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Best Credit Score Monitoring Apps 2023
Whether you're trying to improve your credit or are worried about identity theft, credit monitoring apps can improve your financial health and give you peace of mind. We tried nine to find the best.

Credit scores are an important part of personal finance, but they can be confusing. Luckily, there are many apps that help monitor your credit scores, alerting you to any changes and providing resources and tips for improving your credit.
We found that Credit Karma offered a robust free service with lots of resources and that WalletHub was another totally free option with great visuals. Experian was the best app for a credit bureau, and The Credit Pros is best for people who need to improve damaged credit.
Table of Contents
Best overall credit monitoring app
Credit Karma is a unicorn app: both free and incredibly feature-rich. The best value, hands down.
Why we chose Credit Karma:
- Totally free, with no upgrade options
- Monitors credit scores from 2 of the 3 bureaus: TransUnion and Equifax. Daily score checks keep you apprised of any changes or suspicious activity
- With tons of educational resources, Credit Karma can help you understand and improve your financial health.
- Personalized offers with approval odds help you find credit cards, loans, and more that suit your individual situation.
- The score simulator tool helps you understand the impact of different financial decisions.
Credit Karma is an incredibly useful tool for tracking, understanding, and improving your credit.
Read Credit Karma's Full ReviewBest detailed credit reporting
A credit score app that helps you get a handle on the nitty gritty of your finances.
Why we chose WalletHub
- WalletHub is totally free.
- Provides TransUnion credit score and report, as well as daily checks.
- Detailed credit reports help you understand every aspect of your score.
- Score simulator tool shows how different actions might impact your financial health
- Well-designed graphics help you to fully comprehend your credit score using clear and informative charts and graphs.
- Detailed views of your accounts help you prioritize payments.
If you're looking for a free credit monitoring app that helps you understand your credit, Wallet Hub is a solid choice.
Read WalletHub's Full ReviewBest official credit bureau app
Experian is one of the three major credit bureaus. Their official app can help you understand and improve your score.
Why we chose Experian:
- Free Experian score and credit monitoring
- A premium version ($20 per month) provides access to all three scores as well as identity theft protection.
- The cheaper plus version ($9.99 per month) offers credit lock and some identity protection, but also only has the Experian score.
- Clear visual displays help you understand your credit report.
- If you're concerned about identity theft, the premium option includes identity theft insurance.
- Bill negotiator tool can help reduce your payments -- and you only pay if the negotiation is successful.
While we don't think the premium features are necessary for most people, the free version of Experian is a great way to keep track of that score.
Read Experian's Full ReviewBest for improving damaged credit
If you need personalized help with your credit, whether you're trying to fix bad credit or don't have much credit history, The Credit Pros can help.
Why we chose The Credit Pros:
- With a $119 start-up fee followed by a $69 per month subscription, The Credit Pros is a significant investment.
- The Credit Pros do all the legwork involved in getting negative items off your credit report.
- Starting with an initial consultation, you get personalized assistance and are encouraged to ask your advisor about any new financial decisions.
- Offers lots of tips and resources for building (or building back) credit.
The price is high, but an improved credit score and help keeping it that way may be worth it for people with considerably damaged credit.
Read The Credit Pros' Full ReviewEverything We Recommend
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Our Pick• Check your free credit scores – Learn what affects your credit scores and how you can take control.
• Credit Karma Money™ Spend – A checking experience* with Early Payday.
• Credit Karma Money™ Save – No fees with this interest-bearing savings account.
• Karma Confidence – See personalized offers and know your chances of approval for a personal loan or credit card before you apply.
• Credit card choices – Browse great credit card offers based on your unique credit profile. And thanks to Karma Confidence technology, our members get approved 66% more often.**
• Auto savings and more – Tune up your auto loan, see about saving on insurance, see open recalls and find vehicle records.
• Karma Drive – Track your safe driving score to see if you can unlock lower car insurance rates.***
• Home sweet home – Calculate how much home you can afford, see personalized home loan offers and get a mortgage pre-qualification letter.
• Personal loan shopping – Whether you want to refinance credit card debt or borrow for an emergency, you can compare personal loan offers on Credit Karma (members who compare offers on Credit Karma save an average of 32% on interest rates!).****
• Explore the Relief Roadmap – Connect to government stimulus programs, unemployment benefits, debt relief opportunities, loan options and more.
• Free ID monitoring – Check your free reports to spot potential identity theft and get tips for keeping your personal information safer.
• Free credit monitoring – Get credit alerts when we see important changes happen to your Equifax or TransUnion credit reports.
