Comparison transparency
Software comparison methodology
What our grades mean, where facts come from, and how to report a change.
Updated August 6, 2026
Pages we publish
We publish direct Checkmate-versus-competitor comparisons across collection, verification, automation, integrations, reporting, service, and pricing.
Sources
We research product pages, pricing pages, help centers, integration directories, and review profiles. Undocumented capabilities are labeled “Not publicly documented.”
- illumend (formerly myCOI)
- Certificial
- Jones
- bcs (Bunker)
- TrustLayer
- CertFocus
- SmartCompliance
- COI Tracker
- CMS (Certificate Management Solutions)
- RiskPartner
- Evident
- A1 Tracker
Scoring
Each section checks the priority capabilities shown on the page. A documented capability counts toward the section score. A researched, documented absence does not. A capability that was not researched is excluded from both the numerator and denominator and renders as not publicly documented.
Collection & reuse
Automated COI requests, No-login submission links, Email collection, Bulk existing-document import, Reusable approved evidence
Automation
Auto-renewal reminders, Expiration tracking, AI-assisted verification, Automatic document classification and extraction, Requirements extracted from contracts or leases, Weekly compliance digest
Verification & service
Custom requirements, Coverage gap detection, Primary and umbrella limit stacking, Endorsement wording verification, W-9, license, bond, EMR, and OSHA 300A verification, Human approval authority, Optional managed compliance service, Plain-language gap explanations
Integrations & developer access
Procore integration, QuickBooks integration, REST API, Signed webhooks, MCP access
Reporting & auditability
Portfolio compliance dashboard, Needs Attention queue, CSV and document ZIP exports, Audit trail, Review and evidence provenance
Corrections and updates
Vendors and readers can send a public source that corrects a feature, price, integration, rating, or company fact. We review the source and update the shared record used by every affected page.
Submit a comparison correction