European Alternatives to Checkr
Looking for a European alternative to Checkr? Checkr, Inc. is based at 1 Montgomery Street in San Francisco and its Terms of Service are governed by California law. Its pricing page lists pay-as-you-go packages from $29.99 (Basic), $59.99 (Essential) and $94.99 (Complete) per report, with court and database access fees passed through at cost.
The European tools below range from packaged screening such as Pescheck, Veremark and Zinc to data-in-region options like Validato and EveryCheck, and UK DBS services including EBC Global and eSafeguarding.
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Category fit and hands-on review
What the tool actually does, who it suits, and where it falls short — checked against the vendor’s own documentation, changelog and pricing page rather than its marketing copy.
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Compliance and pricing check
GDPR posture, hosting location and the prices quoted on this page are verified against the vendor’s public pricing before publication, and re-checked when we revisit the category.
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11 European Alternatives to Checkr
Pescheck
Dutch screening platform with euro per-screening prices and DACH coverage
Veremark
London-based screening with 40+ check types across 180 countries
Zinc
UK screening software for DBS, right to work and global criminal checks
Validato
Zurich provider storing screening data on servers in Switzerland
EveryCheck
French CV, diploma and reference verification hosted in France
EBC Global
Cardiff DBS registered body with a screening platform and API
Verifile
Bedford screening firm with custom packages and a background check API
eSafeguarding
Nottingham online DBS service with tiered per-check prices
Personnel Checks
Blackburn umbrella body publishing DBS, financial and licence check prices
Due Diligence Checking
Leicester DBS umbrella body offering pre-employment checks and an API
ToFindOut
Stockholm background checks ordered from Swedish recruitment systems
Key takeaways
- Checkr, Inc. of San Francisco lists its packages at $29.99, $59.99 and $94.99 per report, with court and database fees passed through at cost.
- Checkr's Terms of Service route disputes to binding AAA arbitration under the Federal Arbitration Act and include a class action waiver.
- Checkr's privacy policy sends people in the UK, EU, EEA and Switzerland to a separate GDPR policy and a Data Privacy Framework notice.
- Pescheck (Enschede) publishes euro prices of €36, €64 and €146 per screening, which is the closest like-for-like price list to Checkr's.
- Validato (Zurich) states that its data is stored 100% on servers in Switzerland, and EveryCheck (Rennes) names OVH in Roubaix as its host.
Why people leave Checkr
Checkr, Inc. runs a background check platform that is built around the American record system.
Its pricing page describes the three standard packages by what they search: an SSN trace, a sex offender registry, a national criminal database, then unlimited county, state and federal criminal searches as you move up. Those are the sources a US employer needs. A hiring manager in Amsterdam, Zurich or Cardiff has a different list: a Dutch VOG, a Swiss extract, a DBS certificate, a right-to-work check.
The contract is American too. Checkr's Terms of Service, effective 7 July 2026, are with Checkr, Inc. in San Francisco and send disputes to binding arbitration under the Federal Arbitration Act, administered by the American Arbitration Association, with a class action waiver. Its privacy policy says Checkr may process personal information outside the country you live in, and points people in the UK, EU, EEA and Switzerland to a separate GDPR policy and a Data Privacy Framework notice.
None of that makes Checkr a bad product, and plenty of European firms with US hiring use it for good reason. The people who go looking for a European alternative usually have a narrower problem: criminal record and identity data about their own candidates, held by a vendor whose terms they would rather not enforce from a distance.
- The packages are priced and described in US terms The pricing page quotes dollars per report, from $29.99 for Basic to $94.99 for Complete, and notes that court and database access fees are passed through at cost on top. A buyer in the euro zone therefore starts from a dollar figure with a variable surcharge and no list of what a European search would cost. The packages are also named after US searches, so a Dutch or Swiss employer has to ask what actually gets checked for a candidate who has never lived in the United States.
- Disputes go to American arbitration Section 13 of the Terms of Service is an arbitration agreement and class action waiver, governed by the Federal Arbitration Act and run by the AAA, with an opt-out route described in the same section. A European employer that signs up for self-service accepts those terms. The tools on this page are contracted in the Netherlands, France, the UK, Switzerland and Sweden, and their customers can pursue a claim in their own legal system.
- GDPR is handled in a side document Checkr's main privacy policy covers the US reader, and says that people in the EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland should read the GDPR Privacy Policy for transfers. A candidate's criminal record is among the most sensitive data an employer touches, and in Europe its handling is tightly restricted by national law. Starting from a vendor whose own documents treat GDPR as a variant makes the data processing agreement and the transfer basis the first thing your lawyer must check.
