What Sentrylink LLC does

SentryLink LLC is a US-based background check and employment screening provider founded in 2001 and headquartered in the Greenbelt, Maryland area (per contact phone area code 301). The company serves employers, landlords and property managers, volunteer organizations, schools, and individual applicants across the United States with a portfolio of criminal, identity, and driving record screening products. Its core offerings include a National Criminal Background Check at $19.95, a Federal Criminal Background Check at $10, County and State Criminal searches, a Comprehensive Background Check bundling national and unlimited county criminal searches, a Social Security Number Trace, and Driving Record / MVR checks priced at $19.95–$39.95 depending on state. All criminal packages include OIG, LEIE, sex offender registries, and government watchlists, with FCRA compliance positioned as a core attribute and NAPBS membership reinforcing sector credibility.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer, self-serve online platform with free instant account setup, pay-as-you-go unit pricing, no contracts, no setup fees, and no monthly minimums. Revenue mechanics are transaction-based: customers pay per report, whether purchasing a single check or many. Multi-member team accounts with role-based visibility, billing codes, and a report dashboard extend the platform to small business users. A distinctive distribution element is the Applicant Self Checks feature, which allows individuals to initiate and pay for their own background checks and share results with employers, landlords, or volunteer organizations — a channel particularly noted as popular with volunteer organizations and schools. Operational performance metrics cited include same-day results for most applicants and 96% of criminal background checks completing within 1–4 business days, supported by real-time court research connections and a US-based customer service team available by phone and email.

The company operates as an independently owned LLC with no disclosed parent, no institutional or venture funding, and no M&A activity in the source data. Core technology is not explicitly disclosed beyond real-time court research integrations and aggregation across multiple criminal databases and watchlists. The company's growth posture is horizontal — it competes on price, speed, and contract flexibility for SMB and individual buyers rather than on enterprise-grade integrations or AI-driven screening — and it has not disclosed any geographic expansion, new product category beyond screening, or leadership changes.

Name

Sentrylink LLC

Legal name

SentryLink LLC

Website

https://sentrylink.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SentryLink LLC is a US-based background check and employment screening provider, founded in 2001, serving employers, landlords, volunteer organizations, schools, and individual applicants with pay-as-you-go criminal, identity, and driving record screening products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Background Screening Services

NAICS

Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611)

SIC

Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381)

akta.pro primary industry

Criminal Background Checks (National/State/County) (BPACALAA)

Keywords

• Criminal background checks
• Employment screening services
• Tenant screening solutions
• Driving record checks
• Identity verification services

Headquarters

HQ city

Greenbelt

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Background Check Reports: Per-report transaction model where customers pay for individual background check reports as needed. No subscription, monthly fees, or minimum purchase requirements. Customers can purchase single reports or multiple reports with no contractual commitment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SentryLink provides criminal background checks, employment screening, and tenant screening services through a self-serve online platform. Its core product is a $19.95 National Criminal Background Check with same-day results for most applicants and 96% completion within 1-4 business days. The company also offers federal, state, and county criminal checks, Social Security Number validation and tracing, driving record (MVR) checks, and an Applicant Self-Check option where individuals pay for and share their own background reports.

Product overview

SentryLink operates as a background screening platform offering a suite of criminal background check products and employment/tenant screening services. The core product is the National Criminal Background Check at $19.95, which can be expanded into the Comprehensive Background Check for enterprise users requiring county-level coverage. Additional specialized searches include Federal Criminal Background Checks ($10), State and County Criminal Background Checks, Social Security Number Validation and Trace, and Driving Record/MVR checks. The platform also offers an Applicant Self Checks feature allowing individuals to run their own background checks and share results. All criminal report packages include OIG, LEIE, sex offender registries, and government watchlists. Reports are available in professional PDF format with FCRA compliance for employment screening.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Criminal Background Check The primary background check product that searches criminal records, convictions, and sex offenders nationwide. Starting price of $19.95 includes real-time court research with no additional fees, with same-day results for most applicants and 96% of criminal checks completing within 1-4 business days. All criminal report packages include OIG, LEIE, sex offender registries, and government watchlists.
• Comprehensive Background Check A more extensive background check package that pairs the national criminal background check with unlimited county criminal searches based on 7 years of address history. Includes team accounts and report dashboard for businesses needing broader coverage.
• Social Security Number Validation and Trace Validates and traces social security numbers to verify identity and obtain middle name and address history information for more accurate criminal searches. Delivers instant results.
• County Criminal Background Check Searches county-level court records for criminal history within a specific jurisdiction.
• State Criminal Background Check Searches state-level repositories for criminal records across the entire state.
• Federal Criminal Background Check Searches federal court records nationwide for criminal cases that may not appear in county or state repositories. Priced at $10 with options for 7-year or 10-year search scope, with no passthrough fees.
• Driving Record Check / MVR Retrieves driving records directly from state Department of Motor Vehicle databases with real-time connections for instant results. Prices vary by state, starting at $19.95 and typically ranging up to $39.95 including state fees.
• Applicant Self Checks Allows applicants to pay for and run their own criminal background check, then securely share the results with employers, landlords, or volunteer organizations. Particularly popular with volunteer organizations and schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of criminal background checks complete within 1-4 business days
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Checkr: Leading venture-backed background check platform serving employers with API-first, ATS-integrated screening. Direct competitor to SentryLink in pre-employment criminal and MVR checks, though Checkr targets enterprise and mid-market rather than SMB self-serve.
• GoodHire: Background screening platform under Checkr focused on SMBs and small employers, offering self-serve online ordering with transparent per-report pricing. Closest direct competitor to SentryLink's SMB-friendly, no-contract model.
• Accurate Background: Background screening company offering criminal, MVR, and employment checks to employers of all sizes. Comparable product set to SentryLink with broader enterprise footprint and integration ecosystem.
• Asurint: Background screening provider serving mid-market employers with criminal, MVR, and verification services. Overlaps with SentryLink on core criminal and driving record checks.
• Intelifi: Self-serve background check platform positioned for SMBs, landlords, and individuals with pay-as-you-go pricing. Closely mirrors SentryLink's transparent per-report, no-contract model and applicant self-pay approach.

Broad incumbents

• HireRight: Global background screening provider offering criminal, MVR, drug, and employment verification services to enterprise customers. Competes with SentryLink in criminal and driving record checks but primarily serves large employers.
• First Advantage: Global background screening and identity verification provider serving large enterprises. Comparable product breadth to SentryLink but operates at significantly larger scale with broader geographic reach.
• Sterling: Large incumbent background screening provider serving enterprise and mid-market employers globally. Overlaps with SentryLink on criminal, MVR, and identity checks but operates at much larger scale with broader service portfolio.
• ADP Screening and Selection Services: Background screening offering from ADP targeting employers already using ADP for payroll/HR. Competes with SentryLink in pre-employment screening but is bundled into a much broader HR/payroll ecosystem.

Others

• TruthFinder: Consumer-facing people-search and background information service. Not a direct employer screening competitor, but adjacent in providing criminal and identity data to individual consumers — relevant to SentryLink's applicant self-pay audience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/employmentscrn

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sentrylink LLC