The 6 Best Credit Monitoring Apps (Track Your Credit Scores)

What’s the Best App For Tracking Your Credit?

Credit monitoring apps can help you keep track of your credit score and monitor your credit reports for hard inquiries, new loans, and other changes. 

There are typically two reasons why you’d want to use one of these apps: 

• To track your credit score before a big purchase. Some apps are more geared towards financial health and report on your credit score (either FICO® or VantageScore®), as well as help educate you about building credit. However, there are hundreds of different credit scores used by lenders — so you may not be getting the most accurate information. 
• To monitor your credit reports for signs of fraud. If scammers get ahold of your personal information, they can attempt to open new accounts or take out loans in your name. Credit monitoring apps track your credit files with one, two, or all three of the major credit bureaus, and inform you of suspicious activity. 

While credit score apps are nice to have if you’re making a large purchase or trying to get a better interest rate on a loan, credit monitoring apps are essential tools for anyone whose information has been compromised in a data breach or is at risk of identity theft. Some apps even do both — but not all of them are worth your time and money. 

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Key takeaways

• Credit monitoring apps alert you to changes in your credit report and score, which may indicate you’ve been the victim of identity theft or financial fraud.
• There are ways of obtaining your credit scores for free; but these methods are often unreliable, require significant manual work, or lack additional protection.
• Aura is a top pick for credit monitoring because it includes three-bureau monitoring combined with award-winning identity theft protection and digital security tools on all its plans.

How To Choose a Credit Score and Monitoring App

The best credit monitoring apps offer a well-rounded feature set — with regular credit score updates, comprehensive credit monitoring, and additional fraud protection features. Here’s what to look for:

• Three-bureau credit monitoring. Some services only monitor your files with one or two of the three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion), which can leave you vulnerable to fraud that shows up on the credit reports not being tracked. 
• Regular credit score updates. Daily score updates are ideal, but it’s not uncommon for services to provide only monthly or even quarterly updates. You should also consider the type of credit score the service provides and if it’s the same as what your lender reviews. 
• Fast and reliable alerts. Many services only alert you to “major” changes in your credit file (such as new accounts) — and often do so days or weeks after they’ve already been approved. Fast alerts can save you thousands of dollars by detecting fraud. 
• Bundled fraud protection. Credit monitoring services that are bundled with other identity theft and fraud protection features offer the best value and safety for your money.

The 6 Best Credit Monitoring Apps for 2024

Credit monitoring apps act as an alert system only — they can’t stop fraud from happening or meaningfully help you build good credit. That’s why it’s important to look at the additional features and protection that each service provides. 

1. Aura

Why we picked it: Aura is an all-in-one intelligent safety solution that provides award-winning identity, credit, device, and data protection — along with 24/7 support and up to $5 million in insurance coverage for eligible losses due to identity theft and fraud. Aura is available on Android, iOS devices, and desktop devices.

Aura gives you monthly credit score updates based on the VantageScore® 3.0 model, monitors your credit reports at all three major bureaus, provides one-click CreditLock for your Experian credit file, and even uses artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor your linked bank accounts for unusual transactions. 

A 2022 mystery shopper survey found that Aura provides the fastest and most reliable credit fraud alerts in the industry³.

For questions about credit reports (or any other concerns), all Aura members get 24/7 access to a dedicated team of U.S.-based fraud remediation specialists. 

Best plan and pricing: Aura individual plan — $6/month using this special discount link.

Aura includes all of its credit protection features on all plans — you just have to decide how many people you want to protect: yourself, you and a partner, or your entire family. Aura’s plan for individuals provides premium credit, identity, and device protection for one of the lowest monthly fees available.

Our final verdict: Aura is a comprehensive solution for anyone who wants to keep their credit and personal finances safe. With identity theft protection and digital security tools bundled on all plans, it’s a more cost-effective option than many competitors.

2. Credit Karma

Why we picked it: When it comes to credit insights and monitoring, there are few names as recognizable as Credit Karma. 

Credit Karma’s free plans provide estimates of your credit score based on information gathered from your TransUnion and Equifax credit reports — with insights into what’s affecting your credit score and how you might be able to fix it. You’ll also get basic two-bureau credit monitoring (from Equifax and TransUnion).

How does Credit Karma provide these features for free? Simply put, Credit Karma uses your credit profile to provide personalized recommendations for credit cards, personal loans, auto loans, and other financial products — and then takes a commission when you purchase one [*].

Best plan and pricing: N/A

While Credit Karma offers some paid features, its most basic, free app offers the best value for the majority of users.

Our final verdict: For basic, free credit monitoring and credit score updates, Credit Karma is a great choice for most people. However, it’s important to remember that the score it provides is merely an estimate and shouldn’t be relied on as 100% accurate. The app’s included identity protection features are also quite limited. 

📚 Related: The 6 Best Credit Karma Alternatives You Should Consider →

3. Credit Sesame

Why we picked it: Credit Sesame is another free option that offers several interesting credit history and score simulator features. 

Credit Sesame’s main attributes include monthly TransUnion credit score updates, as well as insights into some of the individual factors that impact your score (such as credit utilization, payment history, new inquiries, and more). It also offers personalized tips on how to manage your debt and ways to save on credit card interest.

While Credit Sesame’s basic offering — credit score monitoring — is free, there are additional services that are only included as part of the Premium paid plan. For example, you can monitor your credit through TransUnion for free, but you’ll have to pay to monitor your credit across all three credit bureaus.