- Group scope is wider than background checks The same privacy policy covers Zethos, Inc., which trades as Truework, alongside Checkr. A customer who thinks they are buying a hiring tool is therefore also dealing with a group that does income and employment verification. That is useful in the US mortgage and tenant markets, and irrelevant to an HR team in Sweden, but it shapes how the vendor writes its policies.
What you have to replace, not just match
Checkr is a platform with a long tail around the basic screening report, and what you must replace depends on what you actually bought. For most European HR teams that is four things: the criminal record or equivalent certificate, an identity check, employment and education verification, and the link from the applicant tracking system that triggers a check when a candidate reaches a certain stage.
On the first, the decisive question is the country. Pescheck covers the Benelux and DACH regions, Validato holds Swiss data for the DACH financial sector, EveryCheck handles French CV and diploma verification, ToFindOut works for Swedish employers, and Zinc, EBC Global, Personnel Checks, eSafeguarding and Due Diligence Checking issue UK DBS certificates. Veremark is the only one of these built for multi-country hiring with published candidate prices.
The extras on Checkr's price list are a different matter. Motor vehicle records, continuous monitoring and drug screening are American products tied to American databases, and most European employers will simply not need a like-for-like replacement. If you ran continuous criminal monitoring for gig drivers, expect to use a UK or national provider, not a single European vendor.
The alternatives compared
| Position | Tool | Headquarters | Pricing | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pescheck | Enschede, Netherlands | From €36 (Standard), €64 (Enhanced) or €146 (Complete) per screening, pay as you go | EU (Netherlands) |
| #2 | Veremark | London, United Kingdom | Packages from $42 (Essential), $144 (Professional) and $183 (Executive) per candidate; single checks from $14; prices shown in US dollars | United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #3 | Zinc | England (city not stated), United Kingdom | Not published; free account sign-up, quote for volume | United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #4 | Validato | Zurich, Switzerland | Pay-as-you-go with no subscription; amounts not published | Switzerland (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #5 | EveryCheck | Rennes, France | Not published; demo request | EU (France) |
| #6 | EBC Global | Cardiff, United Kingdom | Lite £49 per month per user; Pro £100 to £299 per month per user; Enterprise bespoke; 12-day free trial | United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #7 | Verifile | Bedford, United Kingdom | Custom packages and ad hoc checks; no amounts published | United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #8 | eSafeguarding | Nottingham, United Kingdom | Standard £32.00 and Enhanced £53.00 inc. VAT for 0 to 100 checks; ID checking £12.00 inc. VAT extra | United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #9 | Personnel Checks | Blackburn, United Kingdom | Basic £44.00, Standard £44.00, Enhanced £65.00, Volunteer £24.00; right to work £5.50; DVLA £10.50; online ID £6.00 | United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #10 | Due Diligence Checking | Syston (Leicester), United Kingdom | Fees listed on its DBS cost page (see website); no amounts seen | United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #11 | ToFindOut | Stockholm, Sweden | Report packages without published amounts | EU (Sweden) |
How each alternative compares to Checkr
Best for: Dutch, Belgian, German and Swiss employers who want a per-screening price list
PESCHECK B.V. in Enschede sells screenings in three packages, much as Checkr does with Basic, Essential and Complete. Standard at €36 covers an ID check, a criminal record and a records upload, Enhanced at €64 adds an integrity assessment and right to work, and Complete at €146 adds a work reference and an adverse media search. Checkr's pass-through fees have no counterpart in the pages we read.
Where Checkr leads with 200+ ATS integrations on its Enterprise tier, Pescheck lists 166 systems and says most run through Kombo, an integration partner, so there is an extra processor in the chain. Its data security page states ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and a Trust Center, but not a hosting region.
What Pescheck does better than Checkr
- Prices in euros with a Dutch company and KvK number, not dollars from San Francisco
- No contract or minimum volume stated on the pages checked
- Integrations with Personio, AFAS and Teamtailor that European HR teams already use
- Dutch and German site versions
Where Pescheck is a step down from Checkr
- Integration list relies on a third party, Kombo
- Coverage outside Benelux and DACH depends on partners
- Hosting region not stated
Standout against Checkr. It is the only tool here that publishes three euro price points in the same package structure Checkr uses.
Best for: Employers with candidates in several countries who need an API and reusable results
Veremark Ltd of London is the closest in scope to Checkr among the tools here: it claims 40+ check types across 180 countries, an API called Verelink and continuous screening. Candidates keep their results as a Verepass credential and can reuse them with another employer. Two points against it.
