Credit monitoring services compared: free vs paid, bureaus and scores (2026)
Edited by Moe Ameen · Published
Free credit monitoring covers one or two bureaus: Credit Karma watches Equifax and TransUnion, and Experian, TransUnion and myFICO each have a free single-bureau plan. Paid plans that cover all three bureaus cost $19.95 to $39.95 a month on the companies' own pages on November 2, 2026. Monitoring only tells you after something lands on your report. A credit freeze, which is free, generally stops new accounts.
Key takeaways
- Free plans watch one or two bureaus. Plans covering all three cost $19.95 to $39.95 a month at every service we checked.
- The score you get varies: Experian, Capital One CreditWise and myFICO show a FICO Score 8, while Credit Karma, Equifax and TransUnion show VantageScore 3.0.
- Several paid plans refresh the full three-bureau report only quarterly or once a year, even when alerts run daily.
- Monitoring reports problems after they hit your file. A free credit freeze generally blocks new accounts opened in your name.
What does credit monitoring actually do?
It watches your credit report at one or more bureaus and alerts you to changes like a new account or hard inquiry. It reports problems; it doesn't block them.
Credit Karma says it alerts you to key changes such as new inquiries or newly added accounts, and that monitoring can only catch activity that shows up on your credit reports [2]. So it won't see a drained bank account or a tax return filed with your Social Security number. The CFPB says identity monitoring costs anywhere from a few dollars to over $15 a month, and that free options exist [12].
Which credit monitoring services are free?
Capital One CreditWise, Credit Karma, Experian, myFICO and TransUnion all have free plans. Each one watches one or two bureaus, not all three.
- Capital One CreditWise: a FICO Score 8 from TransUnion data, plus alerts for changes on your TransUnion and Experian reports. You don't need to be a Capital One customer [1].
- Credit Karma: VantageScore 3.0 scores from Equifax and TransUnion, with both reports monitored "on a regular basis" [2].
- Experian Free: your Experian report and FICO Score 8, updated daily when you sign in, with no credit card required [5][6].
- myFICO Free: a FICO Score 8 and report from Equifax, updated monthly, with Equifax monitoring [8].
- TransUnion Credit Essentials: a daily TransUnion report and VantageScore 3.0, with TransUnion monitoring and alerts [11].
Every one of these watches a single bureau except Credit Karma, which watches two, and CreditWise, which alerts on two but scores one. Equifax also says its plans start at free, but it lists no price or details for that plan on the page we read, so it isn't in the table [3].
How much does paid credit monitoring cost?
Single-bureau plans start at $4.99 a month (Experian Core). Plans covering all three bureaus ran $19.95 to $39.95 a month at the services we checked.
- Equifax: Complete is $9.95 a month for Equifax only; Complete Premier is $19.95 a month after a 7-day free trial and adds VantageScore 3.0 scores from all three bureaus [3][4].
- Experian: Core $4.99, Plus $14.99 and Premium $24.99 a month. Only Premium adds Equifax and TransUnion. Paying yearly saves up to 17%, Experian says, but the page doesn't show the yearly amounts [5].
- IdentityIQ: $8.49 to $31.49 a month, or $86.61 to $321.21 a year. Only the two top plans, Secure Pro and Secure Max, monitor all three bureaus [7].
- myFICO: Basic $19.95 (Experian only), Advanced $29.95 and Premier $39.95 a month for three bureaus. myFICO says refunds aren't available when you cancel [8].
- SmartCredit: Basic $24.95 a month (TransUnion), Premium $27.95 (three bureaus). Its yearly plans are $189 and $239 for the first 12 months, against $299 and $335 a year regular [9].
- TransUnion: Credit Premium is $29.95 a month plus tax where it applies, for three bureaus [11].
Do credit monitoring services give you a FICO Score or a VantageScore?
It depends on the service. Experian, CreditWise and myFICO show a FICO Score 8. Credit Karma, Equifax and TransUnion show VantageScore 3.0.
