First Advantage Reviews & Product Details

First Advantage is a global software and data company providing fast, reliable screening and ongoing monitoring for every stage of the employee lifecycle. Solutions include: - Digital identity verification - Criminal background checks - Employment & education verification - MVR checks - Drug screening - International screening - Form I-9/E-Verify The company serves 80,000+ customers, from small businesses to enterprise organizations, in over 200 countries and territories. Customers span business/financial services, healthcare, transportation, gig economy, hospitality/restaurant, industrial, non-profit, retail, technology, staffing, and others. Solutions combine AI-powered proprietary technology and automation with 1B+ proprietary records, thousands of data resources, 100+ integration options, and global reach with local, boots-on-the-ground knowledge. The result is a modern, robust, optimized screening and hiring experience.

Seller

First Advantage

Discussions

First Advantage Community

Languages Supported

English

Solution Type

Best-of-Breed

Overview by

Michelle Schweitz

Used by ResourceMFG and 2 others

Beta

Value at a Glance

Averages based on real user reviews.

Time to Implement

4 months

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First Advantage Integrations

(17)

Verified by First Advantage

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First Advantage Reviews FAQs

Generated using AI

Last updated: Nov 04, 2026

What is First Advantage, and what problem is it built to solve?

First Advantage is a global software and data company that provides screening and ongoing monitoring across the employee lifecycle. Its services address hiring and workforce screening needs, including identity verification, background checks, employment and education verification, motor vehicle record checks, drug screening, international screening, and Form I-9/E-Verify.

What company sizes and industries is First Advantage the best fit for?

First Advantage is best represented among enterprise and mid-market users, with positive experiences also appearing in small businesses. The industries with the clearest presence include:

Company size — Enterprise: Teams with more than 1,000 employees.
Company size — Mid-market: Organizations with 51–1,000 employees.
Industry — Staffing and recruiting: Screening and verification in hiring workflows.
Industry — Human resources and information technology: Background screening supporting employee and candidate processes.
Industry — Healthcare and retail: Screening for varied workforce and hiring needs.

How long does it take to implement First Advantage across a team?

Reported implementation timelines most often fall in the one-to-three-month range, with three-to-six months also represented. Other reported timelines are less common.

Time to go live	Relative frequency
1–3 months	Most common
3–6 months	Also reported
Less than 1 month	Less common
6–12 months or more than 12 months	Occasional reports
Less than 1 day	Occasional report

What customer support options does First Advantage provide, and how do users find the overall support experience?

First Advantage provides support through email/help desk, FAQs and forums, phone, and chat. The support experience varies: dedicated representatives and helpful, responsive assistance are valued, while long waits, slow email responses, and difficulty getting issues resolved are recurring frustrations.

What is the experience like for teams switching to First Advantage from another tool?

Switching to First Advantage has been associated with faster screening results, stronger customer support, better connections with HR systems, and more accurate or capable reporting. Prior tools mentioned include HireRight, Sterling, Universal Background Screening, and JJ Keller; the transition has been described as easier where existing integrations helped, though onboarding and implementation have not always felt smooth.

What features or capabilities could make First Advantage even more useful?

First Advantage could be more useful with clearer progress information and smoother workflows for candidates and administrators. The improvements users seek include:

Make check status, estimated completion times, and pending actions clearer to reduce uncertainty and manual follow-up.
Simplify the interface and candidate steps, including document submission and editing information after an invitation is sent.
Make screening workflows more flexible with reusable package presets and stronger connections to HR and business systems.
Improve adaptation to local requirements and documents for international screening.

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Abhishek S.

Executive Resourcing

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

10/23/2026

"Reliable Background Screening and Verification Process"

4.5/5

What do you like best about First Advantage?

What I like best about First Advantage is its streamlined background verification process. It helps organize verification steps and makes it easier to track progress. The platform is useful for managing background screening requirements and supporting a smoother hiring process. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about First Advantage?

One area that could be improved is making the platform more intuitive and offering clearer status updates throughout the verification process. If navigation were simplified and communication around pending checks were more transparent, the overall user experience would feel smoother and less uncertain. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is First Advantage solving and how is that benefiting you?

First Advantage helps streamline the background verification process by bringing verification activities into a single workflow. This can reduce manual follow-ups, improve visibility into verification status, and support more efficient hiring decisions. I’ve found it useful for keeping background screening organized and for helping recruiters stay on top of candidate verification requirements throughout the process. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Olesia D.

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

10/22/2026

"Promising Ease and Speed, Still Untested"

5/5

What do you like best about First Advantage?

I like the ease of use and the speed of getting results. I also like that First Advantage can connect with the systems and tools we already use. My first interaction with the team was quite easy, although we haven’t started the process yet. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about First Advantage?

I haven’t started using First Advantage yet, so I’d need a demo or to use it before I can say what doesn’t work well. I hope it’s scalable and easy to integrate with our existing systems and infrastructure. I’d also like more administrative accounts and to make sure the team knows how to use it across the board. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Information Technology and Services

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

10/15/2026

"Smooth, Intuitive UI with Responsive Training and Support for BG check"

4/5

What do you like best about First Advantage?

