Cisive vs First Advantage

Cisive—Visit FAFirst Advantage—Visit

Cisive #2 in Background Verification Software —/10 Pricing on request ✓ 4 of 6 features Visit Cisive

vs

FA First Advantage #8 in Background Verification Software —/10 Pricing on request ✓ 0 of 6 features Try First Advantage

• Cisive fits best

  Global employers integrating screening with HR systems

• First Advantage fits best

  Teams seeking broad screening and ATS coverage

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Side by side

Feature	Cisive —/10 Visit ↗	FAFirst Advantage —/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	—	—
Ranking	#2 in Background Verification Software	#8 in Background Verification Software
Best for	Global employers integrating screening with HR systems	Teams seeking broad screening and ATS coverage
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	—	Not published
Free trial	—	—
Features Cisive 4/6 · First Advantage 0/6
Identity verification	✓ (best)	Not published
Criminal-record checks	Not published	Not published
Employment verification	✓ (best)	Not published
Education verification	✓ (best)	Not published
Drug screening	Not published	Not published
API access	✓ (best)	Not published
Specs
International coverage	Not published	Not published
Our review
Pros	Screens criminal, identity, employment, education, and driving records Global screening spans more than 200 countries and territories Offers Workday Recruiting, iCIMS, and API integrations	Covers criminal, identity, employment, education, and driving checks Integrates with Workday, Greenhouse, SAP SuccessFactors, and others Offers screening API documentation and sandbox access
Cons	Pricing is custom and requires contacting sales Adverse-action support is described, but an in-product notice workflow is unclear Industry-specific services may be more than employers with basic screening need	Configurable programs use contact-sales pricing Screening scope may exceed the needs of teams seeking one narrow check The online pay-as-you-go option is specifically for small businesses
Our verdict	Cisive provides employment background screening and workforce risk-management services, with a focus on organizations in regulated industries such as healthcare, financial services, transportation, government, and technology. Its screening… Read the review →	First Advantage provides employment background screening and workforce risk services for employers. Its screening scope includes criminal and court-record searches, digital identity verification with document review and liveness detection,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Cisive — where it wins

  • Screens criminal, identity, employment, education, and driving records
  • Global screening spans more than 200 countries and territories
  • Offers Workday Recruiting, iCIMS, and API integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing is custom and requires contacting sales
  • Adverse-action support is described, but an in-product notice workflow is unclear
  • Industry-specific services may be more than employers with basic screening need

• First Advantage — where it wins

  • Covers criminal, identity, employment, education, and driving checks
  • Integrates with Workday, Greenhouse, SAP SuccessFactors, and others
  • Offers screening API documentation and sandbox access

  Where it doesn't

  • Configurable programs use contact-sales pricing
  • Screening scope may exceed the needs of teams seeking one narrow check
  • The online pay-as-you-go option is specifically for small businesses

• Cisive—/10 · Pricing on request

  Broad domestic and global screening with HR integrations; pricing is custom.

  Visit CisiveFull verdict →
• FAFirst Advantage—/10 · Pricing on request

  Broad employment screening with ATS/HCM integrations and screening API access.

  Try First AdvantageFull verdict →