Your credit score is important to have when you apply for a credit card and more. In other words, you should keep an eye on your credit report and make sure that it’s accurate and in good standing.
However, if you don’t want to manage it on your own, you can sign up for a credit monitoring service. These services will find suspicious activity on your credit file and notify you right away. Some will even give you advice on how you can improve your credit score, and others will help with fraud resolution.
Check out our list of the best credit repair services.
Read below for more information on the different types of credit monitoring companies with the best features.
How to Compare Credit Monitoring Services
We made our list by looking at the amount of providers these services have and the following:
Credit Score Model
Many credit monitoring agencies will use VantageScore 3.0 model to calculate your credit score. But, this model is used by most lenders to see what your eligibility is for FICO.
Credit Report Frequency
The more your credit report is monitored, the faster you’ll be able to catch inaccuracies. The best credit monitoring services will check your report on a daily basis or even more often than usual.
Credit Bureaus Monitored
There are 3 major credit report bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Lots of credit monitoring services will only give access to credit reports of one or two bureaus. However, it’s a better idea to monitor your activity for all of them.
Services Included
With any credit monitoring agency, you’ll be able to access at least one credit score and report, credit monitoring, and account alerts. With paid services, it will add extra benefits like: dark web and Social Security Number monitoring, credit freezes, score simulator and tracking, fraud assistance, identity theft, and more.
Pricing
There are some credit monitoring services that are free, but they normally only have credit monitoring for one credit bureau. However, if you want to access all 3 credit bureaus with identity restoration assistance, you might need to pay a little more. Expect to pay around $8.99 to $34.95 a month depending on what you want in a service.
Best Free Credit Monitoring Services
CreditWise | Best overall free |
Experian | Most reliable credit score |
Credit Sesame | Best with ID theft insurance |
Credit Karma | Best mobile app |
CreditWise – Best Overall Free
With CreditWise, it’s a free credit monitoring services by Capital One. But, you don’t have to be a Capital One member to be able to make use of this service. It’s easy and low-cost so you can stay on top of any changes to your credit score. Plus, it comes with dark web and Social Security Number monitoring and a credit score simulator.
Pricing | Free, no credit card required |
Credit Score | VantageScore 3.0 |
Credit Score Updated | Weekly |
Credit Bureaus | Experian, TransUnion |
Monitoring | Credit report, dark web, SSN |
Credit Score Simulator | Yes |
Details | Alerts to changes in credit history Personalized suggestions to improve score |
Experian Credit Monitoring – Most Reliable Credit Score
Experian Credit Monitoring will offer unlimited access to your Experian credit report with daily alerts for things like changes to your personal information, new inquiries, and accounts opened in your name. Additionally, you’ll get monthly updates of your FICO Score as well. If you have any problems with fraud, you’ll get access to the dedicated Experian support team. Then, submit and track disputes online for free. Other perks are: personalized advice on how to improve your credit score, a credit score simulator, and an education center.
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Pricing | Free, no credit card required |
Credit Score | FICO |
Credit Score Updated | Monthly |
Credit Bureaus | Experian |
Monitoring | Credit report |
Credit Score Simulator | Yes |
Details | Alerts to changes in credit history Fraud assistance Submit & track disputes online Personalized suggestions to improve score Education center |
Credit Sesame – Best with ID Theft Insurance
Credit Sesame was founded in 2010 by Adrian Nazari and offers free credit monitoring, credit scores, and analysis of loans and credits. Other than that, they also have free insurance against identity theft to help with ID restoration. Plus, they will help monitor, manage, and protect your credit as well.
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Pricing | Free, no credit card required |
Credit Score | VantageScore 3.0 |
Credit Score Updated | Monthly |
Credit Bureaus | TransUnion |
Monitoring | Credit report |
Credit Score Simulator | No |
Details | Alerts to changes in credit history Personalized suggestions to improve score Fraud resolution assistance Up to $50K in ID theft insurance ID restoration assistance |
Credit Karma – Best Mobile App
Credit Karma enables you to get access to your VantageScore 3,0 and your Equifax and TransUnion reports for free. Additionally, it offers insights on how you can better your credit score too. There’s even the option to dispute errors directly from the Credit Karma site and free federal and state income tax preparation. However, their best feature is the Credit Karma mobile app which is rated at 4.9 out of 5 stars in the App Store, and 4.8 out of 5 stars on Google Play.