Best plan and pricing: Free plan. 

If you’re more interested in a credit score app, Credit Sesame is another good free option. However, its premium plans cost more than competitors like Aura, which provide much more in the way of financial, identity, and device protection. 

Our final verdict: Credit Sesame’s basic plan includes $50,000 in identity theft insurance for free. That alone makes it worth signing up, but upgrading to one of the premium plans likely isn’t worth the cost.

4. CreditWise by Capital One

Why we picked it: CreditWise is Capital One’s product for monitoring your credit score. However, you don’t have to be a member or have a Capital One credit card to sign up.

CreditWise allows you to view your VantageScore 3.0 provided by TransUnion. You’ll get alerts about changes to your TransUnion and Experian credit reports, as well as for signs that your Social Security number (SSN) or email address have been compromised on the Dark Web.

One of the main attractions to CreditWise is its credit score simulator. You can type in any financial decision you’re thinking of making (such as paying down a credit card or taking out a new loan) and a simulation shows you how it would impact your credit score.

Best plan and pricing: Free plan. CreditWise and all of its features are completely free to use, whether or not you’re a Capital One customer.

Our final verdict: Since CreditWise is free, it can be a good option for most people — especially if you’re already a Capital One customer. Its credit score simulator makes it especially useful for figuring out how certain financial decisions that you make will affect your score.

5. myFICO

Why we picked it: While most credit score apps provide scores based on the VantageScore model, few can give you your FICO scores (which are used by many lenders when completing a credit check). 

myFICO is the credit score and credit monitoring app offered by the same company that provides your FICO® credit score. In addition to being a credit monitoring service, it also offers identity theft insurance, identity restoration, and identity monitoring.

myFICO has three packages to choose from: Basic, Advanced, and Premier. The Basic plan includes credit monitoring from Experian only. Its Advanced package adds identity monitoring and includes three-bureau credit monitoring — at a cost. 

The only real difference between the Advanced and Premier plans is that the Advanced provides quarterly FICO score updates (every three months), while the Premier plan offers monthly FICO score updates.

Best plan and pricing: myFICO Advanced — $29.95/month. 

myFICO’s mid-tier plan provides the most bang for your buck, but it’s still more expensive than other options, such as Aura. Unless you need more frequent score updates, it’s generally not going to be worth upgrading to the Premier plan.

Our final verdict: myFICO provides a decent, free plan; but to get the most out of the service, you need to upgrade to the Advanced package that includes three-bureau credit monitoring as well as identity monitoring.

6. IdentityForce

Why we picked it: IdentityForce by TransUnion is an all-in-one service that’s similar to Aura, offering identity theft protection for individuals, families, and businesses. IdentityForce provides daily credit score updates based on the VantageScore 3.0 model and the information on your TransUnion credit report.

It also provides credit score updates with the other two credit bureaus, Experian and Equifax. If there are changes to your credit score or suspicious activity is detected in your accounts, you’ll receive notifications.

Best plan and pricing: UltraSecure+Credit plan — $34.90/month (for individuals). 

To get access to IdentityForce’s credit monitoring features, you’ll need to subscribe to its UltraSecure+Credit plan, which is significantly more expensive than its standard plan.

Our final verdict: While IdentityForce does offer these credit monitoring features as an add-on, identity monitoring is its primary service. Its credit bundled plan is pricier than many other competitors on the market, so it’s really only worth the cost if you’re also interested in its identity protection features. 

📚 Related: Aura vs. IdentityForce: Which One Is Better For You? →

How To Get Free Credit Scores and Reports

When it comes to credit monitoring, you usually get what you pay for. While free services can be enticing, they don’t provide the level of protection or accurate credit information that you get with paid services. But credit monitoring apps aren’t your only option. 

Here are a few other ways to access your free credit scores and reports:

• Download free credit reports from AnnualCreditReport.com. All Americans are entitled to free online credit reports from all three bureaus every week. Just know that you’ll need to check these reports and deal with any issues on your own. 
• Review your bank or financial institution’s credit reporting features. Many banks and credit card providers have tools for checking your credit scores — especially if you’re looking to apply for new credit. Note that many free credit score apps only provide scores by using outdated or less-used credit score models (from both FICO® and VantageScore®).
• See if you’re eligible for free credit monitoring after a data breach. If your data was leaked in a breach, the impacted company may reach out to offer free credit monitoring services. Just beware that accepting their offer may limit your ability to take legal action against them in the future (such as being part of a class action lawsuit). 

The bottom line: While it’s possible to manually track credit scores and check your credit reports for errors or signs of fraud, it takes time and effort. Plus, free tools almost always lack the bundled protection, insurance, and personalized support provided by paid credit monitoring apps. 

Final Verdict: Which Credit Monitoring App Is Best For You?

If you’re looking to monitor your credit health and protect against financial fraud, you’ll need more than a simple credit score monitoring app.

These days, fraudsters aren’t just after your credit. Scammers may target your phone number, social media, and bank accounts in their efforts to steal your money or identity — which credit monitoring tools won’t necessarily detect. 

Choosing an all-in-one financial fraud and identity monitoring solution like Aura offers comprehensive protection against the most sophisticated scams and threats.

Safeguard your credit (and your identity) with Aura — plans start at $6/month.