Both are real scores built from your report, but lenders pick which model they use, and every company here says the score you see may not be the one a lender pulls [4][6][8][11]. myFICO's paid plans also include FICO's industry scores for mortgages and auto loans [8], and Experian Core and up include FICO's mortgage, bankcard and auto scores [5].
How often the score refreshes matters as much as which one it is. myFICO's Advanced plan covers all three bureaus but updates every 3 months; Premier updates monthly [8]. TransUnion Credit Premium refreshes the Equifax and Experian reports and scores quarterly while its monitoring runs daily [11]. Equifax Complete Premier gives three-bureau scores once a year, with an Equifax score you can check anytime [4].
Do I need monitoring at all three credit bureaus?
Each bureau keeps its own file, and a new account may show up at only one. Single-bureau monitoring can miss it.
The FTC says each bureau may get its information from different sources, so one report might not match the other two [14]. You can check all three yourself for free once a week at AnnualCreditReport.com [14]. That isn't automatic alerting, but it costs nothing. More on how the bureaus differ is in the three credit bureaus.
Can credit monitoring stop identity theft?
No. It tells you after an account or inquiry appears. A credit freeze, free at all three bureaus, generally keeps new credit from being opened.
The CFPB says a security freeze will generally prevent new credit from being opened in your name, while a fraud alert only makes lenders verify your identity first [12]. The FTC says a freeze is free to place and lift, and it lasts until you lift it [13]. NerdWallet makes the same point: alerts flag you after the fact and can't prevent someone from misusing your data [15].
Monitoring and a freeze work fine together. The freeze blocks new accounts. Monitoring catches what a freeze doesn't cover, like a delinquency reported on an account you already have, which CreditWise, for one, alerts on [1]. The steps are in how to freeze your credit.
Glisten check
Nine credit monitoring services, side by side
| Service and plan | Price | Bureaus monitored | Score and how often | Trial and billing terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital One CreditWise | Free [1] | TransUnion and Experian alerts [1] | FICO Score 8 (TransUnion); refresh rate not stated [1] | Open to anyone 18+ whose SSN matches a TransUnion file [1] |
| Credit Karma | Free [2] | Equifax and TransUnion [2] | VantageScore 3.0; "on a regular basis" [2] | None stated |
| Equifax Complete | $9.95/mo [3] | Equifax [3] | VantageScore, daily access [3] | Cancel anytime; no partial-month refunds [3] |
| Equifax Complete Premier | $19.95/mo [4] | Three-bureau scores and report; monitoring scope not spelled out [3][4] | VantageScore 3.0; three-bureau scores yearly [4] | 7-day free trial, then $19.95/mo [4] |
| Experian Free | Free [5] | Experian [5] | FICO Score 8, daily when you sign in [6] | No credit card required [5] |
| Experian Core | $4.99/mo [5] | Experian [5] | FICO Score 8 plus industry scores [5] | Yearly billing saves up to 17% [5] |
| Experian Premium | $24.99/mo [5] | All three [5] | FICO Scores from all three [5] | Cancel or downgrade anytime [5] |
| IdentityIQ Secure Basic / Plus | $8.49 / $11.49 a month; $86.61 / $117.19 a year [7] | One bureau, not named [7] | Plus adds yearly three-bureau reports and scores [7] | VPN and antivirus add-on raises the price [7] |
| IdentityIQ Secure Pro / Max | $21.49 / $31.49 a month; $219.19 / $321.21 a year [7] | All three [7] | Three-bureau reports and scores "bi-annual" (Pro) or monthly (Max) [7] | Same add-on [7] |
| myFICO Free | Free [8] | Equifax [8] | FICO Score 8, monthly [8] | No credit card required [8] |
| myFICO Basic | $19.95/mo [8] | Experian [8] | FICO Scores, monthly [8] | Renews monthly; no refunds [8] |
| myFICO Advanced / Premier | $29.95 / $39.95 a month [8] | All three [8] | FICO Scores every 3 months (Advanced) or monthly (Premier) [8] | Renews monthly; no refunds [8] |
| SmartCredit Basic / Premium | $24.95 / $27.95 a month; $189 / $239 first year, then $299 / $335 [9] | TransUnion (Basic) or all three (Premium) [9] | Monthly reports [9] | Cancel during a trial at no cost; trial length not stated [10] |
| TransUnion Credit Essentials | Free [11] | TransUnion [11] | VantageScore 3.0, daily [11] | No credit card required [11] |
| TransUnion Credit Premium | $29.95/mo plus tax [11] | All three, daily alerts [11] | VantageScore 3.0; Equifax and Experian quarterly [11] | Cancel anytime [11] |
What we couldn't confirm: CreditWise's page doesn't say how often its score updates, IdentityIQ doesn't name the bureau on its single-bureau plans or the score model it uses, and Experian doesn't print its yearly prices. Equifax's Premier page lists three-bureau scores but doesn't say outright that it monitors all three files. We left those blank instead of guessing.