Join more than 120 million members and get all these features, and more, for free. Download the Credit Karma app and create your own karma today.
DISCLOSURES
Banking services provided by MVB Bank, Inc., Member FDIC.
*Third-party fees may apply.
**Based on a comparison of Credit Karma member approval rates in 2021 vs national approval rates for general purpose credit cards from 2020 according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s 2021 Consumer Credit Card Market Report (36%)
***Karma Drive is not available in all states. Sign in the app for availability.
****Based on aggregate member personal loan origination data from July 2020 to December 2020. Estimated average interest rates for members who found personal loans through Credit Karma were compared with estimated average interest rates for members who found personal loans elsewhere. Those members who found personal loans through Credit Karma had estimated interest rates that were 32% lower on average than those who found personal loans outside Credit Karma.
Mortgage products and services offered through Credit Karma Mortgage, Inc. NMLS ID# 1588622 | Read licenses at https://www.creditkarma.com/about/mortgage-licenses.
Loan services offered through Credit Karma Offers, Inc., NMLS ID# 1628077 | Read licenses at https://www.creditkarma.com/about/loan-licenses | California loans arranged pursuant to a California Financing Law license.
Insurance services offered through Credit Karma Insurance Services, LLC (dba Karma Insurance Services, LLC; CA resident license #0172748).CostFreeFreeIn-App PurchasesNoNo -
Runner UpWalletHub is the first app to offer 100% free credit scores and full credit reports that update on a daily basis. WalletHub also provides a personalized plan for saving money and improving your credit score. Download this award-winning app and reach top WalletFitness®.
Sign up for a free WalletHub account to get:
• Free credit scores, updated daily
• A clear plan for improving your score
• Free credit reports, updated daily
• 24/7 credit monitoring to warn you of identity theft and fraud
• Savings alerts so you can repay your debt faster and avoid overpaying on your credit cards and loans
• Your custom-built debt payoff plan
2,000+ News Mentions, Including:
• The Wall Street Journal
• The New York Times
• The Washington Post
• CNBC
• Yahoo Finance
• MSN Money
• Forbes
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Is WalletHub Really Free?
A: Yes, it’s 100% free, and we’ll never even ask you for a credit card number.
Q: Will Using WalletHub Hurt My Credit?
A: Not at all. It’s only a “soft” inquiry when you check your latest credit report and score through WalletHub. So WalletHub may only help your credit as a result.
Q: Why WalletHub?
A: While there are a number of places to get a free credit score and free credit report (or at least a free trial) – from Credit Karma to Capital One’s Credit Wise – WalletHub's credit score app offer daily updates and a clear action plan. We’ll also give you personalized credit-improvement tips and help you maximize your savings as well as minimize your debt.
Q: Does The WalletHub App Include All WalletHub Features?
A: No, for the full WalletHub experience and accessibility features please use our website at https://wallethub.com
Q: How Will WalletHub Save Me Money?
A: Whether you have excellent credit or bad credit, WalletHub will automatically hunt for better deals so you’ll never get taken advantage of. And if your credit isn’t perfect, we’ll also help you improve it, enabling you to save thousands each year on your credit cards, mortgage, auto loan, student loan, car insurance and more. A strong credit rating will help indirectly with potential employers and landlords, too.
Q: Can WalletHub Help Me Improve My Credit?
A: WalletHub analyzes your latest credit score and report to identify your credit strengths and weaknesses. We then run a number of simulations to determine how different actions will impact your credit standing. Finally, we present you with a customized credit-improvement plan, along with a comprehensive credit scorecard. You can check it out on your account’s Credit Analysis page.
As your credit score improves, WalletHub will also give you personalized tips about which credit cards offer the highest approval odds and the most savings.
Q: How Does 24/7 Credit Monitoring Work?
A: WalletHub’s free credit monitoring keeps a round-the-clock watch on your TransUnion credit report and will notify you whenever there is an important change. In addition to email alerts, you can also customize your WalletHub account to receive SMS alerts, which most credit monitoring services don’t provide. This will give you the chance to quickly confirm the accuracy of credit-report changes and, if necessary, start sorting out any problems before they really get out of hand.CostFreeFreeIn-App PurchasesNoNo -
Also GroovyGet your Experian credit report and FICO® Score*—all free, no credit card needed. Instantly raise your FICO Score with Experian Boost™†, get notified about changes to your credit with monitoring and alerts, and explore personalized credit card, loan and auto insurance options to find the best fit for you.
WHAT’S INSIDE
• Experian credit report and free FICO® Score*
Check your FICO Score and credit report in the app anytime, anywhere. It doesn’t hurt your credit, and no credit card is required. Sign in for automatic updates every 30 days.
