# Page 2 | Xref Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Page 2 - Is Xref the right Reference Check solution for you? Explore 95 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/157672/xref/reviews --- Xref 4.7 (95) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Page 2 - Reviews of Xref ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 26-50 of 95 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use MD Meagan D. Manager, People & Culture Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Easy Compliance, candidate self-referral" August 9, 2022 5.0 X Ref has sped up our hiring process and taken the responsibility for references out of the hands of managers, who are busy with so many other things. It's a simple process for administrators and candidates, but when we have needed help the service was quick and efficient. Pros X Ref is super easy to use for the collection of references, and takes care of the process without active involvement from the team administering references. The best feature is the ability for references to include their information to explore future opportunities with your company, giving you free access to an additional candidate pool. Cons The only thing we do not like is that there is no option to combine the references into a single PDF when they are complete and you export them - it is annoying to have to rename 3 individual files. Alternatives considered [Automated Reference Checkup](https://www.capterra.com/p/123448/Automated-Reference-Checkup/) Reason for choosing Xref The mobile experience was superior, and we hire a lot of younger generations where ease of use and mobile friendly is critical Review Source Response from Xref August 16, 2022 Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review, Meagan. It's great to hear that you're making the most out of the People Search feature. We are confident that it will aid your recruitment with a smart and compliant approach to business development. Xref is passionate about ensuring the right people are recruited into the right roles, so we're pleased to hear that you've been able to experience the benefits of an automated and mobile-friendly platform. With regards to your feedback on the exporting references, we'll be sure to pass this on to our development team. Thanks again. AG Astha G. Talent Advisor Government Administration Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great Product" August 16, 2022 5.0 Pros Very easy to use. Great tracking and get notifications if there is suspicious activity, which is a very good feature. Makes life so much easy as a recruiter for me as I don't need to chase the referees. Cons Too many notifications if a candidate has not responded. Sometimes candidates are contacting their referees to check if they will be okay to provide references before providing their details. I, as recruiter would get uncountable emails saying candidate has not responded. The alerts should be delayed for at least 48 hours and then send them if candidate still has not responded for 2 days or more. Review Source Response from Xref August 18, 2022 Thanks for sharing your review, Astha. It's wonderful to hear that you're making the most of all that the Xref platform has to offer. We agree that one of the significant advantages of using Xref is the ability to flag suspicious candidate activity. With regard to your feedback about notifications, our Customer Success would be able to help you adjust the frequency of the alerts. Please reach out to our dedicated Customer Success team at support@xref.com if you would like assistance. Thanks again for sharing your feedback. CP Claire P. Recruitment Manager Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The best online reference check solution" January 13, 2020 5.0 Xref have been great to deal with, from the initial sales meeting with \[SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN\], to giving us a trial period and then great support from \[SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN\] and the team once we committed 100% to the product. We hire over 1000 staff a year so to have a tool that will support a quicker turnaround time is brilliant. We couldn't be as effective as we are without it. Pros Easy to use as set up of candidates takes less than a minute, ability to customise templates, which s great for us as we have many different role types to reference against, ideal for volume recruitment as you don't have to spend time chasing phone references when you have so many other recruitment activities to do, the IP address tracking - we have had a number of candidates trying to be dishonest and this has assisted us in ensuring we are hiring the right people into the organisation who are going to uphold our values. Cons Would like the ability to turn off or change the reminder emails to referees and candidates so that they don't send on a weekend or public holiday. If you are setting your candidate up the day before for example they get reminder emails coming through on their "day off". We do get complaints from referees on occasion. Alternatives considered [Automated Reference Checkup](https://www.capterra.com/p/123448/Automated-Reference-Checkup/) Reason for choosing Xref Better functionality by Xref and an easier tool to use and customer