Prices are in US dollars, with Essential at $42 and Executive at $183 per candidate, so a European buyer sees the same currency problem as with Checkr. And the company lists offices in New York state, Manila, Sydney, Singapore and Dubai, which makes it important to ask where each check is processed.
What Veremark does better than Checkr
- Registered in England and Wales with a published company number
- Reusable Verepass credentials for candidates
- Packages start at $42 per candidate, below Checkr's Essential report
- Compliance frameworks named: ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 Type II, Cyber Essentials
Where Veremark is a step down from Checkr
- Prices are in US dollars
- Hosting region not stated
- Offices in the US and Asia-Pacific could handle checks
Standout against Checkr. It offers the same breadth as Checkr, with European contracting and a candidate-owned credential.
Best for: UK employers in finance, care and education, with the odd overseas hire
Zinc Work Ltd is registered in England and Wales and builds around UK rules: sector pages for the FCA, CQC and Ofsted, DBS at Basic, Standard and Enhanced level with Barred List search, and a DBS eligibility checker that picks the right level from a job title. Checkr's pages describe none of this.
For overseas candidates Zinc states criminal checks in 195 countries, with up to three days turnaround. The weak points are visible: no price list on the pages we read, no stated city, and no hosting region. It names a Greenhouse integration and an ISO 27001 certificate number.
What Zinc does better than Checkr
- Handles DBS levels and Barred List search, which a US platform cannot issue
- Criminal checks in 195 countries for non-UK candidates
- ISO 27001 certificate number shown on the site
- Sector packages built around FCA, CQC and Ofsted expectations
Where Zinc is a step down from Checkr
- No public prices, where Checkr lists its packages
- Hosting region and city not stated
Standout against Checkr. Its built-in DBS eligibility checker chooses the correct certificate level from the job title.
Best for: Banks, energy and infrastructure employers that need data held in Switzerland
Validato AG of Zurich says all screening data is stored on servers in Switzerland, which is the clearest data-location statement of the eleven tools. It also maps its checks to regulations such as NIS2, DORA, MiFID II and AMLD6, and states ISO 27001 certification and deletion within 120 days at most, to customer specification.
Compared with Checkr the offer is narrower on price transparency: it is pay-as-you-go without a subscription, but no amounts are published. The legal notice also names a Slovak subsidiary, Validato (Slovensko) a.s., and addresses in Vienna and Frankfurt. Switzerland is outside the EU, covered by an adequacy decision.
What Validato does better than Checkr
- States Swiss storage as 100%, where Checkr discusses transfers
- Checks mapped to NIS2, DORA and EBA fit and proper rules
- German, English and French interfaces
- Retention described as deletion within 120 days at most
Where Validato is a step down from Checkr
- No published prices
- A Slovak subsidiary handles part of the operation
- Less suited to small or occasional hires
Standout against Checkr. It is the only tool here that ties each check to a named regulation and states its storage as 100% Swiss.
Best for: French recruiters verifying degrees, employment history and references
WEBCHECK SAS, trading as EveryCheck, is registered in Rennes (RCS 812 803 724) and says it was founded in 2015 to bring the Anglo-Saxon background check practice to France. Its legal notice names OVH in Roubaix as the host, and the homepage says searches use public information with explicit candidate consent.
The scope is verification of CVs, diplomas and employment, collection of references, and integrity checks that combine a criminal record extract with directorships, PEP, sanctions and online reputation. Checkr's equivalent would be a bundle of US searches, so the use case differs. No prices or ATS list appeared on the pages checked.
What EveryCheck does better than Checkr
- French hosting at OVH in Roubaix stated in the legal notice
- Diploma and reference checks, which Checkr's three packages do not list
- Site in French, English and Spanish
Where EveryCheck is a step down from Checkr
- No published pricing
- ATS connectors are not listed
- Focus on France, with less coverage elsewhere
Standout against Checkr. It names its French host in the legal notice, and its checks start with the CV and the diploma.
Best for: Recruitment agencies and compliance teams running DBS applications at volume
EBC Global Ltd of Cardiff is a DBS Registered Body and bills by seat, not by report: EBC Lite is £49 a month per user, EBC Pro £100 to £299 a month per user, and a 12-day free trial is offered. That is a different model from Checkr's pay-as-you-go packages, and it suits teams that process applications every day.
The vendor says average processing fell from 23 days to around 10, and that 1 in 2 Enhanced DBS checks return within 24 hours. Those are its own figures. The API page describes one API linking 7 integrated checks to ATS, CRM and workforce systems. Statutory fees are not itemised separately from seat prices on the pages we read.
