RefAssure

RefAssure is a web service for automating employment reference checks, built primarily for UK recruiters, HR teams and employers. It suits organisations that need consent records, persistent follow-up and an auditable report without per-user charges. The main trade-off is a one-off credit model: your cost follows reference volume rather than a recurring seat subscription.

Overview

RefAssure puts candidate permission, referee contact and reporting into one workflow. Written, timestamped consent is collected by email and SMS before a referee is contacted, then the service manages reminders and produces a record for each completed check. Recruiters, HR departments, employers, schools and care providers are the intended audience, with UK hosting and a web-only platform matching organisations that want a browser-based process.

Key features

Consent collection is a practical compliance safeguard: the candidate’s written approval and its timestamp are retained before outreach begins. RefAssure then sends up to five email chasers and two SMS reminders over 12 days. That covers routine non-responses without staff repeatedly sending messages, although teams still need to resolve checks that remain unanswered after the reminder sequence.

Every completed reference creates a PDF containing the referee’s responses and details, the consent records and a timestamped audit trail. This gives hiring teams a portable record of both what was said and how the check was authorised. A reporting dashboard provides an additional way to monitor reference activity.

Questionnaires are flexible rather than fixed: users can make unlimited templates using rating, yes/no, text and date fields. That is useful when different roles require different evidence. Team members share account credits, and the maker says there are no per-user fees, so a multi-person team can collaborate without a seat surcharge; however, available reference credits remain the limiting resource.

The maker says data is encrypted in transit and at rest. Referee links are single-use and time-limited, reducing the period in which a link can be reused. Data is hosted and primarily processed in the UK, Stripe handles payments, and the company says it does not sell personal data. Enquiries are typically answered within one business day, with technical issues targeted for same-day response.

Pricing

Every new account receives one free reference credit and does not require a card. There is no free trial, so this single credit is the meaningful way to evaluate the workflow before buying. Paid bundles are purchased once rather than renewed:

The 10-credit and 25-credit options fit occasional hiring or a small team testing demand, but they do not state the larger bundles’ explicit unlimited-team, priority-support or custom-template additions. The 50-credit plan is the first named option with unlimited team access and never-expiring credits, making it a sensible middle ground for shared use. Larger teams can buy 100 or 250 credits for lower per-reference cost and the added support and template provisions. Because credits do not expire on the 50-credit plan and above, unused capacity does not force a renewal decision; the one-off structure also avoids automatic subscription renewal.

Platforms

RefAssure runs on the web. It is therefore suited to teams working from desktop or mobile browsers, but it is not presented as a native Android, iOS or API product.

Who it's for

Choose RefAssure if you are a UK recruiter, internal HR team, employer, school or care provider handling references and want consent, reminders and evidence in a single process. Shared credits favour departments where several people conduct checks. It is less compelling for organisations that need native mobile apps, an API-led integration or a recurring subscription with seats as the main billing unit.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Consent is built in: written, timestamped approval is collected by email and SMS before referee contact.
• Follow-up is automated: up to five emails and two SMS reminders run across 12 days.
• Audit-ready output: PDF reports combine answers, referee details, consent and a timestamped trail.
• Team-friendly billing: members share credits without per-user fees.
• Low-risk starting point: each new account gets one free reference credit with no card required.
• Non-expiring larger bundles: 50-, 100- and 250-credit plans do not expire.

Cons

• No free trial: evaluation is limited to the single free reference credit.
• Credit-based purchasing: teams must forecast reference volume instead of paying a predictable seat subscription.
• Web only: no native mobile or API platform is offered.
• Smaller bundles have fewer stated extras: unlimited team access, priority support and custom templates are explicitly attached only to larger plans.

Alternatives

Reference Check Software is the broader category guide for comparing services beyond RefAssure.

Credibled is the better fit when an API and a free sandbox for testing checks matter, with an NGO reference-check option priced at 4.50 CAD once.

HiveRef suits buyers wanting Android, iOS, API and web access, a free trial and pay-as-you-go checks at A$4 per candidate check.

VITAY is an alternative for teams that require mobile apps and API access alongside web use.

HiPeople is another paid, web-based option.

OpusHire is aimed at organisations wanting an annual, volume-and-team-size quotation covering broader hiring activity.

RefAssured offers custom volume-based pricing with unlimited users, references and placements across its modules.

RefNow is worth considering if you prefer freemium access, a free trial and credits covering up to 10 references for one candidate.

SkillSurvey is a paid web alternative with pricing supplied by its vendor.

Verdict

RefAssure is a strong choice for UK hiring teams that want consent capture, automated chasing and defensible PDF records, while letting multiple staff share non-expiring credits. Pick it when one-off purchases match your reference volume. Look elsewhere if you need a native mobile or API platform, a conventional free trial, or subscription billing built around seats rather than credits.