If you’re rebuilding your credit or rebounding from identity theft, you know how crucial it is to keep tabs on your financial health — that’s where credit monitoring can come in.
There are tons of credit monitoring services out there, each with its own benefits, drawbacks and price tag. How do you know which one to choose? We can help. Our personal finance professionals took a deep dive so you can find the best credit monitoring service for you.
From $12 to $45, depending on plan and annual discount.
Launched in 2017, Aura isn’t your standard credit monitoring service. In addition to credit monitoring, the company uses AI to monitor your identity and power robust cybersecurity tools. There are three plans to choose from: individual, couple or family. You’ll need to opt for the family plan to get the most out of Aura, but at $45 a month, this extensive credit monitoring could be worth the cost.
Out of all the services we analyzed, Aura provides the most unique features, including parental controls, spam blockers, Internet browsing tools and email aliases. Three-bureau credit monitoring also comes standard — most other services only include this option on premium plans.
Free (Premium plan is available for $9.99 per month).
Credit Sesame provides no-frills credit monitoring, including VantageScores, real-time TransUnion credit alerts and financial literacy tips. However, like most free credit monitoring services, Credit Sesame uses your information to present you targeted credit card and insurance offers, a turnoff for some.
Credit Sesame’s credit monitoring services are basic, but the company stands apart by offering $50,000 identity theft protection on its free plan.
Individual plans range from $14.95 to $21.95, with family plans between $23.95 and $34.95. Discounts are available if you pay annually.
ID Watchdog was founded in 2005 and purchased by Equifax in 2017. The company has two plans: ID Watchdog Select and the more expensive ID Watchdog Premium. The Premium plan includes three-bureau monitoring while the Select plan only monitors Equifax.
Not all credit monitoring services help you lock your credit, but with ID Watchdog, you can lock your Equifax and TransUnion reports (as long as you spring for the Premium plan).
Plans range from $6.67 to $29.99, plus a discount for paying annually.
Identity Guard is owned by Aura (our pick for the best credit monitoring service overall). Although the Value plan lacks credit monitoring, it may still be a great choice for those concerned with identity theft. Credit tools like three-bureau monitoring and monthly scores are included on the Total and Ultra plans.
For as little as $6.67 a month, Identity Guard will monitor the dark web for your personal information, notify you of data breaches and provide $1 million worth of identity theft coverage. If you pay annually, credit monitoring starts at only $11.99. Annual members also get a 60-day money-back guarantee.
$29.99, or $25.50 if paid annually.
IdentityIQ might be perfect for people who want a holistic view of their credit health. The Secure Max plan is best for three-bureau monitoring, thanks to its monthly credit reports and scores. But if you can’t squeeze the monthly fee into your budget, the Secure Pro plan could be worth exploring — for about $10 cheaper, you’ll still get three-bureau monitoring but biannual reports and scores.
IdentityIQ’s Secure Max plan provides monthly three-bureau credit scores, real-time fraud alerts for all three bureaus and enhanced credit monitoring (which keeps a constant eye on a range of credit-related activity). Many other services only provide semi-annual or yearly three-bureau reports.
From $19.95 to $39.95, depending on plan.
For more than 30 years, the Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) has helped lenders determine a potential borrower’s creditworthiness through its credit scoring model. MyFICO is FICO’s official credit monitoring service, and it provides three-bureau monitoring and updated FICO Scores every one to three months, depending on your plan.
Lenders typically use your FICO Score when evaluating your creditworthiness, but most credit monitoring services use VantageScore. Not only does MyFICO provide your FICO Score on all of its plans, but also includes separate FICO Scores for mortgages and auto loans.
Individual plans range from $14.95 to $19.95. Family plans are between $29.95 and $34.95.
Although IDShield primarily targets identity theft, the company includes one- and three-bureau monitoring and instant fraud alerts to round out its identity theft protection services. You’ll also find other basic credit monitoring features such as freeze assistance, credit score tracking, hard inquiry alerts and payday loan monitoring on all of its plans.
IDShield makes it easy to get a hold of a live person by providing live chat, 24/7 fraud assistance, a customer service hotline and email address. The company also offers unlimited consultations with identity theft specialists and keeps private investigators on staff to work on ID theft cases.
Free
As one of three credit reporting bureaus, Experian offers a suite of credit and identity theft monitoring services. With Experian’s CreditWorks Basic plan, members get Experian credit report monitoring, a monthly Experian credit report, FICO Score and FICO Score tracking, as well as Experian Boost — all for free.
On-time payments for streaming services, rent and utilities usually don’t impact your credit. Experian CreditWorks’ Experian Boost feature allows users to potentially improve credit scores by reporting rent payments. Some credit monitoring services offer a similar benefit, but usually for a fee.
The Basic plan is free, Premium is $24.99 a month and the Family plan is $34.99 a month.
Experian’s IdentityWorks is much like its CreditWorks service, but with more identity theft monitoring features. Whether you sign up for the free or Premium plan, you’ll get FICO Scores, FICO Score trackers, Experian credit reports, dark web monitoring and a personal privacy scan. On top of that, Premium members get three-bureau monitoring, change of address alerts, identity theft insurance and other identity theft protections.
Premium plan members can lock their Experian credit file by using Experian’s mobile app (which is highly rated by both Apple and Android users).
Individual plans range from $17.99 to $23.99 a month per member, per month, with a discount for annual members. Child identity theft protection is an additional $2.75 a month per child.
Identity Force (owned by TransUnion) is an identity protection company that offers credit monitoring, provided that you sign up for its UltraSecure+Credit plan. Identity Force’s benefits are well-rounded and include three-bureau tracking, fraud alerts, VPNs, identity theft insurance and recovery, credit score simulators and more. But what sets Identity Force apart is its à la carte ChildWatch plan, which provides comprehensive credit and identity monitoring for kids.
It may be worth mentioning, however, that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) sued TransUnion in 2022 for misleading consumers about recurring charges associated with its credit monitoring services. TransUnion is also accused of misrepresenting how lenders use its credit scores and used extra-fine or hard-to-read print for its required consumer disclosures.
We choose Identity Force as the best credit monitoring service for families because of ChildWatch. If Identity Force finds a credit report in your child’s name, you’ll be notified immediately. Covered children also get social media monitoring, identity restoration and up to $1 million in identity theft coverage.
To find the best credit monitoring service, you’ll need to understand which credit bureaus the service keeps track of — and that can be tricky. This is because some credit information may make it to only one bureau. For the most comprehensive view, you should look for credit monitoring that offers three-bureau reporting (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion). Three-bureau monitoring tends to be the most expensive.
On the flip side, although most free credit monitoring services only offer one-bureau monitoring, they can still be a budget-friendly way to keep your finger on the pulse of your overall credit health and any suspicious activity.
FICO Score vs. VantageScoreThere are also two different types of credit scores your monitoring service can show you: your FICO Score or your VantageScore.
Most financial institutions use the FICO model when underwriting loan applications, but generally speaking, most credit monitoring services use VantageScore. When you check your credit score using a credit monitoring service, there’s no guarantee that it’s the one your lender uses. Still, your FICO Score and VantageScore tend to be fairly similar, so knowing either one can give you a good idea of your creditworthiness.
The general idea behind credit monitoring is the same, but specific offerings vary from company to company. While you’re shopping, ask yourself what you hope to achieve with credit monitoring. Are you more concerned with your credit score or identity theft — or both? Once you know what you want your credit monitoring service to do for you, you’ll have an easier time choosing a company best suited for your needs.
