Free Credit Score Apps Compared (2026): Which Score You Actually Get

A free score can differ from a lender's score. Five free tools show a score, and none shows a FICO score from all three bureaus. Chase Credit Journey and Credit Karma show VantageScore 3.0. CreditWise, Experian's free membership and myFICO's free plan each show FICO Score 8, but from TransUnion, Experian and Equifax respectively. The paid myFICO tiers start at $19.95 a month.

This page compares the five free tools that show a score and watch your reports, plus the paid step-up from myFICO. Credit builder apps, which report on-time payments to help a thin file, answer a different question, so they stay out of this comparison.

FinanceRadar data: our credit card statistics put the average annual fee at $135 across the 65 cards we verify, as of October 10, 2026. The Basic myFICO plan at $19.95 a month comes to $239.40 a year, which is about 1.8 times that average card fee, for a score that comes from one bureau.

Five free tools, side by side

The table shows each free tier as the vendor describes it on the pages we read on October 10, 2026. Score model and bureau come first, because they decide what the number means.

Only myFICO prints an update schedule. The other four vendors say nothing about cadence on the pages we read, so do not assume a daily or weekly refresh.

The model and the bureau change what the number means

Two free scores can differ on both counts at once. VantageScore 3.0 and FICO Score 8 are different formulas, so the same file can produce two different numbers. Each bureau also holds its own file, which means a score built on Experian data will not show a change that was reported only to TransUnion.

myFICO's pricing page makes the same point from the lender's side: "Your lender/insurer may use a different credit score." Treat a free score as a way to watch direction and catch errors. Check which model it uses before you compare one app's number with another's.

Chase Credit Journey: VantageScore 3.0 from Experian, no account needed

Chase calls the tool free in two places, with "Get your credit score for free with Chase Credit Journey" and "Anywhere, anytime for free." Non-customers can use it, because the page says "No Chase account required." The score is "exclusively provided by Experian," and you can see it "as often as you'd like with no impact to your credit."

Chase says Credit Journey also notifies you of new account-status updates and hard credit checks. It describes dark web and data breach alerts too, but it does not say whether those carry a charge, so check before you turn them on.

CreditWise: FICO Score 8 from TransUnion

CreditWise shows a FICO Score 8 from TransUnion. The page says the score is "a FICO Score 8 based on TransUnion data," while its alerts draw on TransUnion and Experian reports. The number reflects one bureau, but the alerts watch two.

"Anybody can get CreditWise, even if you're not a Capital One customer," the page's FAQ says. It names no paid tier and no update schedule.

Credit Karma: VantageScore 3.0 from Equifax and TransUnion

Credit Karma's score article says its scores "come directly from Equifax and TransUnion," using VantageScore 3.0. Its monitoring page covers TransUnion and Equifax reports and says "We track your credit for free." Experian is not on that list. The pages we read print no paid tier and no price, and the article describes scores only as changing "often," so no cadence is given.

If you want Credit Karma for spending rather than a score, our best Mint alternatives page covers it as a budgeting app, and our best free budgeting apps page lists it among free options.

Experian's free membership: FICO Score 8 from Experian alone

Experian's plans page sets the default model in one line: "Credit score is calculated based on FICO® Score 8 model, unless otherwise noted." The free plan costs $0, needs no credit card, and gives you an Experian credit report and FICO Score. On the page's comparison table, Equifax and TransUnion reports are "Not included" on the free, Core and Money Plus tiers. Only Premium adds all three bureaus.

The paid tiers add industry-specific FICO scores, the FICO Score Simulator and CreditLock.

myFICO: free FICO from Equifax, with paid plans above it

myFICO's free plan shows a FICO Score 8 from Equifax alone, with credit reports, the score, credit monitoring and monthly updates. It leaves out mortgage and auto scores, the simulators, insurance, restoration and identity monitoring.

The paid plans are the step-up. Basic covers Experian only, with monthly updates. Advanced at $29.95 covers all three bureaus but updates every three months. Premier at $39.95 covers all three bureaus monthly and adds identity monitoring and up to $1 million in identity theft insurance.

Gotchas before you sign up

• Renewals are automatic. myFICO's paid plans renew on their own, and its page says refunds are not available.
• One bureau is not the whole file. An Experian-only, TransUnion-only or Equifax-only score misses the other two files. Credit Karma's scores use TransUnion and Equifax, and CreditWise's alerts use TransUnion and Experian, but no free tool here covers all three files.
• Confirm the price at checkout. Experian's plans page prints each paid price two different ways, so check the amount before you agree to a tier.

Which free tool fits which goal

• You want a FICO number for free: CreditWise (TransUnion), Experian's membership (Experian only) or myFICO's free plan (Equifax only). Each shows one bureau.
• You want VantageScore from two bureaus: Credit Karma covers TransUnion and Equifax. Chase Credit Journey gives one VantageScore from Experian, and non-customers can use it.
• You want FICO from all three bureaus: the free tools here do not offer that. It takes myFICO's paid Advanced or Premier plan.

If the score is only one feature of a budgeting app, our Rocket Money review describes the score that comes with its free plan.

Two free scores built on different models and bureaus give a wider range than one score. If you pick two, choose one FICO and one VantageScore.

Methodology: how we checked the free tiers

We read six vendor pages across the five products on October 10, 2026: Chase's Credit Journey page, Capital One's CreditWise page, Credit Karma's score article and monitoring page, Experian's plans page and myFICO's pricing page. Third-party comparison posts were not used as sources.

Experian's plans page prints each paid tier's price two conflicting ways, so this page quotes no paid Experian price. The $239.40 yearly figure is our arithmetic on myFICO's monthly price, because myFICO publishes no annual price. The $135 average fee comes from our own credit card statistics read the same day. How we make money explains how FinanceRadar is funded.

This page is general information, not personalized financial advice. Confirm the terms with each provider before you sign up, because plans, prices and score offers change.

FAQ

Is there a free credit score that uses FICO?

Yes. CreditWise shows a FICO Score 8 from TransUnion, Experian's free membership shows a FICO Score 8 from Experian alone, and myFICO's free plan shows a FICO Score 8 from Equifax alone. None of the three covers all bureaus. Our cards by credit score guide groups cards by product design, because it does not store issuer FICO cutoffs.

Is the Credit Karma score a FICO score?

No. Credit Karma's own article says its scores are VantageScore 3.0 from Equifax and TransUnion.

Does Chase Credit Journey require a Chase account?

No. The Chase page says "No Chase account required." The score is VantageScore 3.0 from Experian.

How much does myFICO cost?

The myFICO pricing page lists Basic at $19.95 a month, Advanced at $29.95 a month and Premier at $39.95 a month, with no annual price shown. The free plan costs nothing and covers Equifax only.

Does Experian's free credit score cost anything?

The free plan is $0 and needs no credit card. It shows a FICO Score 8 from Experian only, and the page marks Equifax and TransUnion reports as not included.

How often do free credit scores update?

Only myFICO prints an update schedule: monthly on its free, Basic and Premier plans, and every three months on Advanced. Chase, CreditWise, Credit Karma and Experian say nothing about cadence on the pages we read, so check the app for how often its number changes.

Why does my free score differ from the score a lender pulls?

A free tool can use a different model, VantageScore 3.0 or FICO Score 8, and data from a different bureau. Check both before you compare its number with a lender's.