Plus, get to know your credit in a whole new way—see what factors are helping or hurting your FICO Score, track changes to your credit over time, and learn actions to take for better credit.
• Experian Boost
Instantly increase your FICO® Score by getting credit for bills you already pay, like your cell phone, utilities and streaming services.
• Credit monitoring and alerts
Always be in the know with credit monitoring and alerts. Turn on push notifications to find out if your FICO® Score changes, new accounts are opened in your name or new inquiries appear on your credit report.
• Marketplace‡
Choose the credit card, loan or auto insurance that’s right for you. Compare personalized options matched to your unique credit profile and FICO® Score.
• Experian CreditLock§
Protect yourself against identity theft by locking your Experian credit file. We’ll send you real-time alerts if someone tries to apply for credit in your name while your file is locked.
ABOUT EXPERIAN®
Experian is the first company and credit bureau to offer online credit reporting services in the U.S. We empower consumers to manage and improve their financial status, while helping protect against fraud and identity theft.
Privacy Policy: https://usa.experian.com/login/#/publicPrivacyPolicy
Terms & Conditions: https://usa.experian.com/login/#/publicTermsAndConditionsFree
*Credit score calculated based on FICO® Score 8 model. Your lender or insurer may use a different FICO Score than FICO Score 8 or another type of credit score altogether. To learn more: https://www.experian.com
†Results may vary. Not all payments are boost-eligible. Some users may not receive an improved score or approval odds. Not all lenders use Experian credit files, and not all lenders use scores impacted by Experian Boost. To learn more: https://www.experian.com
‡Based on FICO® Score 8 model. Approval is not guaranteed. Some may not see savings from improved interest rates. Offers are not available in all states. To learn more: https://www.experian.com
§Experian CreditLock is a separate service from Security Freeze: https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html. To learn more about the differences between CreditLock and Security Freeze, please visit https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/whats-the-difference-between-freezing-or-locking-my-credit/
© 2022 Experian. All rights reserved. Experian. Experian and the Experian trademarks used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Experian and its affiliates. The use of any other trade name, copyright, or trademark is for identification and reference purposes only and does not imply any association with the copyright or trademark holder of their product or brand. Other product and company names mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners. Licenses and Disclosures.CostFreeFreeIn-App PurchasesNo$4.99 - $19.99 per itemThe Credit Pros is a technology-enabled credit repair service focused on improving Americans’ credit profiles. Staffed by a team of experienced credit experts, The Credit Pros helps clients to remove erroneous credit information and offers industry-leading personal finance training and advice. The Credit Pros offers free credit consultations in order to educate clients on how the credit system works and what proactive measures are needed to improve their credit. TheCreditPros Client App Key Features: CREDIT REPORT TCP Clients get Transunion credit scores, reports, and real-time monitoring at no extra cost. View your report and get Score Impact breakdown with actionable advice Review recent changes to your profile through Transunion© credit monitoring Track your credit score increase over time CREDIT REPAIR Easily access all of your current credit disputes Review pending items, recent wins, and dispute updates Easily access all credit dispute documentation on your account CONTACT CENTER Receive timely push notifications for all important changes Upload documents and images directly from your phone’s camera Schedule an appointment directly from your phone with someone on the TCP team Need to update your payment info? Do it right from the phone TRAINING CENTER Browse through cutting edge personal finance video content Have a question? Our F.A.Q. gives timely credit advice in times of need Not a client yet? Visit https://thecreditpros.com for more information or call (800) 411-3050CostFreeIn-App PurchasesNo
The 411 from our Appventurer
How we tested?
After identifying some of the most widely used credit monitoring apps, I tested them with a number of criteria in mind. Since there are three major credit bureaus, one important consideration is how many scores each app provided. While no one app had all three for free, it is possible to use multiple apps to get all three scores for free. That said, some people may prefer to pay to have everything in one place, so finding the app that offered all three for the lowest price was a consideration as well.
Since a simple numerical credit score can be opaque, I looked at how well each app broke down the score and explained what contributed to it. I considered how much information each app gave about different accounts and how they impact credit scores.
Visual presentation was important here, as well, since clear images can convey more information than text. Explanatory resources were important criteria, since credit scores and improving credit can be confusing.
I also looked at what resources each app offered for improving credit, including tips and special offers. While some users just want to keep an eye on their credit in case of errors or fraud, many people are looking to improve their scores, so this is an important feature.
Why get the app?