support is better. Review Source Response from Xref April 2, 2020 Thank you for your great review, Claire. It's good to hear that we have been able to help streamline your recruitment process. We are always working to improve our platform and we value feedback from our customers. We will pass this on to the relevant team internally. Please feel free to contact your Customer Success Manager if you ever have any further thoughts or feedback to share. Thanks again for your great feedback. Ben G. Senior Talent Acquisition Partner Transportation/Trucking/Railroad Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great for all applications" August 4, 2022 5.0 This revolutionised how we complete references. We have increased the content gathered from a reference and improved the relationships with the hiring managers as they get the feedback verbatim Pros Easy to access and simple user interface. The option to bulk load people is a plus when working on large campaigns. The customer service team are very responsive. Cons The candidate searches section of the software (for those who said they would like to be contacted). An opportunity to categorise them on their experience would be good. Review Source Response from Xref August 19, 2022 Thank you for providing such a great review, Ben. Our Customer Success team will be very happy to hear you find their support valuable. We're glad to hear that you and your team are taking advantage of the option to bulk upload and are benefiting from all the time-saving benefits of using Xref. With regards to your feedback on our People Search feature, we'll pass it on to our product team. Thanks again for leaving us a review. BG Bhawana G. Head of APAC Talent Acquisition Insurance Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Best platform to use for Professional Reference Check!!! " September 4, 2023 5.0 Overall i would highly recommend this platform for mid size companies who only wants to do professional reference checks.It's convenient, value for money and faster. Pros Very easy platform to use..Easy to put references in system and for recipient to put details of referrers , if any referrer decline to provide the recommendation, recipient can add more referrers details without back & forth.Instant email goes to candidate after details are entered. Not like other products where internal teams has SLA of 48 hours to approve and then Reference check initiated.They highlight if referrers and referee has been on same IP... which helps to detect false recommendation. Cons The credit is lost if recepient doesn't fill the details in 2 weeks time which is quite a loss for company. They should credit it back to the account in such case. Review Source Response from Xref September 25, 2023 Hi Bhawana, Thank you for giving us a 5-star rating. We're glad to hear you're enjoying the many benefits of our user-friendly Xref platform. Regarding your feedback on recipients not responding to requests, you could use the 'replace' button on the platform. The 'Replace' button in Xref allows you to ask your candidate to submit the details of another reference provider. The replace feature is available for 21 days from when a request has been sent but is still awaiting completion. Please contact our dedicated Customer Success team at support@xref.com for assistance. Once again, thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. Amy S. Senior Recruitment Coordinator Mining & Metals Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Set and forget, enormously beneficial for a speedy recruitment process. " November 17, 2020 5.0 The account contacts were always readily available when needed. Making changes to the system was very simple. If anything I would suggest that if you were to use the platform as a company, ensure your questions are fit for purpose and that you are not requiring too much time from your candidates referees, while still ensuring that you have the information on hand that is required to make the right hiring decisions. Pros Xref is extremely easy to use. Setting up a ref check takes no time at all, and once the information is in the system Xref takes care of the automation and regular reminders to both the candidate and their referees to ensure the detail is completed in a timely manner. The ability to pick up on fraudulent references (through IP addresses) has been highly beneficial. The time savings of being able to 'set and forget' this part of the recruitment process is enormous. Cons There are no issues that come to mind. Review Source Response from Xref December 7, 2020 Thank you for your great review, Amy. We are happy to hear that you have benefited from the ease and security that comes through online reference checks through Xref. We understand how important this step is within the hiring process and want to make it as compliant and efficient as we possibly can. Thanks again for your review. PK Peter K. General Manager NSW Staffing and Recruiting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "We recommend XREF!" January 14, 2020 5.0 Over the past few years our organisation has been looking at tools and technologies to help improve the efficiency and productivity of our recruitment teams. We selected XREF for several reasons but primarily because it freed up our recruiters