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Credit Karma

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7.8

Overall Score

LAST UPDATED: August 19th, 2024

Based out of California, Credit Karma has been featured in multiple news articles including MSNBC, SmartMoney, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and TechCrunch.

Beginning with two credit reports and scores, the company brings more transparency and certainty to credit and finance with free credit monitoring services, data-driven resources, and personalized recommendations.

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The Good

  • Free Services
  • Two Official Credit Reports
  • VantageScore Credit Scores
  • Helpful Alerts
  • Sleek Mobile App
  • Excellent Credit Education
  • Useful Tools

Free Services

Credit Karma's biggest selling point is that its services are free. With no payments required, the company will provide members with access to their credit reports and scores from two of the major credit bureaus, TransUnion and Equifax.

Even more impressive, the company refreshes these reports on a weekly basis.

Two Official Credit Reports

Those who have a Credit Karma account are able to receive updates for their TransUnion and Equifax credit reports every week.

Credit Karma provides users with an easy-to-use interface for navigating and understanding their credit report, including suggestions for improving their credit.

VantageScore Credit Scores

Although CreditKarma, unfortunately, does not provide official FICO scores, the company does provide a VantageScore 3.0 for each credit report. 

VantageScore is a newer scoring model that has gained traction but is still not necessarily the most popular or accurate measure of one's creditworthiness. Either way, users can see their VantageScore go up and down over time on well-presented graphs and reports, which can give them an indication as to whether they are on the right track.

Another feature is that users can compare their credit scores to others in their area, age group, and so forth.

Helpful Alerts

Credit Karma provides a fully-configurable alerts panel to notify consumers by email of anything from a change in one of their credit reports to large purchases, withdrawals, interest rate changes, and so forth. 

Each time someone logs into their Credit Karma account, they can check for changes on their credit report since the last refresh.

Sleek Mobile App

Credit Karma has a well-designed mobile app for both Android and Apple devices which allows users to access all information on their credit reports, scores, and alerts while on the go.

Excellent Credit Education

Credit Karma maintains an up-to-date, online library of credit-specific educational resources that are well-written, informative, and accurate. Additionally, the company has an active community where users can get advice on all aspects of their credit and scores.

Useful Tools

Credit Karma provides everything from debt repayment and loan calculators to fully-featured credit score simulators powered by TransUnion.

The Credit Score Simulator allows you to see how different decisions, like paying off part of your credit card debt or getting a home loan, might affect your credit score in the future.

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The Bad

  • Missing Credit Report
  • No FICO Scores
  • Privacy and Security

Missing Credit Report

The service has absolutely no way of pulling a user's credit report from Experian, which is a significant blind spot in any comprehensive credit monitoring strategy.

No FICO Scores

The credit scores provided by Credit Karma aren't true FICO scores, so they aren't the same credit scores most lenders will see when they pull your credit.

There have been reports of Credit Karma's VantageScore being off by as much as 100 points from what a lender saw when they pulled that customer's FICO score from the same bureau.

Privacy and Security

There have been significant privacy questions raised by the FTC in regards to Credit Karma's mobile app not being as secure as the company claimed, resulting in a settlement in 2014, wherein the company agreed to submit to annual independent tests to verify that its apps are secure for the next 20 years.

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The Bottom Line

Between the frequent refreshes, lack of membership fees, and helpful educational resources, Credit Karma's approach is unique in the industry and popular amongst its users.

Although Credit Karma does not provide FICO scores and does not give users access to their Experian credit reports, the company does seem to provide enough basic information for users to gauge where they are at and what direction they are going when it comes to credit. 

We recommend Credit Karma for those who are tight on cash or are just getting started in learning about credit, as one can save hundreds of dollars on credit monitoring services and learn a substantial amount by using their platform.

