In this article:
Identity theft and fraud protection for your finances, personal info, and devices.
What’s the Best App For Monitoring Your Credit?
Credit monitoring apps detect and alert you to changes to your credit file and score. Apps can vary in the services they provide — focusing either on financial health (i.e., tracking your credit score) or fraud awareness (i.e., monitoring your credit reports).
The best apps do a combination of both, keeping you updated about your credit scores — as well as showing how personal loans, credit checks, and hard inquiries impact your score — and informing you of changes to your credit profile that could indicate you’re the victim of fraud.
But with dozens of options on the market, it’s hard to tell whether you actually need a credit monitoring app — and, if you do, which one is best for your specific needs.
How To Choose the Credit Monitoring App That’s Right for You
The truth is that most credit monitoring apps don’t do much more than you can do on your own.
Banks, lenders, and other institutions offer free credit scores, and every American is entitled to free credit reports from all three bureaus each week by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com.
However, if you go this route, it’s on you to monitor and act on that information.
Credit monitoring apps do the work for you — giving you easier access to your credit scores and reports, and alerting you to changes or fraud right away. Some providers offer even more tools to keep you safe online, bundling their credit monitoring app with identity theft protection services.
When deciding which credit monitoring app is right for you, it’s important to consider some key features:
- Accurate credit scores with regular updates. Some services promote daily credit score updates — but this isn’t necessary. Most credit monitoring tools include alerts if your credit score drops or increases suddenly, which is usually more than enough.
- Credit score model used. Services differ in which credit score model they use (typically either VantageScore® or FICO®) as well as the version of that credit score model. The scores you see in apps may not reflect exactly the same number that lenders see when they pull your credit.
- Three-bureau credit monitoring. Viewing your Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion credit scores side by side uncovers inconsistencies in your credit score and report.
- Additional financial and online safety tools. Dark web scanning, Safe Browsing tools, and password management add an extra layer of security to your accounts. Identity theft insurance can help you get back on your feet in a worst-case scenario.
The 5 Best Credit Monitoring Apps Right Now
Below, we’ll dig deeper into our top choices for the best credit monitoring apps available right now.
1. Identity Guard
Why we picked it: Over 38 million people trust Identity Guard to monitor their credit and help protect their identities. Identity Guard’s top-tier Ultra plan includes three-bureau credit monitoring, a one-click Experian credit file lock, monthly credit scores via the VantageScore® model, and more.
But where Identity Guard shines is in its identity monitoring and fraud resolution support. Identity Guard can monitor your most sensitive information — such as your Social Security number (SSN) and banking details — and alert you to suspicious transactions in your linked bank, credit card, and 401(k) accounts, and more.
You’ll also get 24/7 support and up to $5 million in insurance coverage for eligible losses due to identity theft.
Best plan & average cost: Identity Guard’s Total Plan at $9.99/month offers the best bang for your buck. Besides three-bureau credit monitoring and monthly VantageScores, you get alerts about data breaches, Dark Web activity, and bank account fraud. Plus, White Glove Fraud Resolution Specialists are at the ready if you become a victim of fraud.
Who is Identity Guard best for? Consumers who want all-in-one credit monitoring and strong digital security at an affordable price.
2. Aura
Why we picked it: Aura combines excellent identity and credit monitoring with top-of-the-line digital security features like built-in ad blockers, a digital lockbox for your sensitive files and documents, a military-grade virtual private network (VPN), AI-powered spam protection, and more.
Recent mystery shopper surveys have also found that Aura provides the most reliable and fastest fraud alerts when compared to other credit monitoring apps.
Aura is especially valuable for families offering one of the most powerful family plans available. Aura covers up to five adults in different households (such as elderly grandparents) and unlimited children, and boasts features such as child SSN monitoring, cyberbullying alerts, and parental controls.
Best plan & average cost: Aura’s individual plan is your best bet. Starting at $12/month (but regularly discounted), you get three-bureau credit monitoring, at least $1 million in identity theft insurance, instant Experian CreditLock, antivirus, VPN, and 24/7 U.S.-based expert fraud resolution.
Who is Aura best for? Individuals who need comprehensive digital security in addition to credit monitoring, or families that need access to parental controls, safe gaming features, and child identity theft protection.
📚 Related: Aura vs. LifeLock vs. Identity Guard — What You Need To Know →
3. CreditWise by Capital One
Why we picked it: CreditWise is a free credit monitoring service that offers a credit score simulator designed to predict changes to your credit score based on credit utilization, payment history, and plans to pay off debt. CreditWise also comes with alerts about the use of your Social Security number or email address detected on the Dark Web.
However, CreditWise only monitors two bureaus: Experian and TransUnion. Reviewers have also noted that CreditWise doesn’t incorporate Experian credit report data into its credit simulator; the service is just notifying you of changes to your Experian report [*].
Best plan & average cost: There’s only one CreditWise plan, and it’s free. Anyone over 18, even non-Capital One customers, can sign up.
Beware that Capital One may use your personal information for marketing purposes (and may share it with its partners) unless you opt out upon signup. If you decide to cancel your account, it can take up to 45 days to process [*].
Who is CreditWise by Capital One best for? People who want to get a basic pulse on their credit scores, TransUnion credit reports, and Dark Web presence, for free.
4. CreditKarma
Why we picked it: CreditKarma is Intuit’s all-purpose personal finance app, built to help people build credit and stay on top of their auto loans, mortgages, and other lines of credit. Its credit-related services check TransUnion and Equifax credit reports for changes on a weekly basis.
That said, users complain about excessive product recommendations and poor customer support in reviews on Trustpilot, where CreditKarma has a 1.3 rating out of 5 (as of January 2025) [*].
Best plan & average cost: CreditKarma is free; but you must connect to an external bank or direct deposit a one-time total of at least $750 in a single calendar month to create a new account. That’s because whenever you sign up for a credit card or service advertised in the app, CreditKarma receives a commission.
Who is CreditKarma best for? Folks who want free credit scores and new credit products from Intuit or its partners at favorable interest rates.
📚 Related: What Is Credit Monitoring (And Do You Need To Pay For It?) →
5. Credit Sesame
Why we picked it: Credit Sesame is a popular free credit monitoring platform, offering weekly credit score updates from TransUnion. Credit Sesame's paid plans track credit report data from all three credit bureaus and monitor public records and the Dark Web for the use of your personal information.
Despite these benefits, Credit Sesame is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB). It holds an “F” rating on the BBB website and has only 1.2 stars (out of 5) on Trustpilot.
Best plan & average cost: To get credit score monitoring for all three bureaus, you must purchase Credit Sesame’s most expensive plan, starting at $24.99 per month.
Who is Credit Sesame best for? Users willing to pay more for three-bureau monitoring in exchange for promotional financial products.
The Bottom Line: Credit Score Apps Typically Aren’t Enough
The best credit monitoring apps do more than give you updates about your credit score.
While free tools are available, premium services like Identity Guard can warn you of fraud (that could harm your credit score), monitor your financial accounts, and keep you and your family safe against data breaches, hacking, scams, and identity theft.