to find the next candidate, rather than them chasing referees of someone we had already placed. Our teams love it and as we have integrated the tool with our Candidate tracking system it ensures we maintain our workflow practices and compliance requirements. Pros Ease of use The XREF team can quickly customise templates for us to suit client specific needs Candidate experience is a positive one The quality and detail of responses was surprisingly good from the outset. My team is happy as it makes them more efficient. Reduces the post placement overhead. Provides for greater accuracy and integrity of the reference check process. Excellent support and customer care from the XREF team Cons the concern we had was that we may miss out on leads being generated from the old style reference check. The new feature, People Search, which we have just started using should help alleviate this concern. Reason for choosing Xref XREF is the only tool we have reviewed Review Source Response from Xref April 2, 2020 Thanks for your feedback, Peter. We are glad that you have been able to save time and benefit from automating your references. It's also great to hear that you have recently started using People Search, we are confident that it will aid your recruitment with a smart and compliant approach to business development. Thanks again for taking a moment to write this review, Peter. KM Keira M. Human Resources Business Partner Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Easy to use product " August 9, 2022 5.0 Easy to use, and well integrated with my recruitment software. Pros Love the API connection with my recruitment software program, it means initiating a reference check is as quick as pressing a button! Cons Lots of email workflow to the admin user, If I am doing bulk recruitment (20 employees) all undertaking references checking the email workflows are high. Perhaps workflow for candidates who haven't responded and when the total of reference checks requested have been completed only? Reason for choosing Xref unable to answer General feedback: When an account manager changes it would be good to be informed. I was experiencing issues and calling my account manager, I called the head office for three days to finally get a call back letting me know my previous account manager had moved from the business and I had a new account manager. No communication was sent to me to introduce me to the new account manager. Review Source Response from Xref August 23, 2022 Hi Keira, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We're glad to know that you find our online reference checking tool easy to use. Our aim in automating references is to save time and simplify the tedious parts of a recruiter's job. With regard to your feedback about notifications, you can adjust the frequency of those in your settings. Please reach out to our dedicated Customer Success team at support@xref.com if you would like assistance. We understand how important it is for account management updates to be shared; thanks for your feedback. We hope to give you the best experience possible for online reference checking. Thanks again for your review. VR Verified Reviewer Lead Project Analyst Human Resources Used the software for: 2+ years ### "XRef makes the reference check process a lot easier!" August 19, 2018 5.0 XRef has completely sped up the reference process for us. This is fairly critical, especially when our candidates are often receiving multiple offers. We simply can't have any delays in our process, so XRef is very timely to finalize our offer stage! They've really got a great support team as well to monitor your account. Pros I work in recruitment and we used to call all of our candidates references individually, while transcribing their responses. As we scaled, this was time consuming. In came XRef. XRef has saved a lot of time for us. Instead of calling all of our candidates references, we can set the candidate up in the system and it is up to them to enter their references. Our reference questions are sent over and we often get the references back within 24 - 48 hours. A lot quicker than chasing down the references! It is super easy to download the reference's responses and send over to our hiring managers. It can even catch fraud - e.g., it will flag you if a reference is using the same IP address as the candidate. Better yet, they are a Canadian product! Cons There's not much that I can say I don't like! Highly recommend. The one thing I'd say is it is a bit different as you aren't actually speaking to the references with the tool. You may miss out on verbal cues from the references. Review Source Response from Xref April 2, 2020 Thank you for your great review. We are happy to hear you have been benefiting from the time that has been saved through the simplicity of the Xref platform. We know how important it is for these matters to be handled in a timely and compliant manner. Thanks again for your review. NF Nicole F. HR leader Legal Services Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Incredible Tool - Highly Recommend!" April 25, 2019 5.0 Fantastic experience. The tool provides a warm and human candidate experience, facilitated by user-friendly and smart software. Because the tool is so user friendly, people want to use it and it