If you're checking on your credit score frequently, using the app is more convenient than checking a website. Many of these apps have alerts, as well, so you can be notified of any changes right on your phone.
While credit monitoring apps often contain a lot of information, it tends to be displayed in ways that are easy to understand on a small screen. You can easily find any information you need for understanding your credit score. Even if there are some tasks that you prefer to do on the website, downloading the app is still a good idea for having alerts and information available at your fingertips.
More About Credit Karma: Our Pick
Credit Karma is one hundred percent free. In many apps, even if you don’t use in-app purchasing, you’re deluged with invitations to upgrade or buy something, but not here. Credit Karma makes money by presenting you with personalized offers for credit cards, loans, and other financial products. These offers can save you time and help your finances since the app suggests things that you’re likely to qualify for or that might improve your credit or lower your payments.
Credit Karma provides scores from two of the three credit bureaus: TransUnion and Equifax. Since Experian offers the third for free, you can check all three if you use both apps. Credit Karma performs daily score checks to help you stay on top of your credit. In addition to protecting against fraud, these constant updates help you understand how different decisions impact your credit.
The app is packed with educational resources. If you want to understand how credit works and how to improve your scores, the articles in the app provide the information you need in a clear and digestible format.
Once you've learned all you need to know, Credit Karma can help you take action to build or improve your credit. They have credit card suggestions with approval odds, so you can find a likely fit before applying. They also have info and offers for personal loans and other financial products. You can simulate personal loan situations to get a sense of whether your loan will be approved and how much monthly payments might be. The app also suggests things like balance transfers that may improve your credit.
If you just want to monitor your finances, Credit Karma is great for that too. You can view your accounts, check your credit utilization, score history, and more. Seeing all accounts in one place -- bank, credit cards, loans, etc. -- can give you a clear picture of your financial situation.
Credit karma looks for ways to help you save money by refinancing loans or transferring balances. They can suggest ways to improve your credit or make more progress without increasing monthly payments. There are a number of additional features as well, including free tax filing.
Credit Karma is that rare free app with no sacrifice. The features are as good or better than anything on a paid app, so there’s really no downside here.
Snags but not drags:
As noted, Credit Karma does not have Experian credit scores. You can see that score for free on the Experian app, but if it's important to you to be able to see all three scores in one app, you'll need to pay for an upgrade on the Experian app or another credit monitoring app.
The personalized offers that allow Credit Karma to offer such extensive features for free may not appeal to everyone. Even though they're carefully targeted and relevant to the user, "personalized offers" are still fundamentally ads. If you don't want to see offers, you may want to try Wallet Hub, which is also free. It has ads, but they are less prominent on the site (and not personalized).
More About WalletHub: Runner Up
Another totally free and high-quality app, Wallet Hub, offers free TransUnion credit reports, as well as lots of information about your score and suggestions to improve it. With well-designed charts, useful tools, and all your account info in one place, Wallet Hub is a great app for staying on top of your financial health.
Wallet Hub provides an incredibly detailed breakdown of your credit report. You can see all the factors that are contributing to your score, how important each is, and where you stand. The app displays payment history, collections accounts and public records, credit utilization, debt load, account age, and more.
Armed with that information, you can use some of Wallet Hub’s features to decide what to do next. With the score simulator tool, you can try out different actions to see how they are likely to impact your credit. The simulator shows you what effect different actions will have. You can simulate opening/closing accounts, making/missing payments, changes to balances and credit limit, and bankruptcy/collections. For instance, the simulator can tell you how many points opening a new credit card is likely to add to your score.
The app has really effective (and attractive) visual displays. Charts and graphs help you understand different aspects of your score. These design elements are more than just aesthetic since text-only reports can be more difficult to understand than a thoughtful chart.
Account breakdowns show balances, the next payment date, and how much each debt is hurting your credit score. This can help you consider how to prioritize your payments. One interesting data set wallet Hub provides is how your scores compare to other people, both overall and in the same region, age group, and income bracket.
The app has credit card offers, but they are not targeted and don't have approval odds. Offers are subtle, not intrusive, and they contain ad disclosures.
If you appreciate a little encouragement, Wallet Hub has achievement trophies. This is a cute way to gamify the potentially stressful and boring process of improving your credit score.
More About Experian: Also Groovy
The official app for the Experian credit bureau, the free version of the app, offers only that score for free. You can get all three on the app by upgrading to premium (for $20 per month or $200 per year). The other scores are available for free on Credit Karma, however, so you may want to save money by using the free score on Experian to supplement Credit Karma. But if it's important to you to have all your information in one app, the Experian upgrade may be worth it.