Is this right for you?
Best for
- Anyone deciding whether a free plan covers enough or a paid one is worth the monthly charge.
- People who want to know which score and which bureaus a service actually shows before signing up.
Not ideal for
- Stopping fraud before it starts. That's what a credit freeze does, and it's free.
- Picking a winner. We list services alphabetically and don't rank them.
Frequently asked questions
Is free credit monitoring good enough?
For many people, yes, if you pair it with a freeze. Free plans watch one or two bureaus [1][2][5][8][11], and you can pull all three reports free every week at AnnualCreditReport.com [14].
Does checking my credit through a monitoring service hurt my score?
No. CreditWise and myFICO both say checking your own credit through them doesn't affect your score [1][8], and Equifax says the same [4].
Which credit monitoring shows my FICO Score?
Experian, Capital One CreditWise and myFICO show a FICO Score 8 [1][5][8]. Credit Karma and TransUnion show VantageScore 3.0 [2][11].
Can I cancel paid credit monitoring anytime?
The plans we checked say you can cancel anytime, but refunds differ. myFICO says no refunds [8], and Equifax gives no partial-month refunds [3].
Do I still need monitoring if I freeze my credit?
It's optional. A freeze blocks most new credit in your name [12]. Monitoring still flags changes on accounts you already have, such as a payment reported late by mistake.
How we know this
On November 2, 2026 we read each company's own pricing or product page and recorded the price, how many bureaus each plan monitors, which score it shows and how often it refreshes, and any trial or refund terms. Where a page showed a first-year or limited-time price, we list it with the regular price. Services are listed alphabetically. General points were checked against the CFPB, the FTC and NerdWallet.
- CreditWise from Capital One, Capital One. Checked November 2, 2026.
- Free credit monitoring, Credit Karma. Checked November 2, 2026.
- Equifax Complete, Equifax. Checked November 2, 2026.
- Equifax Complete Premier free trial, Equifax. Checked November 2, 2026.
- Experian membership: compare plans and pricing, Experian. Checked November 2, 2026.
- Free credit report, Experian. Checked November 2, 2026.
- Plans, IdentityIQ. Checked November 2, 2026.
- Choose your plan, myFICO. Checked November 2, 2026.
- Monthly and annual plans, SmartCredit. Checked November 2, 2026.
- Frequently asked questions, SmartCredit. Checked November 2, 2026.
- 3 bureau credit and identity monitoring, TransUnion. Checked November 2, 2026.
- What is identity monitoring or identity theft service?, CFPB. Checked November 2, 2026.
- What to know about credit freezes and fraud alerts, FTC. Checked November 2, 2026.
- Free credit reports, FTC. Checked November 2, 2026.
- Identity theft protection services: how they compare, NerdWallet. Checked November 2, 2026.