improves reference turnaround time. No need to deal with clunky reference forms or waste time on scripted phone calls. References can quickly and easily provide their info and candidates (and HR) can see where things are in the process, eliminating the need for painful and time consuming follow ups. Finally, the data insights are great and, again, we aren’t talking about using clunky dashboards that take time to decipher or multiple clicks to get at a subset of the information you want. The information you want is available at your fingertips. The product is just incredible. Pros Usability, features, workflow. Overall it’s an incredible product that is quick, easy and intuitive to use. The workflow is human and makes it seem like you’re dealing with an individual, not a database. Every touchpoint (for candidate, reference, HR) is seamless and so helpful. It’s a product that actually enhances the recruitment and candidate experience because of the incredible usability of the platform. Beyond that, the data and insights are robust and available a your fingertips instantly. We aren’t talking about a clunky dashboard or painful online database, you can very quickly get your hands on the information you need because the system has already done all the analysis you need. Fantastic tool that helps you provide a positive experience during the screening process and improves turnaround time. Cons Hadn’t integrated criminal background checks for Canada but that’s in the works. Once it’s a one-stop-shop I have no doubt it will be the dominant platform of choice for prescreening and references. Review Source Response from Xref April 2, 2020 Thank you for this great review, Nicole. It's good to hear how you have benefited from the ease and efficiency of the Xref platform. We are always looking to improve our service and appreciate your feedback. Thanks again for your review, Nicole. LP Luisa P. Volunteer administrator Civic & Social Organization Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Great reference platform" August 9, 2022 5.0 Allowing us to save a lot of time in productivity while doing reference checks Pros Reference automation, as it makes the process faster Cons I feel is missing allowing an administrator to add information for a candidate. For example, if a candidate added a wrong email, the administrator should be able to change it without needing to ask for a new link. Also if the candidate missed something, the administrator should be able to add it in their profile. Review Source Response from Xref August 19, 2022 Thank you for taking the time to leave your review, Luisa. We're glad to hear you're enjoying the benefits of an efficient and automated reference checking process. Regarding your comment on the administrator filling details on behalf of the candidate. Our suspicious activity algorithm requires the data to be updated directly by the candidate. If the administrator fills in details on behalf of the candidate, we won't be able to track suspicious activity. Thanks again for sharing your review. HP Hayley P. Recruitment Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Excellent service - wouldn't work in a job without it!" July 23, 2020 4.0 Bulk recruitment has been made easier with Xref, as has detecting fraudulent references and ensuring time is spent more productively Pros \- Simplifies the reference process especially with bulk recruitment - No time delays between calling referees, references can be completed at everyones convenience - Fraud detection services which capture about 80% of fraudulent references - Provides referee details allowing you to look at their LinkedIn and validate their history Cons \- Although there is fraud detection, candidates can still provide fraudulent references and if you are not careful they can slip through. Maybe there should be a database of candidates that have previously provided fraudulent references Review Source Response from Xref July 27, 2020 Thanks for taking the time to provide this review. We're glad to hear Xref is helping simplify the process for you. Thanks also for your recommendations. MS Malvika S. People Attraction Advisor Staffing and Recruiting Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Xref Review" December 20, 2022 5.0 The software is amazing. Gives you regular updates on at what stage the reference is at for example if the referee has opened the reference and started the reference, etc. Pros It's very easy to set up candidates. Although it only uses emails to collect the references, it keeps you posted on what stages is the reference at like candidate has agreed to the privacy statement, submitted refs, referees have started doing reference, etc. Cons Because it only allows references to be completed by email. Its takes time to get it completed by referees. Reason for choosing Xref Regular updates. Proper stats on where everything is at. Detection of Ip Matches. Easy to use. Gives negative and positive aspects of references. Review Source HD Henrietta D. Business Analyst Telecommunications Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "XRef has been a great tool for reference checks!" March 1, 2024 5.0 Pros I've used Xref for completing reference checks, the service is quick, and easy to set up. and ensures that good quality, reliable