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Identity theft and fraud protection for your finances, personal info, and devices.
Is There a Better Option For Tracking Your Credit Than Credit Karma?
Credit Karma is a credit and financial management platform that offers free access to credit and identity monitoring along with online banking features. Key services include credit score updates, a credit report dispute tool, and customized personal finance recommendations for credit card, loan, and insurance products.
Keeping tabs on your credit can help you make smart financial decisions and protect your credit files from the threat of fraud. However, you may want to consider an alternative to Credit Karma when taking into account some of its downsides, such as:
- Ad-supported business model. Credit Karma keeps its services free by taking a cut whenever you sign up for one of the credit products it promotes — which doesn’t always mean Credit Karma has your best interests at heart.
- $3 million fine for deceptive marketing practices. In January 2023, The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fined Credit Karma $3 million for making deceptive claims to entice customers to apply for “pre-approved” credit cards [*].
- Limited credit monitoring features. As this service only notifies you about “essential changes” to your credit history and only offers two-bureau credit monitoring, you could miss out on early warning signs of fraud. Ideally, you should have a provider that monitors all three credit reporting agencies — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
Deciding whether or not Credit Karma is right for you depends on your situation, budget, and needs. The good news is that there are plenty of viable alternatives available to you — both free and paid.
How To Choose the Credit Karma Alternative That’s Right For You
Credit Karma has become a go-to resource for people seeking credit information, tools and calculators to help them reach their financial goals, and basic online banking.
However, many users have become frustrated with the service due to slow updates, aggressive marketing tactics, poor customer support, and problems accessing their own money [*].
On third-party review sites like Trustpilot, as well as the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Credit Karma holds a concerning one-star (or “D” level) rating.
When reviewing Credit Karma and its alternatives, we rated companies based on how they handle common complaints and what features they offer, such as:
- Credit monitoring and scores. While Credit Karma provides regular free credit score updates, its lack of three-bureau credit monitoring means you could miss impactful (or potentially fraudulent) changes to your credit reports.
- Transparent business model. Look for services that clearly explain their policies about data protection and sharing. Also, make sure you’re not signing up for a provider that overwhelms users with targeted ads and product recommendations.
- Secure account connections. If hackers gain access to your information, credit profile, or bank accounts, they could raid your savings and destroy your credit score. Strong encryption and security protocols are essential when sharing sensitive financial data.
- Additional credit protection. Consider services that provide safeguards beyond basic credit monitoring. For example, leading providers like Identity Guard include Dark Web and data breach monitoring, one-click credit locks, and near real-time fraud alerts.
- User experience. The platform should provide clear, actionable insights about your credit and how to respond to incidents. Also, keep in mind that many free services are limited and may also include ads.
Can you still use Mint instead of Credit Karma?
Intuit — the parent company of Credit Karma — also owned the popular budgeting app, Mint. However, you can no longer use this app instead of Credit Karma, as Mint was fully shut down on March 23, 2024 [*].
Intuit advised that several Mint features, like spending and net worth tracking, would eventually be released on Credit Karma; but other budget-focused features will not be migrated.
While Credit Karma is not a direct substitute for Mint, users of the budgeting app are migrating to Credit Karma — although many have complained about missing features [*].
The 5 Best Credit Karma Alternatives Right Now
We’ve gathered a list of Credit Karma alternatives to help you weigh the pros and cons of each one in order to make the right choice for your needs.
1. Identity Guard
Why we picked it: Identity Guard has been cited as one of the best identity theft protection services by USNews.com, CNBC Select, Forbes Advisor, and Security.org. This platform has resolved over 140,000 fraud cases since its inception in the 1990s [*].
Three-bureau credit monitoring is available on two of Identity Guard’s plans. The Ultra plan also offers monthly credit score updates by using the VantageScore® scoring model, and provides credit card and debit card monitoring services.
Identity Guard also excels when it comes to customer support and insurance coverage, with 24/7 U.S.-based support and up to $5 million in total identity theft insurance coverage.
Best plan & average cost: Identity Guard Ultra at $14.99/month (paid annually).
Identity Guard offers an all-in-one solution for credit and identity protection. You will need to pay for the higher tier to get three-bureau credit monitoring — plus access to premium features like a one-click credit lock, annual credit reports, and account monitoring and transaction alerts for linked financial institutions.
How does Identity Guard compare to Credit Karma?
Identity Guard offers comprehensive identity and credit monitoring protection as well as extra online security features. This makes it a much better option if you’ve been a victim of a data breach or identity theft and want to protect yourself against future fraud.
However, Identity Guard only provides monthly scores compared to Credit Karma’s weekly scores. Also, given the higher price point, it may be excessive if you just want basic credit monitoring.
2. Credit Sesame
Why we picked it: Credit Sesame is a popular free credit monitoring service that helps users improve their credit scores and increase their approval odds.