What EBC Global does better than Checkr
- Acts as a DBS Registered Body, which Checkr is not described as
- Public monthly prices and a free trial
- Right to work and DVLA licence checks next to DBS
Where EBC Global is a step down from Checkr
- Per-user pricing is costly for occasional use
- UK only in practice
- Hosting region not stated
Standout against Checkr. It is billed by software seat, which suits a team processing DBS applications daily.
Best for: Public sector and regulated employers buying through UK frameworks
Verifile Limited of Bedford has traded since 2004 according to its site footer, and its pricing page names the CCS G-Cloud 14, CPC, ESPO, FSQS and Achilles frameworks. For a public body that has to buy through a framework, that matters more than a package price, and Checkr's self-service sign-up does not address it.
Packages can be built for BPSS, BS7858 and FCA standards, with an API for ATS-linked screening. No prices are published, the ultimate owner above the holding company is not stated, and the privacy notice describes transfers outside the UK and EEA, so ask where checks are processed.
What Verifile does better than Checkr
- Procurement framework listings for public sector buyers
- Packages designed for BPSS and BS7858 vetting
- Passport validation against the machine-readable zone
Where Verifile is a step down from Checkr
- No published price list
- Ownership above the holding company not stated
Standout against Checkr. It sells through five named public procurement frameworks, which Checkr's self-service model does not.
Best for: Schools, charities and small employers that need only DBS certificates
eSafeguarding, a trading name of Affinity Workforce Solutions Ltd in Nottingham, splits each price into the check, an admin fee and VAT. For 0 to 100 checks a Standard certificate is £32.00 including VAT, Enhanced is £53.00, and ID checking is £12.00 extra, with cheaper admin bands from 101 checks.
That table is clearer than Checkr's, where court fees come on top of the stated price. The trade-off is scope: references, qualifications and international checks are outside what the site lists, and no API was found.
What eSafeguarding does better than Checkr
- Every price element shown, including admin fee and VAT
- Volunteer checks supported
- Online application with no sales conversation
Where eSafeguarding is a step down from Checkr
- DBS only
- No API seen
- Company registration number not seen
Standout against Checkr. It shows the check fee, the admin fee and the VAT as separate lines.
Best for: UK employers and sole traders who want DBS plus right to work
Personnel Checks Limited (08101751) of Blackburn lists its prices openly: Basic and Standard at £44.00, Enhanced at £65.00 and Volunteer at £24.00, with right to work at £5.50, a DVLA licence check at £10.50 and online ID at £6.00. Its footer gives a DBS registration number, and it supports Access NI.
A self-employed route lets freelance tutors and carers apply for an Enhanced check through an umbrella body, which is not something an employer-focused platform such as Checkr covers. There is no international screening and no API on the pages we read, and the ownership of PC Group is not stated.
What Personnel Checks does better than Checkr
- Prices for every level and add-on on the page
- Self-employed route to an Enhanced check
- Right to work at £5.50
Where Personnel Checks is a step down from Checkr
- No international screening
- No API found
- VAT treatment varies by page
Standout against Checkr. A right-to-work check at £5.50 and a self-employed DBS route, both on a public price list.
Best for: UK employers wanting DBS, references and BS7858 screening from one body
Due Diligence Checking Ltd (4466929) in Syston, Leicester, says it has processed pre-employment checks since 2002 and describes itself as a Registered Body and Umbrella Body for the DBS. Its menu covers DBS, Access NI and PVG, international criminal record checks, references, qualifications and social media checks.
The homepage states ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 accreditation, and an integration API connects to HRIS and applicant systems. We could not read its fees, since the cost page returned an error when we checked, and the site design looks dated next to Checkr's.
What Due Diligence Checking does better than Checkr
- Covers Scottish PVG and Northern Ireland Access NI alongside DBS
- BPSS and BS7858 screening standards supported
- ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 stated
Where Due Diligence Checking is a step down from Checkr
- Prices could not be read
- Dated website
- UK records are the focus
Standout against Checkr. It covers DBS, PVG and Access NI under one umbrella body, with ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 stated.
Best for: Swedish employers hiring through Teamtailor, Visma or Jobylon
ToFindOut AB (556720-7500) at Kungsgatan 44 in Stockholm works in Swedish and names Teamtailor, Grade Onecruiter, Visma and Jobylon on its integrations page. A recruiter can order a check without leaving the system where the candidate sits, which is the part of Checkr's Enterprise tier it addresses.
