Your credit score is very important and it play an important role when applying for credit card, loan, and more. Therefore, it is crucial that you pay close attention of your credit report so that you are able to analyze your results. This will allow you to reflect of your past and present financial health that will help you to improve in the future.
Do you want to keep track of your credit report but do not want to do it yourself? There is an option for signing on with a credit monitoring service. This service will be able to detect any suspicious activity in your credit file and alert you immediately. There are other services available such as advices on how to improve your credit score or fraud resolution.
In this guide, we will help you with comparing different credit monitoring companies so that you are able to find the best ones with the best features that are up to your expectations.
How To Compare Monitoring Services
Before creating our list of best credit monitoring services, we took our time with research to effectively look at number of providers and considered the following:
Credit Score Model
The VantageScore 3.0 model is used by most credit monitoring agencies to calculate credit score. However, FICO is the model that is used by most lenders to determine eligibility.
Credit Report Frequency
If you want to catch any inaccuracies quickly then the more often your credit report should be monitored. The top and best credit monitoring serviced will check your report daily or even more frequently.
Credit Bureaus Monitored
Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion are the three major reporting bureaus. You will want to monitor activity in all three reports even though many credit monitoring providers only offer access to credit reports of one or two bureaus.
Serviced Included
With any credit monitoring agency that you choose, you can expect the minimum service of at least one credit score and report, account alerts, and credit monitoring. If you decide on paid serviced, they usually include additional perks and benefits suck as dark web and Social Security Number monitoring, fraud assistance, credit freezes, score simulator and tracking, identity theft insurance, and much more.
Pricing
There are credit monitoring services that are free. However, they usually only include credit monitoring for a single credit bureau. There are also paid credit monitoring services that would allow you access to all three credit reports, along with identity restoration assistance. Depending on the services that you believe will satisfy your needs, you will be expected to pay between $8.99 and $35.95 per month for a credit monitoring service with extra protection.
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
CreditWise is a free credit monitoring service by Capital One. Luckily, you do not have to be a Capital One customer to take advantage of their services. This is an option that is easy and low-cost. It will allow you to be frequently updated on changed to your credit files, with dark web and Social Security Number monitoring and a credit card simulator.
Pricing | Free, no credit card required |
Credit Score | VantageScore 3.0 |
Credit Score Updated | Weekly |
Credit Bureaus | Experian, TransUnion |
Credit Monitoring | Credit report, dark web, SSN |
Credit Score Simulator | Yes |
Details | Alerts to changes in credit history Personalized suggestions to improve score |
(click the link above to learn more)
Experian Credit Monitoring – Most Reliable Credit Score
Experian Credit Monitoring services provides you with unlimited access to your Experian credit report. This include daily alerts on changed to your personal information, new inquires and accounts opened in your name, and any suspicious activity. You will also receive updated on your FICO Score every month. You have access to Experian support team if you were to experience any issues with fraud. Submitting and tracking disputes online are free. Experian futures other services that include personalized advice on how to improve your credit score, a credit score simulator, and an education center.
Pricing | Free, no credit card required |
Credit Score | FICO |
Credit Score Updated | Monthly |
Credit Bureaus | Experian |
Credit 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 |
(click the link above to learn more)
Credit Sesame – Best With ID Theft Insurance
Credit Sesame, founded in 2010 by Adrian Nazari, offers a service for free credit monitoring, credit scores, and analysis of loans and credits. Other features that are a part of their services that they offer are free insurance against identity theft and help with ID restoration. They will help you monitor, manage, and protect your credit.
Pricing | Free, no credit card required |
Credit Score | VantageScore 3.0 |
Credit Score Updated | Monthly |
Credit Bureaus | TransUnion |
Credit 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 |
(click the link above to learn more)
Credit Karma – Best Mobile App
Credit Karma gives you access to your VantageScore 3.0 and your Equifax and TransUnion reports for free. Other services that are includes are giving insight on how to improve your credit score, an option to dispute errors directly for the Credit Karma site. They also offer free federal and state income tax preparation. However, their best features that make them stand out compared to other is the Credit Karma mobile app which is rated 4.9/5 in the App Store and 4.8/5 on Google Play.
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 |
Credit 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 |
(click the link above to learn more)
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 is one that offers a wide range of service that will allow you to protect you and your family from and identity theft. The services provided will actively check your credit history, Social Security Number, and detect suspicious activity. IdentityIQ will notify you immediately and initiate the process to prevent, block or fix the issue if they see any possible abuse. Other features that are offered include dark web. application and criminal records monitoring, identify protection and restoration, and up to $1 million in identity theft insurance. The information below varies by plan.
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 |
(click the link above to learn more)
MyFICO – Most Reliable Score
MyFICO services gives you access to the three-bureau credit report and 28 versions of your credit score that are used in auto, credit card lending, and mortgage. You will get alerts when it comes to any changes that occur in your credit file, including newly opened accounts, inquiries and public records, listed collections, changes to address, and much more features. All plans also include up to $1 million in identity theft insurance. The information below varies by plan.
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 |
(click the link above to learn more)
TransUnion – Best Single-Bureau Monitoring
TransUnion is one of the three major credit bureaus in the United States. Their credit monitoring service aims for the best aid in which you can receive. They help you from managing your credit and minimizing risk, give you an unlimited access to your credit score and report from TransUnion, and gives you instant alerts when changes, along with personalized advice. TransUnion offer other features as well, such as, financial calculators, a credit score simulator a view of your score history over time, identity theft insurance and resolution, and the option to freeze your TransUnion report.
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 |
(click the link above to learn more)
SuperMoney Credit Monitoring – Best for Comparing
SuperMoney is a credit monitoring, aggregator site that allows you to compare multiple financial products and companies. The comparison service that they offer such as utilizing a proprietary, weight, or soring algorithm lets you take a look into various important detail such as monthly fee and additional details, customer reviews, and the ability to rank credit monitoring firms.
When you first arrive on the SuperMoney Credit page, you will be able to see an overview of how these companies work and the variety of important features to consider. Towards the bottom of the page, you will find a table that have the several credit monitoring providers ranks so that you can filter by Net Recommendation Score or by Product Name.
(click the link above to learn more)
Bottom Line
There are many Credit Monitoring Services out there that allows you to consider and choose the one that would best fit your needs and expectations. Our list and description helps you narrow down your choices, so that the information does not overwhelm you. By having a credit monitoring service, it will ensure security and access to detailed credits information. Be sure to look into these options today.
Leave a Reply