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Star Rating

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4.8

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341 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

72%

4 grade

22%

3 grade

3%

2 grade

1%

1 grade

3%

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Janery Astacio-Marrero

CK's is fantastic. I love that is free and getting updates on my credit score and advice on how to improve it. It’s helped me understand my finances better. I highly recommend it to anyone.

3 months ago

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Annie Hickey

Credit karma is fantastic and that it gives you ideas and ways to improve your credit. They do spend quite a bit of time pushing credit cards and loans. But I assume they get kicked back from that and that's how they make their money. Still it gives you a feeling of being in charge for once.

6 months ago

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Stephanie Bloniarz

I love Credit Karma! I literally enjoy getting my weekly updates. I feel encouraged when they compliment my payment history or doing a good job building my credit. I think Credit Karma does a GREAT job monitoring to keep their customers safe and making customers feel good about themselves!! I would highly recommend!A++++

7 months ago

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Megan Frump

Credit Karma has been absolutely so easy easy easy to use and I love just having it on my phone and checking it and getting my updates. I’ve worked really hard to stay out of debt and to keep my credit score very high and this is a really great way to gauge it and stay on top of my credit. I also like that it helps With making sure nobody is stealing my identity.

9 months ago

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TC B Florissant, CO

I really like Credit Karma. I feel like people either love or hate this site. I like it- easy to monitor my credit, my spending, and it shows me offers that I can take or ignore. No complaints about this site/business! I have not paid for any services through Credit Karma, but I have taken advantage of offers from this site for credit cards and loans.

10 months ago

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Tana Tuggle Phoenix, AZ

I have been a customer of Credit Karma for years now. What I like about this service is that whenever your credit is ran, you will get an alert asap! You will be notified if it was a soft inquiry or hard inquiry. I like how the system is updated quickly, I paid off my credit cards and literally 1 weeks later received an alert that I had a zero balance. I notice other sites will take 3-6 months to show that an account has been paid. I truly love this site.

11 months ago

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Deborah Dyer Hendersonville, TN

It’s very nice to go online and be able to check your credit with this company 24/7. Over the years I have really tried from being a young person in my 20’s, to now an older person in my 70’s to keep, and have a good credit score. My parents instilled the importance of having a good and great credit score, and how it would follow me all my life. Every week I go online with Credit Karma and see how I’m continuing to do. I can say that my credit score I am very happy with. Their website not only gives me my three credit company scores, but great advice on how to lower your bills to raise your credit. Lots of advice on credit cards, which cards are the best tier ones to have for whatever particular situation your credit score currently is, or you trying to make your score higher. It’s nice to be able to say and be proud of oneself for accomplishing this task. I introduced my daughter to Credit Karma a few years back when she found herself struggling to pay some of her bills. The advice she learned off their site really helped her regain a score in time that she could again be proud of. I love Credit Karma😀

1 year ago

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Sinister Babe Kyle, TX

I absolutely love this app. I’ve had it for years. Ever since I started building credit and it’s helped me along the way to establish my credit score and also find other credit card providers that will help me elevate my credit score even more.

9 months ago Edited January 15, 2024

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Tammy Dietsch Burlington, IA

I am always checking my credit score on Credit Karma. It is very easy to use and lets you keep up to date on your credit score. One caution is it may be showing just a tad better than what a lender may see. Perfect example is this happened when buying our Kia. It showed a couple points lower to the lender.

11 months ago

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Darrin Pelham Rincon, GA

I really like Credit Karma and all the of the cool features that are free to you. I have used the update feature to see the improvement of my score so that I could take advantage of offers to improve my financial situation. I have looked into some of the offers that have popped up on their page to help me and even though I haven't used all of them I have taken advantage if the information that was provided to me. The process is so easy and takes just minutes and all for free.

3 years ago

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Robert Washington, MI

They have been great with us for the last 10 years, they locked us out of our account after someone tried to hack there way in. So neither of us could get in but after sending in copies of water bills, etc. we just changed passwords. Due to the Equifax data breach we have watches on savings, checking, etc. You set the limit and they inform you of activity. I find this company fantastic and highly recommend it. It also shows all the factors that influence your credit worthiness.