Its privacy policy says personal data leaves the EU/EEA only where a check is performed in the relevant country, and that candidate data is available for 14 days and summarised in a digital report. Report packages exist, but without published amounts, and the ownership of the company is not stated.
What ToFindOut does better than Checkr
- Swedish company with data leaving the EU/EEA only for checks in that country
- Candidate data availability stated as 14 days
- Teamtailor and Visma integrations
Where ToFindOut is a step down from Checkr
- Site in Swedish
- No published prices
- Smaller outside the Nordics
Standout against Checkr. Its privacy policy ties any transfer outside the EU/EEA to a check being performed in that country.
What actually breaks when you switch
The first thing to migrate is the paperwork, not the data. Checkr runs on candidate consent collected in its own apply flow, and any in-flight reports sit in your account. Export what you need for audit, then agree with your lawyer how long the old reports must be kept before you close the account. Under the privacy policy the retention period is as long as necessary for the purpose, so ask for the specifics.
The second is the integration. If the ATS currently triggers Checkr checks, the new vendor needs the same trigger. Pescheck, ToFindOut and EBC Global document their integrations, Verifile and Due Diligence Checking offer an API, and Zinc names only Greenhouse. Test one candidate end to end before you move a whole hiring pipeline.
Finally, expect candidates to see different forms. A European provider will ask for ID, consent and often a national certificate, sometimes uploaded by the candidate, and turnaround for a DBS or a foreign extract is days, not minutes. Tell hiring managers that the time frame changes before the first offer goes out.
Can a European company use Checkr for hires in Europe?
Nothing on Checkr's pages says it cannot. The privacy policy has a GDPR section and a Data Privacy Framework notice for exactly this situation, and the Enterprise tier lists 200+ ATS integrations. The question is fit, not permission: the three standard packages are described in US searches, and the pages checked do not show what a Spanish or Polish candidate's package would contain.
If you have a few US hires among mostly European ones, keeping Checkr for the American candidates and using a European provider for the rest is a sensible split. Screening data then stays in the legal system of the person it is about.
What does a Checkr report cost compared with a European one?
Checkr's base price is $29.99, $59.99 or $94.99 per report, plus pass-through fees that vary by court and database. Pescheck states €36, €64 and €146 per screening, Veremark $42, $144 and $183 per candidate, and the UK DBS services list fees from £32 to £65 including the statutory element.
The numbers are not directly comparable, because the packages contain different checks. A Pescheck Standard screening is an ID check, a criminal record and a records upload; Checkr Basic is an SSN trace and national database searches. Compare what each verifies about your candidate, not the headline figure.
Which one to pick
If you hire in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria or Switzerland, Pescheck is the plain swap for Checkr's price list, and Validato is the one to pick if data must stay in Switzerland. For France, EveryCheck; for Sweden, ToFindOut.
If you hire across several countries, start with Veremark and check where it processes data. For UK-only hiring, choose by workload: EBC Global for volume DBS seats, Zinc for regulated sectors, eSafeguarding or Personnel Checks for price clarity, Verifile or Due Diligence Checking when procurement frameworks or BS7858 standards decide. Keep Checkr only for candidates who really need US records.
Frequently Asked Questions
For Benelux and DACH hiring, Pescheck from Enschede publishes euro prices per screening and lists integrations with Personio, AFAS, Teamtailor and Workday. For hires in several countries, Veremark from London offers candidate packages and 180+ countries. For Swiss data residency, Validato from Zurich. For UK DBS checks, Zinc or EBC Global. For France, EveryCheck from Rennes.
Checkr's privacy policy refers readers in the UK, EU, EEA and Switzerland to a GDPR Privacy Policy and a Data Privacy Framework notice, and says it may process information outside the country you live in. Whether that satisfies your obligations depends on your data processing agreement and transfer mechanism. The European tools here contract from the EU, UK, Switzerland or Sweden.
Pescheck, with three packages at €36, €64 and €146 per screening, pay as you go and without a stated contract. Veremark publishes candidate packages from $42, but in US dollars. EBC Global is the exception: it charges per user per month (from £49) instead of per report, a different model from Checkr's.
Few of the tools say. Validato states 100% storage in Switzerland and EveryCheck names OVH in Roubaix, France. For Pescheck, Veremark, Zinc and the UK DBS providers the pages checked do not name a hosting region, so put the question in your procurement checklist.
Not directly. Checkr sells motor vehicle records at $9.50 a check and continuous criminal monitoring at $1.70 per person per month. Veremark lists continuous screening, and Personnel Checks and EBC Global offer DVLA licence checks in the UK, but none of the eleven tools mirrors the US driver records product.
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