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GoodHire: cost, fit and limits

GoodHire is an employment screening service, shown on its own site as a Checkr company, that sells criminal, driving record, drug test, education and employment verification checks to small and mid-size US employers on a per-check basis.

What to know first

GoodHire prices three packages per check: Basic at $29.99, Essential at $59.99 and Complete at $94.99, with a custom quote for employers above 50 checks a year. Employers with fewer than 50 checks use custom packages. The security page credits infrastructure providers for certifications, and no AI feature is named on the pages read. Third-party fees may be added to any package.

GoodHire at a glance

MakerGoodHire (shown on its site as a Checkr company), United States
Free planNo
Entry price$29.99 per check
API accessYes
CategoryBest AI Background Check Software in 2026, rank 3 of 12
Websitegoodhire.com

Who GoodHire is best for

Small employers with occasional hires

Published per-check packages let an owner with a handful of hires a year price the work without a contract, and results arrive in a mobile-friendly candidate view.

Multi-location operators

One dashboard manages checks across locations, departments, divisions or clients, which helps a franchisor or staffing firm keep results in one place.

Role-specific screening policies

Custom packages by job role or client mean a warehouse hire and an office hire can carry different check sets, so unneeded searches are not paid for.

GoodHire plans and pricing

PlanPriceWhat it includes
Basic$29.99 per checkSSN trace, sex offender registry, global watchlist and national criminal search. The packages are priced per check, and fees from third parties can be added later.
Essential$59.99 per checkAdds identity verification and unlimited county criminal search to Basic. This package adds the county-level searches that Basic leaves out, still per check.
Complete$94.99 per checkAdds unlimited state criminal search and a federal criminal search to Essential. This is the highest published package, still priced per check with third-party fees possible.
Pre-set packages (50+ checks a year)Custom quotePre-set packages with more than 100 screening options, priced by quote. Employers in that range receive pre-set bundles and a custom quote, not a printed rate.

Checked November 2026.

What GoodHire does

Five check families
Criminal, driving record, employment drug test, education verification and employment verification are the five categories the site names. Each family is ordered inside one account, so a hiring manager does not use separate vendors.
Results dashboard
A dashboard shows status updates for each candidate, and results can be read on a phone through a mobile-optimized candidate view. Candidates and employers see the same status, which cuts the number of status emails a recruiter fields.
Custom packages
Packages can be designed per job role or per client, so an employer pays only for the searches that role needs. The site says custom packages help avoid paying for checks the role does not need.
Central management
Checks across locations, departments, divisions or clients are handled from one place, which keeps a multi-site business consistent. This suits staffing firms that run screening on behalf of several client companies.
Speed claim
The vendor says 90% of nationwide criminal checks come back in under one minute. That figure is the vendor's, and county and manual checks run longer.

How GoodHire handles your data

The security page describes a US-based web service built across multiple availability zones on infrastructure providers, without naming a region. It says SSAE 16 and/or ISO 27001 apply to those infrastructure providers, for example AWS, and states no SOC 2 or ISO certification for GoodHire itself. Encryption in transit uses TLS 1.2, according to a page last updated July 9, 2019. Retention periods and any rule on model training are not stated on the pages read, so the vendor's policy was not checked for this.

Where GoodHire falls short in practice

  • Prices mirror Checkr's. The Basic, Essential and Complete prices match those Checkr prints for Workforce plans, so a buyer gets no price advantage from choosing GoodHire over its parent company.
  • Dated security page. The security page was last updated in July 2019 and its certifications belong to infrastructure providers. A reviewer should ask for current documents from GoodHire itself.
  • Volume line at 50 checks. Below 50 checks a year the site points to custom packages, and above it to pre-set packages with a quote, so the printed price is a starting point.

Alternatives to GoodHire

GoodHire: common questions

How much does GoodHire cost per check?

GoodHire prints Basic at $29.99, Essential at $59.99 and Complete at $94.99, each per check. Third-party fees may apply on top. Employers expecting more than 50 checks a year receive pre-set packages by quote, so the volume you forecast changes which price page applies.

Is GoodHire the same company as Checkr?

The GoodHire site logo reads "GoodHire, A Checkr Company", but no separate legal entity is named on the pages read. The identical price points for Basic, Essential and Complete are consistent with a shared product line. Confirm the contracting entity before signing.

Does GoodHire offer a free plan?

No free plan was found on the pages read. Pricing is per check, from $29.99 for Basic. Checkr, the company named on GoodHire's logo, offers a free personal plan for individuals, but that is not listed as a GoodHire product.

Does GoodHire use AI to screen candidates?

No AI feature is named on the vendor pages read. The product pitch rests on check coverage, a results dashboard and role-based packages. A buyer who wants AI-assisted record review should ask the vendor directly or look at vendors that describe it, such as Checkr or Certn.

What does the Essential package include?

Essential at $59.99 per check lists identity verification, SSN trace, sex offender registry search, global watchlist search, national criminal search and unlimited county criminal search. Complete adds unlimited state criminal search and a federal criminal search for $94.99. Third-party fees may apply.

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