The 4 Best Free Credit Score Apps

Stay on top of your financial health with these mobile downloads

By
Sarah Silbert
Sarah Silbert
Writer
  • Bard College
  • Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence is a consumer technology writer whose work has appeared in Fortune and MIT Technology Review. She's also a previous senior editor at Engadget.
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Updated on June 21, 2021

Everyone has a credit score, and staying up-to-date on yours is important. Here, we showcase four free apps for your Android or iPhone that will help you monitor your score, correct items when necessary, and get alerts when something changes on your report. 

01
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Equifax and TransUnion Scores: Credit Karma

Credit Karma ad.
Credit Karma
What We Like

  • Good summary information.

  • Able to dispute from the app.

What We Don't Like

  • Lag in updating credit score.

  • Upsells of financial products within the app.

Credit Karma is perhaps the best-known service for getting free credit score reports from the Equifax and TransUnion credit bureaus (Experian is the other major bureau).

The Credit Carma app for Android and iOS provides alerts for any important changes to your credit report, and if you see any errors, you can file a dispute from the Credit Karma app. The app also gives an organized summary of your credit score breakdown, including the accounts factored into your score.

Download For:

02
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TransUnion Score From Capital One: CreditWise

creditwise app
Capital One
What We Like

  • Regular updates.

  • Simulation tools.

What We Don't Like

  • TransUnion only.

This app from Capital One is available to everyone, not only the company's banking customers. It provides a weekly update of your TransUnion VantageScore 3.0 credit score, and it includes some interesting extras such as a credit simulator that demonstrates how actions such as paying off debt could affect your score.

You'll also get personalized suggestions for improving your score, along with industry-standard alerts for any critical changes.

Download For:

03
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Experian Credit Score: Experian

experian app
Experian
What We Like

  • Good overview of credit profile.

  • Doesn't overwhelm with frequent alerts.

What We Don't Like

  • Experian only.

As one of the three major credit bureaus providing credit reports, Experian quite sensibly has a credit score app of its own. The Experian app provides your score, which is updated every 30 days, in addition to details about credit card account activity, outstanding debt, and the effects of your credit card activity on your score.

Download For:

04
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TransUnion Score and Report Card: Credit Sesame

credit sesame app
Credit Sesame
What We Like

  • Excellent design and plenty of features.

  • Comprehensive reporting.

What We Don't Like

  • Many credit card offers.

  • Unclear partner strategy.

Credit Sesame provides a free look at your credit score using the VantageScore model from TransUnion. You also get a credit score report card, with letter grades given for payment history, credit usage, and credit age. You'll get the usual account-change alerts, too.

The My Borrowing Power feature projects how much credit you can probably access based on your current score and account information. This tool also recommends credit cards, mortgage rates, and refinance options.​

Download For:

Credit Score Basics

You'll find plenty of resources to help you learn what goes into calculating your credit score and what the numbers mean, but here's a quick overview:

  • A credit score indicates your creditworthiness to potential lenders such as banks and mortgage lenders. It also gives them a good idea of how responsible you're likely to be with paying off your balances.
  • Credit is scored on a scale that ranges from 300 to 850. A higher number is better than a lower number.
  • The most commonly used credit score is the FICO score, but other models exist, such as VantageScore.com.

Does Checking Your Credit Score Hurt It?

Many people fear that checking their credit scores will negatively affect their credit score. The truth is that checking your credit score is usually considered a "soft" inquiry, meaning it doesn't require a "hard" pull of your credit report.

Hard inquiries usually happen when you apply for a new credit card, a loan, or a mortgage. Soft inquiries typically occur when you check your own score, when a potential employer does a background check, or when you're pre-approved for a credit card or loan.

Credit Karma does a great job explaining a hard credit inquiry vs. a soft credit inquiry. In any case, you should rest assured that using the apps in this article won't negatively affect your credit score.

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