references are received! Cons Xref is a bit pricey for a reference tool soley, but is worth the price if you are using it for multiple features Review Source Response from Xref April 3, 2024 Thanks for you review, Henrietta We're thrilled to hear that Xref has been a valuable tool for your reference checks. At Xref, we prioritise providing a service that is not only quick and easy to set up but also ensures the receipt of high-quality, reliable references. We're also proud to share that in our 2023 Customer Satisfaction Survey, 93% of our users expressed satisfaction with our platform and service. Our platform's comprehensive features and the peace of mind it provides in terms of security and reliability is a testament to our commitment to delivering a top-notch experience for our customers. Thanks again for sharing your positive feedback. JJ Jess J. Nursing Recruiter/Candidate relations Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 2+ years ### "References come back so much faster!" January 9, 2020 4.0 Makes my job so much easier! Helps obtain references in such an efficient and non invasive manner. Pros Xref has been very helpful in obtaining timely and accurate references, as well as flagging potential fraud situations, which have saved us time and hassle. Cons There are a few limitations in adding needed information or customizing the reference form. Review Source Response from Xref April 2, 2020 Thanks for your review, Jess. It's great to hear that Xref has helped to free up more time and make the recruitment process simpler for you. We are always happy to help out and/or receive feedback on any formatting or customisation you'd like to see in the platform. Please reach out to your Customer Success Manager who will be able to help you add customisation or pass on your thoughts to our development team. Thanks again for your review, Jess. AH Abby H. Talent Acquisition specialist Biotechnology Used the software for: 2+ years ### "XREF makes Reference checks easy " August 12, 2022 4.0 Pros Easy for employer and candidates and reliable Cons More questions from references and/or different "rating" system Review Source Response from Xref August 19, 2022 Thanks for leaving us a review, Abby. We're glad to hear that you and your candidates find Xref simple to use. With regard to your feedback about adding questions and the rating scale. We'd like to understand this more so we can help you customise your questionnaire where possible. Please contact our dedicated Customer Success team on support@xref.com if you would like assistance. Thanks again for your review. DM David M. National Manager, Talent & Attraction Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Xref - a recruiters best friend" January 13, 2020 5.0 Great system which is matched with equally great customer management. Pros ease of use and smarts behind the software. Not only is it a positive experience for candidates and the referees but it also flags potentially fraudulent references. Cons I've never had any problems with the system. Reason for choosing Xref Ease of use, positive candidate experience and saved huge amounts of time for our recruitment team. Ability to flag potentially fraudulent reference checks. Review Source Response from Xref January 20, 2020 Thanks so much for the great review, David. We're proud to offer a smart tech solution that's backed by leading customer support and we appreciate you highlighting that. We're glad you continue to benefit from a great experience for everyone involved, with added hiring assurance. CS Chris S. Lead Consultant Logistics and Supply Chain Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Xref Review" August 4, 2022 4.0 As mentioned, process of references become seasier to track and quicker to process. Pros The automation, this means I dont have to complie mutilple reference requests for candidates. A few clicks and its ent to teh candidate and they are able to fill it all out and the reference is then sent to their previous employers. Alos being able to see supicious activity, using the same IP address, very handy. Cons Generally very good, occasionally some candidates struggle with the tech, so anything that simlplifies the process. Review Source Response from Xref August 19, 2022 Thanks for sharing your review, Chris. It's good to hear you're enjoying the time-saving benefits of using bulk requests on the Xref platform. We know the importance of robust reference checking that helps you to make confident hiring decisions, so we're glad to hear that the unusual activity notification has also been useful to you. Thanks again for this review - it's much appreciated! JB John B. Talent Recruiter Education Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Xref is the Way To Go! " August 9, 2022 5.0 I've had a positive experience with Xref; it's allowed me to track references and background checks Pros I like the ease of use most. Using Xref allows my team to hire candidates daily. Cons I don't dislike anything about the software. Review Source Response from Xref August 19, 2022 Thanks for leaving such a fantastic review, John. We're glad to hear you find Xref saves you time and increases the efficiencies of your team. We know how valuable time is for busy professionals and we're happy to hear that you're