The Best Credit Score Apps

A big part of getting in control of your finances is understanding your credit score, which is a numerical representation of your creditworthiness. In the UK, credit scores range from 0 to 999 or 1,000, with higher scores indicating better credit health.

Credit reference agencies such as ClearScore, Experian and Money Saving Expert’s Money Monitor compile credit reports using information from lenders, utility companies, and public records. These reports include details about credit accounts, payment history, outstanding debts, and other factors that will influence your credit score. This data is used by lenders to assess the risk of lending money or extending credit to an individual.

If you’re wondering about your credit score and how to improve it, let’s take a look at some of the best credit score apps available to download.

How do credit score apps work?

A high credit score can lead to several benefits, including access to better interest rates, higher credit limits, and a greater likelihood of being approved for loans, mortgages and credit cards. At the other end of the scale, a low credit score can result in higher interest rates, lower credit limits, and potential difficulties in obtaining credit.

It’s important that you know how it all works, and the factors that can influence your credit score, which is why we’ve created this guide on whether applying for online loans can damage your credit score, as well as one on whether credit repair services really work, which is also worth a read.

Credit score apps offer a variety of ways to understand your credit health, and a wide range of benefits:

1. Easy access to credit reports: Users can view their credit reports and scores at any time, often for free. This convenience allows you to stay informed about your credit status, and quickly address any discrepancies or errors.
2. Creditworthiness insights: These apps also provide detailed insights into any factors affecting your credit score, such as payment history, credit utilisation, and the age of your credit accounts. Understanding these factors can help you to make informed decisions and improve your score.
3. Alerts and notifications: Credit score apps can send real-time alerts about significant changes to your credit report, such as new credit searches or changes in account status. This helps you to stay vigilant against identity theft and fraud.
4. Personalised tips and tools: Many apps offer customised advice on how to improve your credit score. They may include tools to simulate how certain actions, like reducing debt or opening a new account, will impact the score.
5. Financial management: Some apps integrate other financial tools, such as budget planners and expense trackers, which provide a comprehensive approach to managing personal finances.

ClearScore

There are many apps available that run credit checks and give you your credit score. ClearScore is a popular one, as it offers several features designed to help users understand and manage their credit health, including free monthly credit reports and scores, credit insights, personalised financial product suggestions, and coaching tools that enable you to create an effective financial action plan.

However, there are some limitations to ClearScore, as it only uses data from Equifax, and may show a slightly different score to other credit reference agencies. It also updates monthly, so you won’t be able to see real-time changes to your credit profile.

ClearScore primarily operates as a free service, which may be enough for you to understand your credit profile. It also has a paid service called ClearScore Protect Plus, which is free for one month and then either £4.99 a month or £49.99 for one year if paid annually. This premium service provides enhanced identity theft protection, including dark web monitoring and up to £10,000 insurance coverage against fraud.

Experian

Experian is one of the major credit reference agencies in the UK, providing comprehensive credit reporting and monitoring services to consumers. Its features are similar to those of ClearScore, although it does have some additional tools.

Experian provides credit reports and scores, credit monitoring, and personalised insights and recommendations, all of which are very useful. There’s also Experian Boost, a unique free feature that allows users to improve their credit scores instantly by linking their bank accounts and adding on-time payments for utility bills, subscriptions and other regular expenses.

As with ClearScore, Experian is a reputable credit score provider, but its credit score analysis may differ from those of other credit report agencies. This is why many people use more than one credit score app simultaneously, as it gives a more rounded idea of your credit status.

Experian offers a very useful free service that delivers limited access to credit monitoring. If you’d like additional information and guidance, Experian CreditExpert is the premium service that comes with a 30-day free trial and is then charged at £14.99 a month.

Money Saving Expert’s Money Monitor

Money Saving Expert’s Money Monitor is a free tool designed to help users manage their finances and track their spending. Developed by MoneySavingExpert.com, a renowned financial advice website founded by Martin Lewis, the Money Monitor aims to provide comprehensive insights into personal finances.

One of its top features is the option to link your bank accounts and credit cards so that you can track your spending. Transactions are automatically categorised, which can really help to identify areas of spending that could be reduced. Money Monitor also offers customisable budgeting tools with spending limits set for different categories, as well as a bill monitoring feature that helps you to make sure you don’t miss any payments. As with ClearScore and Experian, this app also comes with alerts, notifications, financial insights and personalised tips, all of which can play a core role in enabling you to achieve financial independence.

There are some limitations to Money Saving Expert’s Money Monitor. The main one is that it integrates with many UK banks but not all financial institutions, which could potentially limit its usability.

Unlike ClearScore and Experian, Money Monitor is entirely free to use. There are no paid tiers or subscription options, making it accessible to anyone looking to improve their financial management without incurring additional costs.

How to choose the right credit score app

Choosing the right credit score app depends on your individual needs and priorities. A good approach is to start off with the free versions of credit score apps, then decide further down the line whether you would benefit from a paid subscription.

You should also consider the frequency and sources of your credit report updates. Apps that pull data from multiple credit reference agencies provide a more complete picture of your credit health.

Security is also paramount when sharing sensitive financial information. Ensure that the app uses robust encryption and has a solid reputation for protecting user data. ClearScore, Experian and Money Monitor are all trusted credit score apps but there are many more out there, so spend a little time doing some research or get in touch with our team for expert recommendations.

For more insights, dive into our blog where we’ve got top tips for talking about money, as well as advice on how to get out of debt. We’ve also got a helpful guide on 5 questions to ask yourself before taking out a loan.

Representative Example

Based on the last working day of each month

Interest rate 288.35% pa (fixed) Representative 1,267.9% APR

Compare payday loans.

Warning: Late repayments can cause you serious money problems. For help, go to www.moneyhelper.org.uk.