Three Ways to Watch Your Score
Monitoring your credit score is a baseline financial habit, but the three biggest platforms deliver very different experiences. Credit Karma is free and consumer-friendly. Experian offers direct bureau access. MyFICO provides the actual scores lenders use. The right choice depends on whether you want convenience, depth, or precision.
Knowing your credit score is especially important when managing debt, your DTI ratio and credit utilization directly affect lending options. The DTI Calculator on DebtCalc shows where you stand.
Credit Karma
Completely free. Shows your VantageScore 3.0 from TransUnion and Equifax, updated weekly. Includes credit report details, alerts for new accounts or inquiries, and recommendations for financial products. The catch: Credit Karma earns money by recommending credit cards and loans, so the app experience is mixed with product marketing. Scores shown are VantageScore, not FICO, most lenders use FICO. Best for free, casual monitoring and alerts.
Experian
Offers a free tier with your FICO Score 8 from Experian only. Paid plans ($24.99/month) add three-bureau monitoring, FICO scores from all bureaus, and identity theft insurance. Experian is one of the three credit bureaus, so you're getting data directly from the source. Best for borrowers who want a real FICO score free, or comprehensive bureau-level monitoring on the paid plan.
MyFICO
The most detailed and most expensive option. Plans start at $19.95/month for single-bureau FICO monitoring and go to $39.95 for all three bureaus with all FICO score versions, mortgage scores, auto scores, card scores. MyFICO shows the exact scores lenders pull, which can differ by 20–40 points from VantageScore. Best for precise lender-grade scores before a major application.
Which One Do You Need?
For general awareness and alerts: Credit Karma (free). For a real FICO score with bureau-direct data: Experian (free tier). For precise lender-grade scores before a major application: MyFICO (paid). Most people start with Credit Karma and upgrade when they're about to apply for something big.