6 years ago

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Susan Stewart Salt Lake City, UT

I mostly use the Credit Karma app, and it has been great. I went through a rough time a few years ago, and have been able to use tips from Credit Karma to improve my credit score. I love how easy it is to keep track of my score, and it was really easy to apply for a recommended credit card through their website. I would definitely recommend using them.

7 years ago

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Charlotte P Herriman, UT

I needed to get my credit under control and I used Credit Karma to do it. Credit was always out of sight out of mind for me. I rarely ever looked at my overall debt or score. But knew that it wasn't great, so I downloaded the Credit Karma app and once everything was there on the screen, I realized I needed to work on it. I love that the app gives you feedback on how to get your score up. It has amazing tools to help you work on lowering your debt. It also alerts you when you have had an inquiry on your credit, when your score goes up or down or when you have accomplished paying off a debt. There are so many helpful tools on the app that I can't list them all here.

2 years ago

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Mark Troxel Provo, UT

Credit Karma is a free credit checking service. They combine reporting for Transunion and Equifax into one location. You will find a true and more accurate credit score from Credit Karma than from Experian. Experian inflates your credit score and you will be disappointed if you quote that score to a lender. They just laugh at you. If you want to know your real score use Credit Karma. Like most credit source companies they make money by directing you to additional credit offers like cards, car loans, mortgages and insurance companies. Ignore the offers and take control of your real credit score. I have been a Credit Karma user for more than 3 years. The app on iPhone is easy to use, and I use it much more than the website, but both are available. You receive notices to check your score especially if there are changes. Credit Karma is free.

3 years ago

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Russ Hamstring Lake Havasu City, AZ

Credit Karma is the best credit monitoring site out there. I've tried most of them and always come back to Credit Karma. It's easy and you don't have to spend money to utilize their site. Since using them, my credit score just keeps going up.

1 year ago

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Kevin Ortiz

Credit Karma has been instrumental service for me to take control of my finances. It provides you the necessary information to see where you’re headed regarding your credit. They also are very good and notifying about credit alerts as well as changes to your credit score. Their app is very good both for android and iOS. I sometimes find that their offerings of credit cards are not reliable enough, and have not been curated for their users. Most of their offerings seem to be sponsored credit cards, or offers, which are not necessarily the best options for their users.

1 year ago

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David Adrian Morales Weslaco, TX

I love Credit Karma! Daily credit checks with 2 bureaus. Accurate scoring and credit reports. Sound Credit Advice and explanations on how credit works. Card/loan/mortgage recommendations. Decent approval forecasts. Insurance recommendations. Even banking offers. Best of all, Its free!

1 year ago

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christopher woodall Charleston, WV

Credit karma has been a huge help for me to get updates on my credit scores and shows ways to help me manage my finances.They have a money card account that allows you to save money and you can easily pay bills online from your account. You can get your direct deposit from your job and even get it paid to you 2 days earlier than most other money management companies. You can access loans for automotive and even credit cards for everyday use,

1 year ago

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Connor Smith Palm City, FL

Credit Karma is a great credit report, I like how they keep you up to date with your credit report. It has all information about items you purchase and when you pay bills off. I like how fast you can get onto Credit Karma a see your score.

2 years ago

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Michelle Rios Ogden, UT

Credit Karma has been very helpful to me by teaching me how important a credit rating is and providing me with a way to keep track of my credit score. Their website/app is easy to use and to see what is happening with my credit rating. Thank you for helping me to be proactive in protecting my credit.

4 years ago

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James Conder Eagle Mountain, UT

I created a Credit Karma account years ago when they 1st came out. They have been amazing at keeping track of my loans and credit score as well as inform me of any increase or decrease in credit score. I think this year we are going to try the new Tax Refund they offer

4 years ago

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Eddie Rios Ogden, UT

Simply one of the best online credit monitoring services out there: Credit Karma. So helpful in improving credit, identifying issues, valuable risk alerts-Credit Karma has simply become invaluable and necessary. If you value smart...then Credit Karma is a must.