You can sign up for a seven-day free trial, which offers monthly updates on your TransUnion credit score, including details of factors that contribute to that score. To get more advanced features, the Credit Sesame+ membership costs $12.99/month for one-bureau credit monitoring or $24.99/month for three-bureau credit monitoring.
Best plan & average cost: Credit Sesame+ with three-bureau credit monitoring at $24.99/month.
This tier gives you three-bureau credit monitoring and comprehensive protection — including a $50,000 identity theft insurance policy and fraud remediation services. With 24/7 live assistance, you can get support to cancel and reissue your lost or stolen cards.
How does Credit Sesame compare to Credit Karma?
Credit Sesame’s free tier is a decent Credit Karma alternative for people who just want basic information about their credit scores. Its premium tier gives you a well-rounded service for credit monitoring, albeit at a higher cost than competing options. Overall, the limitations of its features undermine the price tag.
📚 Related: The 10 Best Credit Monitoring Services of 2024 →
3. WalletHub
Why we picked it: WalletHub is a free credit score app that empowers users to check credit reports, manage debt, and work to improve their credit standings in the eyes of lenders. Its credit score simulator lets you estimate what happens in different scenarios — including opening a new account, refinancing debt, or filing for bankruptcy.
WalletHub has a free plan and two paid plans: WalletHub Premium at $6.49/month and WalletHub Premium+ at $11.99/month. The paid plans give you access to advanced features, like a spending Tracker, TransUnion® Credit Lock, and enhanced loan monitoring.
Best plan & average cost: WalletHub Premium+ at $11.99/month.
This plan offers a more robust level of protection than the free plan does to keep you safe against credit fraud. Its advanced features include transaction alerts, bank account takeover monitoring, and checking and savings account application alerts.
How does WalletHub compare to Credit Karma?
WalletHub is a good Credit Karma alternative that lets you check your credit scores and access financial products. Overall, we think Credit Karma still has the edge here. One example is that there’s no guarantee you’ll be approved for any of the products WalletHub recommends. By contrast, Credit Karma actually pays you $50 if you don’t get approved for a credit card that it recommends [*].
4. Credit.com
Why we picked it: Credit.com is a popular website that claims to have helped over one million customers understand their credit scores, as well as find the right credit cards and best mortgage rates. Like Credit Karma, this platform partners with affiliates and advertisers and makes money by selling additional financial products and services.
A standout feature is Credit.com’s focus on credit repair, which can be useful if you’re recovering from fraud or want to improve your credit before applying for a loan or mortgage. You can choose from two plans: the free Credit Report Card or ExtraCredit® at $24.99/month.
Best plan & average cost: ExtraCredit® at $24.99/month.
While the free version lets you see your Experian credit score, it’s limited (like most free services). If you want the support of three-bureau credit monitoring and identity theft protection, you’ll need the paid plan.
How does Credit.com compare to Credit Karma?
Credit.com includes better security tools than Credit Karma, including its robust credit repair features. If you want stronger protection against fraud and identity theft, the paid plan is a better option than Credit Karma. That said, it’s not the cheapest service when you consider the value of an all-in-one platform like Identity Guard.
5. myFICO®
Why we picked it: The Fair Isaac Corporation, better known as FICO®, created the widely accepted FICO score model that many banks and lenders use to assess someone’s creditworthiness before issuing new credit.
myFICO is the company’s subscription credit monitoring service that lets you track your FICO® credit scores from the three major credit bureaus. Paid plans start at $29.95/month, giving you access to additional services — like identity monitoring, lost wallet protection, ID theft insurance, and restoration services.
Best plan & average cost: myFICO Premier at $39.95/month.
While the cheaper advanced plan also offers three-bureau coverage, it only sends credit reports every three months. If you want a more proactive approach, you can get monthly credit reports on the Premier Plan.
How does myFICO compare to Credit Karma?
The main advantage of myFICO is that it’s a one-stop shop for your scores from all three bureaus. Plus, because it’s directly connected to FICO scores (and not VantageScore), this Credit Karma alternative may give you a more accurate picture of how lenders (like auto loan providers) see your credit.
But while myFICO offers better protection against identity theft, its expensive subscription offers less value than the market leaders in identity theft protection.
📚 Related: Identity Theft Prevention: How to Avoid ID Theft Right Now →
The Bottom Line: The Best Apps Help You Keep Your Credit Safe and Healthy
The best Credit Karma alternatives provide more than simple credit score updates and related financial product offers. Whereas free tools include limited capabilities and too many ads, premium services like Identity Guard give you comprehensive protection against data breaches, hacking, scams, and identity theft.
Identity Guard’s all-in-one ID theft protection platform monitors your financial accounts and warns you about fraud that could harm your credit score. Even if disaster strikes, you’ll have 24/7 access to identity recovery support specialists and $1 million (or more) in identity theft insurance coverage.
