Credit Karma gives you free VantageScore credit scores from TransUnion and Equifax, updated weekly, with real-time alerts when something changes. It is the single most useful free tool in personal finance — and one of the few that genuinely is free (the business model is matching you with credit-card and loan offers).
What you get
- Weekly VantageScore from TransUnion & Equifax (the third bureau, Experian, requires a separate signup)
- Real-time alerts for new accounts, hard inquiries, balance changes, and reported delinquencies
- Score simulator — see what paying off a card, opening a new account, or removing a collection would do to your score
- Identity monitoring — dark-web scan for your email + SSN
- Tax filing (Credit Karma Tax → now Cash App Taxes) — free federal & state filing for most returns
What it does NOT show
Credit Karma shows your VantageScore, not your FICO score. Lenders use FICO 98% of the time. The two scores are usually within 20–30 points of each other but can diverge. For mortgage and auto-loan preparation, also pull your real FICO from myFICO.com or your credit-card issuer's free FICO tool (most major issuers now offer it).
- Genuinely free — no trial, no card required
- Weekly score updates (most free services are monthly)
- Real-time alerts are excellent for fraud detection
- Identity monitoring included
- VantageScore, not FICO — useful for tracking trends, less useful for predicting loan approvals
- Credit-card and loan recommendations are sponsored (be skeptical of the "matches")
- Only TransUnion + Equifax (no Experian)
FAQ
Does signing up hurt my credit score?
No. Credit Karma uses a "soft pull" — it does not affect your score in any way.
Is it really free?
Yes. Credit Karma earns referral fees from banks and lenders when you take an offer through them. You never pay.
Why is my Credit Karma score different from my FICO?
VantageScore (CK) and FICO weight categories slightly differently. VantageScore is more sensitive to new accounts; FICO penalizes high utilization more. Most people see a 20–30 point gap.
Can I dispute errors through Credit Karma?
Yes — there's a direct dispute flow for TransUnion. For Equifax and Experian you'll need to use those bureaus directly.
Is my data sold?
Credit Karma's business model is showing you ads for loans and credit cards. Your data isn't sold to data brokers, but you are the product for advertisers within the platform.