Training and onboarding is one of the important requirements for me when using a new tool. The team was available easily when required and easy to contact. For me, it was the most important requirement because I do not want to suffer looking for ways to reach out to the support team and then wait for their response. Plus, the UI/UX experience as a user was smooth for me. I prefer tools that are easy and intuitive to navigate, which this tool meets my expectations. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about First Advantage?

The candidates find it tiresome to fill in the details. Considering the kind of role and the level of background verification requirement for people must depend on their experience level and other factors. This tool put off some candidates because of their extensive requirements of the documents. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is First Advantage solving and how is that benefiting you?

Background verification is the major problem solved by them. I hire more genuine and reliable candidates now. Earlier we didn't have a BG process in place and were getting candidates who used to quit or do moonlighting, harming our reputation with clients. But this problem is solved now. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Consumer Services

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

10/14/2026

"First Advantage Brings Structure and Consistency to Background Screening"

5/5

What do you like best about First Advantage?

What I like best about First Advantage is that it helps make the background screening process more structured and easier to manage. From my experience working with customer experience and technical workflows, I appreciate tools that provide clear visibility into requests and help reduce unnecessary manual follow-ups. Having a more centralized process makes it easier to keep things organized, especially when dealing with multiple requests at once. Overall, I value the consistency it brings to a process where accuracy, turnaround time, and clear communication are important. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about First Advantage?

Coming from a SaaS customer experience and technical support background, I tend to notice where workflows could be more intuitive or efficient. With First Advantage, I think there is room to make the user experience a little more straightforward, particularly when it comes to tracking screening progress and understanding what action is needed next. Clearer status updates and more visibility into potential delays would help reduce the need for manual follow-ups. Better integrations with other HR and business tools could also make the overall process feel more seamless. These are not unusual challenges for platforms handling complex workflows, but improving them would make the experience even better. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is First Advantage solving and how is that benefiting you?

From my experience in SaaS customer experience and technical support, I’ve seen how quickly manual processes, scattered information, and limited visibility can slow teams down. First Advantage helps tackle these challenges by centralizing background screening workflows, making it easier to track checks and access the information needed to move hiring decisions forward. I particularly value how it reduces manual work and cuts down on unnecessary follow-ups, while keeping the overall process organized and consistent. In the end, it allows teams to spend less time coordinating administrative tasks and more time focusing on their core responsibilities. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Leah M.

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

Originally submitted 10/19/2026

"Fast U.S. Checks, But Poor Guidance and Weak International Identity Verification"

1/5

What do you like best about First Advantage?

They do fast criminal checks in the USA, and they’re thorough. Honestly, everything in the USA seems pretty fast, so that’s probably what I like best about it. They also do background checks. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about First Advantage?

They don’t do a good job of letting us know about products that would be a good fit for our situation, and we often end up discovering them on our own. Also, the identity verification process outside of the USA is terrible. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Eric T.

Manager of TA Operations

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

10/13/2026

"FA success with background checks"

3.5/5

What do you like best about First Advantage?

They do well with our background checks and integration. Ease of access to the dashboard and able to have single sign on. They handle our volume very well and the support Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about First Advantage?

Our TB process is very clunky and not great at this time. To many one off situations that cause stress and heartache on our new hires. Would like to see our concierge have more of a direct relationship with our clinics Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Nicolas G.

Quality Assurance Analyst

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

10/12/2026

"User-Friendly Background Check Solution"

4/5

What do you like best about First Advantage?

I like that First Advantage is easygoing and user-friendly, so you don't need to be tech-savvy to get the results you're expecting. The initial setup was quick and easy, with the guide covering all necessary aspects. It allows for peace of mind by confirming candidates are free of recent crime, which was especially reassuring since we were handling money. I believe it’s a good fit for checking honesty and ethics, and I’d definitely suggest it to colleagues when needed. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about First Advantage?

I don’t have any feedback in that area Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Nilsa B.

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

10/22/2026

"Easy Setup, Fast and Reliable—A Perfect Fit for Our Needs"

5/5

What do you like best about First Advantage?

First advantage is easy to use, fast and reliable. We found the set up easy and customizable to our environment. We are extremely pleasured with its offerings and look forward to continuing to work with it. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about First Advantage?

I don’t have any complaints. I feel that the system services our needs, provide reliable checks with a very short turnaround. Overall we are pleased customers. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Savita C.

Client Coordinator

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

10/26/2026

Business partner of the seller or seller's competitor, not included in G2 scores.

"Fast, Easy Background Checks with Clear Guidance"

4.5/5

What do you like best about First Advantage?

It makes the whole background check process very easy. Sending a check to a candidate takes just a few minutes, and the platform is simple to get around, with clear instructions. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about First Advantage?

Some checks take longer than usual and sometimes extra charges for international reference checks. Customer support is way slow sometimes and frustrating. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Geneyia H.

Quality Assurance/Quality Control

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

10/15/2026

Guest users or non-business users of the software, not included in G2 scores.

"Extremely Easy to Use with Zero Issues"

5/5

What do you like best about First Advantage?

I had zero issues and was extremely easy to use. In my opinion I would recommend it to many people just because of the easy accessibility if you ask me. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about First Advantage?

To be honest I did not have any dislikes in my opinion. I’m not sure if it was just me or I haven’t had actual interactions for me to have any issues. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.