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Pricing | Free, no credit card required |
Credit Score | VantageScore 3.0 |
Credit Score Updated | Every time you log into your account |
Credit Bureaus | Equifax, TransUnion |
Monitoring | Credit report |
Credit Score Simulator | Yes |
Details | Alerts to changes in credit history Personalized suggestions to improve score Fraud resolution assistance Free tax preparation |
Best Paid Credit Monitoring Services
IdentityIQ | Best overall, paid |
MyFICO | Most reliable credit score |
TransUnion | Best single-bureau monitoring |
SuperMoney | Best for comparing |
IdentityIQ – Best Overall Paid
IdentityIQ has a large variety of services to assist you in protecting you and your family from identity theft. They will actively check your credit history, and your Social Security Number, to detect suspicious activity. If IdentityIQ sees any possible abuse, they will alert you right away and initiate the process to prevent, block, or fix the problem. Some other perks include: dark web, application and criminal records monitoring, identity protection and restoration, and up to $1 million in identity theft insurance. The information below will vary depending on the plan you choose.
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Monthly Pricing | $6.99 – $29.99 |
Credit Score | VantageScore 3.0 |
Credit Score Updated | Daily/annually/bi-annually/monthly |
Credit Bureaus | 1 bureau/all 3 bureaus |
Monitoring | Credit report, dark web, application, criminal records |
Credit Score Simulator | Yes, highest-tier plan only |
Details | Alerts to changes in credit history Fraud resolution assistance ID protection & restoration ID theft insurance Family protection |
MyFICO – Most Reliable Score
MyFICO offers you access to your three-bureau credit report and 28 versions of your credit score that’s used in mortgage, auto, and credit card lending. Additionally, you’ll receive alerts for changes to your credit file such as: newly opened accounts, inquiries and public records, changes to address, listed collections, and more. All of their plans will have up to $1 million in identity theft insurance. The information below will vary by the plan.
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Monthly Pricing | $19.95 – $39.95 |
Credit Score | FICO |
Credit Score Updated | Monthly/quarterly |
Credit Bureaus | 1 bureau/all 3 bureaus |
Monitoring | Credit report, internet, public records, SSN |
Credit Score Simulator | Yes |
Details | Alerts to changes in credit history Fraud resolution assistance ID protection & restoration ID theft insurance Education center |
TransUnion – Best Single-Bureau Monitoring
TransUnion is one of the three major credit bureaus in the United States. Their credit monitoring services will help you manage your credit and lower the risks. It will give you unlimited access to your TransUnion credit score and report, with immediate notifications of changes and personalized advice as well. Some of the perks are: financial calculators, a credit score simulator, a view of your score history over time, the ability to freeze your TransUnion report, and identity theft insurance and resolution.
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Monthly Pricing | $24.95 |
Credit Score | VantageScore 3.0 |
Credit Score Updated | Unlimited |
Credit Bureaus | TransUnion |
Monitoring | Credit report |
Credit Score Simulator | Yes |
Details | Alerts to changes in credit history Personalized suggestions to improve score Financial calculators Score Trending graphs Credit Lock Plus ID theft insurance & resolution |
SuperMoney Credit Monitoring – Best for Comparing
SuperMoney is an aggregator website that will enable you to compare multiple financial products and companies. This will include credit monitoring agencies in one place. It will utilize a proprietary, weighted, sorting algorithm, the comparison service that will take a look at various important details, such as customer reviews, monthly fee and additional details, to rank credit monitoring firms.
After you get on the SuperMoney Credit Monitoring webpage, you’ll be able to see how the companies work and the important features to consider when comparing credit monitoring agencies. Go to the bottom of the page, you’ll find a table that ranks several credit monitoring providers, which you can filter by Net Recommendation Score or by Product Name.
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