4 years ago

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Adam W

I have Credi Karma and since using it have increased my score over 100+ points. I've been seriously using it just over a year. I have used it to challenge things on my credit and keep track of everything in one place. A+ in my book and I've never paid them a cent!

5 years ago

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Jeremy Balls Kaysville, UT

Credit Karma gives me credit monitoring for free. I have received free credit monitoring from a few other companies but paid by companies who have had data breaches. Those services do not provide anything better than what Credit Karma provides for free.

5 years ago

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Doyal Stewart Salt Lake City, UT

Credit karma has been something our entire family uses. My daughter showed it to us and signed us up on it several years ago, and we have used it regularly since. The website had such great information, was very easy to navigate, and I learned things about my credit score I didn't know. I was also able to see things that needed to be fixed.

7 years ago

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Terry Stone

Love Credit Karma, the services they provide are wonderful and very accurate.

2 months ago

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Erica Reynolds

Credit Karma allows me to keep track of and monitor my credit score in an easy to operate app. I use Credit Karma to gauge whether or not I will be approved for a new line of credit. The thing I like most about Credit Karma is that they present you with offers on loans, insurance, and Credit cards that you are most likely to be approved for. I utilized Credit Karma's credit calculator to help me decide which debt to pay off first to get out of debt for good!

2 years ago

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Dale Berridge Henderson, NV

I am a very happy Credit Karma customer! My credit was mediocre at best (620) a couple of years ago. By using a few of CK's Credit tips and card recommendations my credit score improved dramatically to the level of purchasing a new home and auto at amazing interest rates just a few months ago! Simple to understand and use and well worth the effort!

2 years ago

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Cam Hall Palmyra, VA

I started using Credit Karma because of their daily/frequent credit checks, but have since been scaling back my notifications and interactions. They are CONSTANTLY emailing you refi offers even when the % difference is so slight and the cost to close is substantial enough that you would save a tiny, tiny amount of money (and not enough to offset your time spent on the refi back and forth). Aside from refi, I use Credit Karma for credit monitoring and seeing options for other credit cards. They also really push personal loans constantly. But since its a free product I can't be but so frustrated with a bit of advertising.

2 years ago Edited January 3, 2022

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KG Lebanon, NJ

I love using credit karma because it gives me an overall picture of my credit health and lets me understand what affects my credit and what doesn’t. It also shows me if a new account has been opened and if I agree or disagree with it credit karma will review it and if it is not legit they will help me dispute the account. Credit karma has been so helpful with getting lower interest rates refinancing my home and helping me apply for loans.

2 years ago

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roberto arcia Columbia, MO

When it comes to looking at your credit, lots of companies give you different scores. For the most accurate score, I go to Credit Karma. Additionally, I never get a score drop for simply viewing my score, which is something I highly appreciate from Credit Karma. I will continue to use Credit Karma for how well their platform is and their customer service.

3 years ago

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Lawrence Lee Provo, UT

I used to work at a bank and Credit Karma by far was the most reliable source to help customers learn about credit, track their credit, and get great deals on rewards credit cards. I like Credit Karma for its ease and simplicity. They do the job of helping people figure out what they need to do and to spot irregularities in their credit history to dispute. I'm not sure how this will change with the new updates happening to FICO scores though! What's more is that the service is free!

4 years ago

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Derrian Tallahassee, FL

This app has saved my life! I am young and I never knew how important my credit score is and what it means in life. Having this app on my phone has allowed me to stay alert for criminals, who often steal other people's identity. It also lets me know what exactly is on my credit report so I can know what I owe or if something is incorrect. Credit Karma is the most accurate credit score app that I have, and they always notify me when something new has popped up on her report.

