a specific company's processnot Checkr
- Checking CEO and leadership approval trends before joining a companynot Checkr
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Checkr
- Advertised per-report prices exclude court and database access fees, so the real cost per candidate varies by jurisdiction and is higher than the sticker in many counties
- Turnaround time depends on how fast individual courts process requests, which Checkr does not control and which can stretch well past the advertised average in rural or backlogged counties
- Add-on checks such as MVR, drug screening and education verification are priced separately, so a full pre-employment package can cost significantly more than the base package price suggests
- Enterprise-scale volume requires a custom Enterprise contract rather than the published per-report rates, so large employers cannot rely on the public pricing page to budget
- Compliance obligations under the FCRA and state ban-the-box laws remain the employer's responsibility even though Checkr provides tooling, so legal review is still needed rather than assumed away by the platform
- Candidate disputes and re-adjudication can add days to a hiring timeline, which matters for roles filled under time pressure
Glassdoor
- It shares the same parent company, Recruit Holdings, as Indeed, whose revenue depends on employer ad spend, which sits in tension with Glassdoor's role as an independent employer watchdog.
- Review authenticity cannot be independently verified, and companies have periodically been accused of soliciting favourable reviews from current employees to offset negative ones.
- Self-reported salary data is not verified against payroll records, so figures for a given role and company can be inconsistent or dated.
- Older accounts were required to submit their own review or salary before unlocking others' data, and remnants of that give-to-get pressure can still affect what gets submitted.
- Employers can purchase enhanced branding pages, which changes what job seekers see on a company's page compared with a company that has not paid for branding.
Pricing, plan by plan
Checkr
On request- Basic$29.99/report
- SSN trace
- Sex offender registry
- Global watchlist
- Essential$59.99/report
- Everything in Basic
- Identity verification
- Unlimited county criminal search
- Complete$94.99/report
- Everything in Essential
- Unlimited state criminal search
- Federal criminal search
Glassdoor
Free- Job seeker accountFree
- Free browsing of reviews, salaries and listings
Which should you pick?
Choose Checkr if
- You need package pricing.
- You work on Web, API.
- You also want api and dashboard.
Choose Glassdoor if
- You need employee reviews.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS, Android, Web.
- You also want salary reports.
Questions people ask
- Is Checkr or Glassdoor better?
- Neither clearly leads. Checkr starts at On request and Glassdoor at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Checkr or Glassdoor?
- Glassdoor has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Checkr and Free for Glassdoor.
- Does Checkr or Glassdoor run on more platforms?
- Checkr runs on Web, API. Glassdoor runs on iOS, Android, Web.
- Can I use Glassdoor for free?
- Yes. Glassdoor has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Checkr starts at On request.
- What is Checkr best used for?
- Checkr is most often used for a company running high-volume hourly or gig hiring that needs api-driven checks integrated into an existing ats, a startup or mid-size employer wanting self-service ordering through a dashboard without a dedicated screening account manager, an employer that needs continuous rescreening for driving-related roles rather than a one-time check at hire, a company budgeting screening costs that needs to model court fee variance across the states it hires in. Of those, a company running high-volume hourly or gig hiring that needs api-driven checks integrated into an existing ats and a startup or mid-size employer wanting self-service ordering through a dashboard without a dedicated screening account manager are not what Glassdoor is typically brought in for.
- What can Checkr do that Glassdoor cannot?
- Checkr covers Package pricing, API and dashboard, Adjudication tools, Continuous checks. Glassdoor covers Employee reviews, Salary reports, Interview insights, CEO approval rating.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Checkr: Does the per-report price include court fees?
No. Checkr states that standard third-party court and database access fees are passed through at cost on top of the package price, and these vary by jurisdiction.
Glassdoor: Is Glassdoor free to use?
Yes for job seekers; employers pay for enhanced branding and recruiting products.
Checkr: Can Checkr be used without an ATS integration?
Yes, checks can be ordered manually through the Checkr dashboard as well as programmatically through the API.
Glassdoor: Are Glassdoor and Indeed the same company?
No, they are separate products but share the same parent company, Recruit Holdings.
Checkr: Is pricing different for enterprise volume?
Yes, high-volume employers negotiate an Enterprise contract rather than paying the published per-report rates.
Glassdoor: Are Glassdoor reviews verified?
No, reviews and salary reports are self-reported and anonymous; Glassdoor applies moderation but does not verify employment or salary details against payroll records.
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