Background and identity services, now part of First Advantage. Scored on six weighted criteria following the HRCritic methodology.
SWOT analysis
Strengths
- Dependable across daily workflows, with only minor friction at the edges
- Background and identity services, now part of First Advantage
- Compliance tools for adverse-action notices
- Clear audit records for each completed report
Weaknesses
- One or two criteria — usually reporting depth or advanced automation — lag the category leader
- Re-screens and disputes add manual steps for HR
- Older dashboards make bulk uploads clunky
Opportunities
- Faster checks via direct court-data access
- Continuous monitoring for existing staff
Threats
- Changing fair-chance hiring laws
- Accuracy disputes that harm trust
How the rating was calculated
| Criterion | Weight | Score | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core functionality | 30% | 74 | 22.2 |
| Ease of use | 20% | 80 | 16 |
| Reliability & performance | 15% | 70 | 10.5 |
| Support quality | 15% | 73 | 11 |
| Integrations | 10% | 79 | 7.9 |
| Value for money | 10% | 74 | 7.4 |
| Final score | 75 / 100 |
Sterling scored 75/100, placing it in the Very Good band (75–89). Its strongest area was ease of use (80), while reliability & performance (70) held the score back. Strengths and weaknesses above map to those weighted criteria; opportunities and threats cover the market factors around the product — regulation, data quality, vendor consolidation and buying behaviour — that we watch when scores are next reviewed.
See what each band means on the rating levels page.