enjoying the ease and time-saving benefits of using Xref. Thanks again for such a positive review. BJ Becca J. Recruiter Staffing and Recruiting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Xref " December 2, 2020 4.0 Pros Very easy to use. I like how it gives both parties notifications when completed. Cons I wish you could edit the responses when people enter in the wrong information. Review Source Response from Xref December 7, 2020 Thanks for your review, Becca. It is great to hear that you have benefited from the ease that come through using Xref for your reference checking. We would love to discuss you feedback regarding the potential of changing or updating responses further. Please feel free to contact our customer success team at a time that suits you and we can gather your feedback to help improve this service going forward. Thanks again for your review. FM Fiona M. GM People and Culture Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Xref, makes compliance simple" January 14, 2020 5.0 Well run implementation that delivered what they promised and on time. Xref were happy to work with our other software vendors to implement streamlined and integrated processes for us. Pros It is a system that gives us the confidence that all our staff are compliant with legislation and takes the administrative burden from us. It makes the employee the star of the process. Cons It can sometimes be confronting for employees with a lack of computer skills go through the process the first time. Reason for choosing Xref Xref were professional and consultative throughout the entire set up and implementation process and this relationship continues throughout. Xref work with us to ensure that we are utilising the product to it's potential and keep us up to date with any new services and updates. Review Source Response from Xref April 2, 2020 Thank you for your great review, Fiona. It is good to hear that you have been able to benefit from the ease and simplicity of the platform. We're delighted that you and your team also feel more confident in your hiring process, having switched to automated references. We do our best to make the platform as user-friendly as possible while delivering a compliant, high-quality service but we appreciate your feedback about the employee experience. Thanks again for the review! RS Rebecca S. Recruitment Officer Human Resources Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Review" July 23, 2020 5.0 I love it. I love the fraudulent pick-ups too. Pros I love that I can enter someone's details and let the magic happen behind the scenes. Cons Logging in. I often select the 'remember my password' and my username populates, but I never remembers my password, and it's annoying. I get it's for security purposes, but I wished I could just open xRef and it takes me straight to the platform. Review Source Response from Xref July 27, 2020 Thanks so much for this great review. We appreciate you taking the time to provide your feedback. SA Simon A. Talent Acquisition Specialist Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 2+ years ### "X Ref is great" August 4, 2020 5.0 Very happy with X Ref Pros Easy to use for Users and Candidates. Very straight forward to use. Very few technical issues. Cons I can't really say there is anything about X Ref I don't like. I have used it now in three different organisations. It has great functionality and has saved us so much time and is easy for the referee and very safe and secure. Review Source Response from Xref August 6, 2020 Thanks so much for this wonderful review. We're glad that you've had such a great experience with Xref across your different roles. DS Dylan S. Workforce Specialist Human Resources Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Review" August 9, 2022 3.0 Generally I like it but it but it could be better. Pros Ease of acquiring references, not having to call every reference . Cons Requests often go into spam folders or are thought to be spam by both candidates and references. Review Source Response from Xref August 16, 2022 Hi Dylan, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We're glad to hear you find Xref saves you time and increases efficiencies as your team does not need to chase candidates and referees. We would love to know more about how we can improve the Xref experience for you, please feel free to reach out to our customer support team at support@xref.com. Thanks again for your feedback. KM Katie M. Recruiter Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "XREF is great!" January 9, 2020 5.0 I am very happy with it and will continue to use it!! Pros I love that I can use it on both my computer and my phone! Everything transfers quickly so I can easily go back and forth which helps me continue conversations wherever I am!!! Cons I wish it was easier to access my contact list on my phone. Review Source Response from Xref April 2, 2020 Thank you for your great review, Katie. We are happy to hear that you have experienced the efficiency and simplicity of the Xref platform. We will pass your feedback on and make sure it is handled by the relevant team. If you ever have any further feedback or suggestions please feel free to reach out to your Customer Success Manager. Thanks again for your review. Similar Products Featured