The Work Number (Equifax) vs Truework
Challenger versus incumbent, and Truework says as much itself: it's built to be the friendlier front door, and it often pulls from sources like The Work Number anyway. The Work Number is Equifax's database of record, nearly 5 million contributing employers and 800 million records, the place most lenders and screeners already land, but it isn't self-serve for a small business, access is credentialed and usually reached through a partner, with no published per-check price. Truework publishes its prices ($54.95 for employment, $59.95 for income plus employment, no minimum) and works like a normal SaaS tool. For an SMB verifying an occasional new hire, that difference decides it: Truework is the one you can actually use this afternoon. Understanding The Work Number still matters on the other side of the desk, as an employer, it's worth knowing whether your own payroll provider already feeds it, since that's what determines how verification requests about your people get answered.
| Pricing model | custom-quote | per-check |
| Starting point | Two sides, two prices | Pay-as-you-go: $54 |
| Best for | Employers who want to understand the incumbent database their payroll data likely already feeds, and larger verifiers that need the broadest US employment and income coverage. | Businesses that need to verify a new hire's or contractor's actual income and employment history without trusting uploaded documents. |
| Countries | United States | United States |
| Editorial score | 7.2/10 | 8.3/10 |
The Work Number (Equifax)
- The broadest single source of US employment and income data, the incumbent for a reason
- As an employer, contributing offloads the verification requests that would otherwise hit HR, at no cost
- Automated and always-on, no manual verification letters to chase
- Not self-serve for SMB verifiers, access is credentialed and usually reached through a partner
- Verifier pricing is quote and per-pull, not published
- US-only, and it's a database of record, not a fraud-detection tool
Truework
- Rare in this space for actually publishing its prices
- Pulls from source systems, much harder to fake than a document upload
- Solid developer API if you want it embedded rather than used as a standalone tool
- Per-check pricing adds up fast if you're verifying at real volume without moving to enterprise
- Coverage depends on the employer/payroll provider being in Truework's network, gaps exist for smaller or unusual employers
- Built primarily around US employment, thinner outside it