What OPENonline does

OPENonline, operating under the Universal Background Screening (UBS) brand, is a US-based employment background screening firm headquartered in Scottsdale/Phoenix, Arizona and founded in 1992. The company provides a comprehensive suite of screening services to safety-sensitive organizations across more than 12 verticals, including Healthcare, Financial Services, Education, Manufacturing, Hospitality, Retail, Non-Profits, Staffing/PEO, Transportation/DOT, Energy/Utilities, Small Business, and Enterprise/Fortune 500 (the primary segment).

The core platform is a web-based background screening and drug testing system anchored by an Advanced Client Portal that supports 24x7 self-service order submission, real-time report viewing, and candidate self-completion. The product portfolio spans criminal searches (county, federal, statewide, plus proprietary databases branded as USA OffenderSearch, USA CriminalSearch, and USA CriminalSearch Plus), driving records, employment credit reports, employee re-screening, vendor and extended workforce screening, healthcare and international background checks, Patriot Act/OFAC compliance via USA SecuritySearch, Social Security tracing through SSNsight and Address/Alias Trace, employment and education verification, drug testing (instant oral, lab-based, DOT, and medical professional panels), employment physical exams, Form I-9/E-Verify, automated employment and income verification, and social media screening. The platform is HR-XML Certified and integrates with dozens of leading ATS and HRIS solutions, embedding screening workflows inside customer HR systems. Industry-reported turnaround times are under two days for criminal searches and under three days for verifications.

The business model is transaction-fee based, with custom quote-based pricing tailored to volume and screening program requirements and multi-year contracts typical for enterprise accounts. Revenue is generated through direct enterprise field sales with white-glove service and assigned client service teams, inside sales via a toll-free number, a self-serve web portal, and ATS/HRIS partner channels. The firm is PBSA Accredited, a founding member of the screening industry's trade association, and has been recognized as a top Enterprise Background Screening Firm in HRO Today's Customer Satisfaction Ratings for 14 consecutive years, including the #1 ranking in 2023. Operations are USA-only, and the company is privately held with no disclosed ownership, funding, or M&A activity in the source material.

Name

OPENonline

Legal name

Universal Background Screening

Website

https://openonline.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

OPENonline (Universal Background Screening) is a US-based, PBSA-accredited employment background screening firm serving enterprise and Fortune 500 buyers across 12 verticals with web-based criminal checks, drug testing, verification, I-9/E-Verify, and ATS/HRIS-integrated workflows.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Employment Background Screening

NAICS

Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Pre-Employment Background Checks & Screening (BPAKAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Criminal Background Checks (National/State/County) (BPACALAA), Global / International Background Screening (BPACALAI), Healthcare Sanctions & Exclusions Screening (OIG/SAM/OFAC) (BPACALAH), Continuous Monitoring & Post-Hire Screening (BPACALAJ)

Keywords

• Employment background checks
• Drug testing services
• Pre-employment screening
• Occupational health exams
• Identity verification services

Headquarters

HQ city

Scottsdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Background Screening Services: Core revenue stream from comprehensive background checks including criminal searches, verification services, and social media screening
2. Drug Testing Services: Drug testing services including instant oral tests, laboratory tests, DOT-compliant testing, and medical professional panels
3. Employment Physical Exams: Occupational health and physical examination services for employment screening
4. Form I-9/E-Verify Compliance: Digital I-9 verification and E-Verify compliance services
5. Employment & Income Verifications: Automated verification of employment and income for hiring purposes

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

OPENonline (Universal Background Screening) provides employment background checks, drug testing, occupational health physical exams, Form I-9/E-Verify compliance, automated employment and income verifications, and social media screening to employer organizations. Services are delivered through a web-based Advanced Client Portal and integrated with leading ATS and HRIS platforms, primarily serving enterprise and Fortune 500 companies in safety-sensitive industries.

