Background Check Software

The biggest difference comes down to speed, cost, ownership, and flexibility:

White-label background check software is a ready-built platform you can quickly rebrand as your own.

– Faster to launch: You can start offering background checks almost immediately, sometimes in days or weeks.
– Lower cost: You avoid the huge investment of building software from scratch, paying mainly a licensing fee.
– Proven technology: Since it’s already tested and in use, you benefit from stable features, security updates, and compliance support.

Custom-made background check software is built from the ground up for your exact needs.

– Fully tailored: You control every feature, integration, and workflow to match unique processes.
– Unique value: If you have complex or highly specialized requirements, custom software can give you a competitive edge.
– Higher cost and longer time to build: It often takes months (or longer) and requires a significant budget, development team, and ongoing maintenance.
– Responsibility: You must handle updates, compliance changes, security patches, and hosting.
– Less flexibility in deep customization: You can change logos, colors, and user flows to match your brand, but core functionality usually stays as designed by the provider.

For most screening agencies, a white-label background check solution makes more sense.

It lets you go to market quickly, keep costs low, and offer a branded, professional experience without spending months (or millions) building software from scratch.

Custom-built software is only worth it if you already handle huge volumes and need very specialized features no off-the-shelf system can offer.

Start with white-label to prove demand, grow your brand, and stay compliant, then consider custom if your scale and needs truly justify it.

– SaaS background check software is usually offered as a monthly or annual subscription. You use the provider’s branded platform, and updates, hosting, and compliance are included, but the product remains theirs, and your clients see their branding.

– White-label background check software is typically a one-time purchase or license that you brand as your own. Your clients and candidates only see your logo and domain, making it look like your own product. You get full branding control and lifetime access, without ongoing subscription fees.

All three,  white-label, custom-built, and SaaS background check software, can be very secure, but it depends on how they’re built and maintained.

– SaaS solutions are often the most secure by default, because the vendor handles ongoing updates, encryption, compliance audits, and security patches as part of the service.
– White-label solutions can also be very secure, especially if the vendor follows best practices like data encryption, role-based access, and regular vulnerability testing. 
– Custom-built software can match or even exceed that level of security,  if you invest in expert developers, regular penetration testing, compliance monitoring, and continuous updates. But in practice, many companies underbudget ongoing security, making it riskier over time.

For most screening agencies and growing businesses, SaaS and white-label background check software scale more easily than fully custom-built solutions.

– SaaS platforms are built to handle thousands (or even millions) of checks as your volume grows, the vendor manages infrastructure, load balancing, and server upgrades behind the scenes, so you can focus on business rather than IT.

– White-label software can also be very scalable, as it’s hosted and maintained by a reliable vendor who regularly updates capacity and optimizes performance. You get your own branding but still benefit from the vendor’s scalable infrastructure.

SaaS usually has the lowest upfront cost.

– You typically pay a monthly or annual subscription fee, sometimes starting as low as a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, depending on features and volume.

White-label software generally has a moderate upfront cost.

– You often pay a one-time license fee or a larger setup fee (sometimes thousands to tens of thousands of dollars) to fully brand the platform and get lifetime or multi-year access.

Custom-built software has by far the highest upfront cost.

– Development from scratch often starts at $500,000–$800,000+ and can climb higher depending on complexity, integrations, and compliance needs.