4 years ago

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Paid Reviewer

love credit karma. it's a free service and keeps you updating whenever your credit score goes up or down.

4 months ago Edited June 12, 2024

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Satoria MoonGoddess

They're good as far as credit monitoring but offering credit cards on a credit monitoring website is crazy to me. It should be about monitoring and money management. Indo trust them with sensitive data.

9 months ago

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peggy cherry Fayetteville, NC

I've been with Credit Karma for many years. I like the fact that I can check different things on my credit and its free. The only thing is you really can't trust that your score is accurate.

10 months ago

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Christian Nakamura Secaucus, NJ

It's a great free credit monitoring app. The outrageous credit system in the USA requires the use of apps like these, and CreditKarma is the best one I've found. It's easy to use and easy to navigate.

1 year ago

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Ricardo Ortiz Fredericksburg, VA

Credit Karma is free and I use it almost everyday. I can check my credit score and ne be charged. It is accurate and the offer other services. Customer service has been very help for me, love them, highly recommended.

1 year ago

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Jasmin Mena

Provides lots of info and offers based on your specific situation. Gives a good overlook on your credit score, however it's not completely accurate. I've noticed my credit score sometimes being off by 20-30 points which to me is a lot!

1 year ago

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Mudd E Jewelry Arlington, TX

Credit Karma let's you know everything on your credit report and gives you updates when things on it change. They monitor your credit report so you can use the time for other things that are important.

1 year ago

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Anne Tallahassee, FL

Very easy and self explanatory to use. Beginner friendly. Gives to types of credit scores and tells/alerts me when my score increases and decreases. It contains all my loans and credit card uses and mortgage amount.

4 years ago

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Jim Stewart Queen Creek, AZ

Very handy service. Monthly monitor update is very helpful. I have worked hard for years to have a great credit score. Credit karma is a help to monitor my accounts for accuracy.

6 years ago

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Phalda Morris Jacksonville, FL

Credit karma is a great app to monitor your credit with. They show you how credit checks affect your score and how to improve your credit score. They recommend credit cards you are likely to get approved for and they give you multiple options.

2 years ago

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Jaelyn Morris Tallahassee, FL

Credit Karma helped me to monitor my credit and see what I need to do to raise my credit score. They also offer credit card recommendations that you are likely to get approved for. They notified me of credit checks done on me and any changes to my credit score.

2 years ago

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Lydia Hackler Bryant, AR

I check my credit score all the time. I’m disappointed that when you apply for something they don’t really use credit karma. Credit karma always seems to be higher than other credit places but it makes me feel good to see a good score!!

2 years ago

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MM Largo, FL

I have the credit karma app on my phone and check my updated credit score almost daily. It shows how my credit score fluctuates from day to day and had helped my understand what affects my score. It also notifies me of any updates and also if there are any new credit cards that I have good approval odds to apply for.

2 years ago

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Erinmarie Xian Seffner, FL

I love the fact that that I can monitor my credit score every single day. Thats brilliant. Before CK it was a shot in the dark to guess what your score was. I also recently opened a checking and savings acct with them - it is super convenient and easy to transfer funds. Well done!

2 years ago

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Gavin Jones Columbus, OH

I find this company and their service invaluable. Perfect for monitoring any and all of my accounts and gives me simple direction to improve my credit, not much else I could ask for. (Plus has given me great odds and applications which have helped me, so definitely advise)

2 years ago

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Shauna Lyons Omaha, NE

This was the application I used to fix and/or improve my credit. Was all free! Was able to dispute bogus charges and apply for credit with confidences in addition to getting my 1st real CC. I was able to determine when to buy a house also!

2 years ago

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Sarah Biondo Gilbert, AZ

My husband looks at credit karma often, so I signed up to get the free data on our credit and to see suggestions. It has been helpful anytime we had debt to pay off or needed to assess our overall credit. It's nice to get the talkies of our credit limit and our updated scores when something is paid off.

2 years ago