Product overview

Universal Background Screening offers a unified suite of background screening, drug testing, occupational health, and verification services. The core offering centers on Background Checks — a comprehensive module encompassing court research (county, federal, statewide criminal searches), criminal database searches (USA OffenderSearch, USA CriminalSearch, USA CriminalSearch Plus), driving records, employment credit reports, employee re-screening, vendor/extended workforce screening, healthcare-specific checks, international checks, Patriot Act/OFAC compliance (USA SecuritySearch), and social security tracing (Address/Alias Trace, SSNsight). This core is supported by Drug Testing (instant oral, laboratory oral, five-panel, ten-panel, medical professional panel, and DOT-compliant five-panel), Employment Physical Exams, Form I-9/E-Verify, Employment & Income Verifications, and Social Media Screening. The company also provides an Advanced Client Portal for real-time order submission and report viewing. The portfolio is designed for safety-sensitive industries and is delivered with personalized client service teams and ATS/HRIS integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Background Checks Comprehensive employment background screening covering criminal records (county, federal, statewide), criminal database searches, driving records, credit reports, healthcare checks, international checks, Patriot Act/OFAC compliance, social security tracing, and verification services. Designed for employer organizations across safety-sensitive industries.
• Drug Testing Employment drug screening services including instant oral onsite tests, laboratory oral onsite tests, five-panel laboratory tests, ten-panel laboratory tests, medical professional panel tests, and DOT-compliant five-panel drug testing. Targets employer organizations needing drug screening as part of pre-employment or ongoing workforce compliance.
• Employment Physical Exams Physical exam program for employment purposes, providing occupational health assessments as part of the hiring process. Designed for employers requiring medical fitness evaluations for safety-sensitive positions.
• Form I-9/E-Verify Digital I-9 completion and E-Verify compliance services to assist employers with employment eligibility verification and federal regulatory compliance.
• Employment & Income Verifications Automated verification of employment and income to streamline candidate credential validation for employers, replacing manual verification processes.
• Social Media Screening Social media screening services that evaluate candidates based on publicly available social media content to inform hiring decisions for employers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Criminal searches delivered in less than 2 days
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments12 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ATS Integration PartnerscoreTechnology or IntegrationUniversal is HR-XML Certified and integrated with dozens of leading ATS (Applicant Tracking System) and HRIS solutions. These integrations enable automated screening workflows within customers' existing HR technology ecosystems. Specific partner names are not individually listed in the source material.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Certn: Tech-enabled background screening API platform targeting high-volume hiring and staffing customers. Comparable screening use cases but differentiated by developer-first delivery and faster turnaround.
• Veremark: Digital background screening and credential checking platform with global coverage. Overlaps with Universal's international screening offering but competes through API-driven, automated workflows.

Direct peers

• Checkr: AI-native background screening platform serving enterprise and SMB with criminal, drug, and continuous monitoring checks. Direct competitor to Universal in enterprise screening RFPs, differentiated by a modern API and developer-first integrations.
• HireRight: Public, large-scale provider of employment background checks, drug testing, and verification services with a global footprint. Closely comparable to Universal across product breadth, enterprise focus, and verticalized solutions.
• Sterling (Sterling Talent Solutions): Enterprise-focused background screening and identity verification provider, owned by private equity. Competes head-to-head with Universal in Fortune 500 accounts with comparable turnaround-time-driven value propositions.
• First Advantage: Global background screening, identity, and verification provider with strong enterprise and regulated-industry presence. Direct peer across product scope, vertical coverage, and ATS/HRIS integration strategy.
• Accurate Background: Mid-market and enterprise background screening provider offering criminal checks, verifications, drug testing, and I-9/E-Verify. Closely comparable product portfolio and enterprise GTM approach.
• Asurint: Background screening provider focused on criminal, identity, and credentialing checks for staffing and enterprise customers. Comparable mid-sized competitor with overlapping vertical mix including healthcare and staffing.

Broad incumbents

• ADP Screening and Selection Services: Broader HR/payroll giant offering integrated background screening as part of its talent management suite. Competes via embedded distribution to its large enterprise and mid-market customer base rather than a standalone screening focus.

Others

• Pinkerton (Corporate Risk): Broad investigative and corporate risk services firm that also offers pre-employment and due-diligence background screening. Adjacent competitor in investigations-led screening, particularly for executive and global due diligence use cases.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BackgroundPros
• Facebookfacebook.com/OPENonlineLLC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/openonline

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 OPENonline