Checkr is an excellent background check provider for US domestic checks. But when it comes to verifying Brazilian education credentials, employment history, and identity, Checkr's international verification product has significant limitations. VerifyBR is purpose-built for exactly this problem.
Pricing: What you actually pay
Checkr uses an a la carte pricing model for international verifications. Each check type is billed separately, and the costs add up fast for Brazil.
| Verification Type | Checkr | VerifyBR |
|---|---|---|
| Education verification | $35 per institution (6-20+ business days) | Included in flat rate (instant to 5 days) |
| Employment verification | $35 per employer (6-20+ business days) | $20 add-on, all employers |
| Identity verification | $22 (2-5 business days) | Included (Gov.br-backed) |
| Criminal check (Brazil) | $70 (5-6 business days) | Federal clearance included |
| Global watchlist | $5 | Not included |
| Credential screen | Not available | Free (instant) |
| Typical total (1 institution, no employment) | $132 | $49 |
| Typical total (3 institutions + 5 employers) | $307+ | $69 |
VerifyBR's Full Verification is a flat $49 regardless of how many institutions the candidate attended. Education verification, government-backed identity check, and federal criminal clearance are all included. Add employment verification for $20 total ($69 bundled). With Checkr, verifying a candidate who attended three Brazilian universities and had five previous employers costs $307 or more.
VerifyBR also offers a free Institution Lookup: search any Brazilian institution and instantly check accreditation status against Brazil's official e-MEC database. Checkr has no equivalent product.
Key differences for Brazil
On-the-ground team in Brazil
VerifyBR has a verification team based in Brazil who can contact university registrars directly, navigate bureaucracy in Portuguese, and follow up via phone and WhatsApp. Checkr does not have staff in Brazil. Their own documentation acknowledges that "there is no centralized registry for academic records" in Brazil and that verification "relies on direct communication with each institution, which can lead to inconsistencies and delays."
The "Unable to Verify" problem
Checkr closes Brazilian education verifications as "Unable to Verify" after 15 business days of unsuccessful attempts. That means you wait three weeks and get no answer. VerifyBR uses Brazil's e-MEC database (4,328 institutions, 899,657 courses), direct university registrar contact, and cryptographic digital diploma verification to deliver definitive results. "Unable to verify" is not an acceptable outcome when you're trying to make a hiring decision.
What Checkr requires from employers
To run a Brazilian education verification, Checkr requires the employer to provide: institution name, degree, area of study, enrollment dates, graduation date, and student ID. Most employers only have a resume. VerifyBR needs just the resume. We extract institution names, degree programs, and graduation years automatically and handle the rest.
Speed: instant to 5 days vs. 6-20+ days
VerifyBR's Institution Lookup returns results in seconds. Full Verification takes 1-5 business days from candidate response. Checkr's Brazilian education verification takes 6-20+ business days, and that timeline assumes they can reach the institution at all. Many verifications simply time out.
Digital credential infrastructure
Brazil has had a national digital diploma standard since 2021 (Portaria MEC 554/2019). Graduates receive cryptographically signed XML diplomas that can be verified instantly. VerifyBR verifies these digital diplomas and validates Gov.br digital attestations for identity verification. Checkr has no integration with Brazil's digital credential infrastructure, meaning they rely entirely on manual institution contact even when instant verification is possible.
When to use Checkr vs. VerifyBR
Use Checkr for US domestic background checks
SSN trace, county criminal records, federal criminal search, MVR, sex offender registry, drug screening. Checkr is a strong product for US-based checks. If your candidate lives in the US and you need a standard domestic background check, Checkr does this well.
Use VerifyBR for Brazilian credential verification
Education verification, identity verification via Gov.br, federal criminal clearance, employment history. We are purpose-built for verifying Brazilian credentials for US companies. Our team is in Brazil, our database covers Brazil's entire higher education system, and we integrate with Brazil's digital credential infrastructure.
Use both together
Many companies hiring Brazilian developers remotely run Checkr for US-side checks (if the candidate has US presence) and VerifyBR for the Brazil-specific verification that Checkr struggles with. The two products are complementary, not competing.
The bottom line
For Brazilian credential verification specifically, VerifyBR costs 60-80% less than Checkr, delivers results in days instead of weeks, and does not close verifications as "Unable to Verify" after 15 business days. We built this product because the existing options do not work well for Brazil.
If you are hiring Brazilian developers and need to verify their education, identity, or employment history, VerifyBR is the faster, cheaper, and more reliable option.