Experian offers clear and useful data visuals to help you understand your credit. A credit summary is shown in a pie chart that tells you how much different factors are contributing to your score. If you want to dig more deeply into that data, Experian offers more detailed scores, with specific numbers for things like home and auto. You can see whether certain items are helping or hurting your score. However, they don't provide a lot of context for understanding these scores.
While the free version of the app is the best way to monitor your Experian score, paying for the premium version is probably not worth the price for most people. Most of the premium features are available for free on other apps, and checking your scores regularly (which you can do for free) is probably all you need to do to monitor your credit.
Experian has two upgrades. The Plus option ($9.99 per month) offers a credit lock feature, a score simulator, up to $500,000 identity theft insurance, and some other identity protection features. In addition to providing all three credit bureau scores, the $20 per month premium version offers even more robust identity theft protection. If you’re looking for identity protection services, this may be one to check out, but we didn’t compare it to others since credit monitoring was the focus of this article.
Through the app, you can access some other features (although the app will send you to a website). One unique feature is the Bill Negotiator. If you send them your bills, they will try to get you a lower price. If successful, they take a portion of the savings, so you only pay if you also save.
More About The Credit Pros: Also Groovy
While in most cases, it's not necessary to pay for credit monitoring, The Credit Pros offer assistance at a much higher level than the other options on this list.
The service is expensive, but if you're in need of credit repair, it may be worth it. The Credit Pros offer highly personalized assistance for improving credit. For a $119 start-up fee and $69 per month thereafter, they dig deep into every negative item on your credit report and work to get it removed. The price is high, but so is the benefit to you and the amount of work they do.
Before you can access the app, you'll need to schedule a personal consultation with an advisor. They'll talk you through your credit report and what they can do to help improve it. That might include clearing hard credit checks, getting late fees removed, and fixing other damaging items. They work with all three credit bureaus to help fix your credit. The app offers the typical credit score monitoring, and it also shows you the progress they are making with disputes and removing dings.
The membership is expensive, and they can do quite a bit in the first few months, so it would be possible to receive help with your score and then cancel. However, it might be worth sticking around after that point because The Credit Pros offers a lot of tools to keep you on track. You can speak to your advisor any time, and they encourage you to do so before big decisions like getting a mortgage or opening a new line of credit. Getting guidance like this can help you make decisions that will keep your credit score high. They also offer lots of resources for building credit, which could be helpful if you're building back from a bad credit score or if you have a limited credit history.
Because The Credit Pros makes disputes on your behalf, they need lots of identification information. You'll need to upload things like your social security card and driver's license or ID. The process is involved and expensive, but if you're really struggling with bad credit, The Credit Pros can help you improve your score and peace of mind and put you on the path to a financially secure future.
Other Apps Considered
Credit Sesame offers a free TransUnion credit score and tools for understanding and improving your credit. For $19.99 per month, you can access all three scores. But since you can see all three for free using our top picks, there's no reason to pay for this.
Credit Sesame sends tons of emails and frequently pushes the user to sign up for their Sesame Cash Account. With free products out there without such intrusive advertising, there's no reason to use this one.
Credit.com is a free credit score and report app comparable to some of the others on the list. It is less app-oriented, and you have to visit the website to sign up. If you're already a Credit.com user, you may want to check out the app, but if you're looking for something new, some of the other apps on our list are more user-friendly.
TransUnion is the official app for the TransUnion bureau. But unlike Experian, which gives you one score for free, TransUnion requires a paid subscription of $19.99 per month to view any information. With a subscription, you gain access to all three credit scores, but since you can find these elsewhere for free, there's no reason to pay for this.
MyFICO offers access to all three credit scores, but it will cost you a hefty $29.99. This is more expensive than other paid subscriptions, and these scores are available for free elsewhere. There's no reason to pay such a high price, even if you want all three scores in one app.
ScoreSense is another paid app. There's no free option, although there is a free trial. The subscription price is $29.99 for access to all three credit scores and daily credit monitoring. Since this is all available for free elsewhere, there's no reason to subscribe to this service.
Caroline Rothnie
Hard as I try to keep a minimalist phone, I can't stop downloading more apps. In addition to my can't-live-without apps for organization, music and podcasts, fitness, and meditation, I'm constantly trying out new ones. So I love apps, but it's a complicated relationship -- some of my favorites are for keeping me off my phone/internet.
In second grade, I attempted to do a book report on a story I had written myself, so you could say I've always thought of myself as a writer. These days, I write a wide variety of web content with a focus on mental health and productivity. I also write personal essays. I live in Kansas with my husband and two dogs.
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