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If you have errors on your credit report, which 34% of consumers do, according to a Consumer Reports study, you may want help to get it back on track. While you can repair credit reporting errors on your own and save money in the process, there are dedicated credit repair companies that can step in to help. While the success of credit repair companies is not guaranteed, this can make disputing errors and contacting each credit bureau a more pain-free experience.
It’s crucial to have a good credit score because lenders use it to help determine if you qualify for loans, mortgages and credit cards; landlords may also use it when reviewing a rental application. The best credit repair companies can help you resolve negative information or errors on your credit report. When comparing credit repair companies, look for one that is reliable, effective, affordable and that has good customer service.
Here are the six best credit repair companies.
None
$89.85 to $129.95
3
Lexington Law has been in operation for more than 15 years, making it one of the most trusted credit repair companies. It was founded “to revolutionize the credit repair industry, by providing ethical and effective credit repair to consumers in need.” Through three different service packages, Lexington Law gives clients a roadmap to build their credit and achieve their financial goals.
To help build customers’ credit, Lexington Law focuses on four areas: credit report analysis, credit disputing, dispute escalating and credit score analysis and monitoring.
Customers can avoid a setup fee through Lexington Law and have access to packages starting at $89.95. Veterans and active military can receive a discount of 50% off the first-work fee. Lexington Law also offers a family or household discount; it will provide the customer’s spouse with a one-time 50% discount when the customer and their spouse sign up for service.
Lexington Law offers three packages that range from $89.85 to $129.95 per month.
Concord Standard—$89.85/month | Concord Premier—$109.95/month | ProPremier—$129.95/month |
---|---|---|
15 TransUnion challenges | 15 TransUnion challenges | 19 TransUnion challenges |
Six Equifax challenges | Six Equifax challenges | Nine Equifax challenges |
Three Experian Challenges | Three Experian Challenges | Three Experian Challenges |
Creditor interventions | Creditor interventions | Creditor interventions |
- | InquiryAssist | InquiryAssist |
- | Score analysis | Score analysis |
- | ReportWatch | ReportWatch |
- | TransUnion® alerts | TransUnion® alerts |
- | - | Cease & desist letters |
- | - | FICO® score tracker |
- | - | Identity protection |
- | - | Personal finance tools |
$119 to $149
$69 to $149
3
$119 to $149
$69 to $149
3
The Credit Pros has been in business for 12 years. It offers an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven personal credit management and repair platform and includes credit monitoring at no additional cost. Other credit repair companies include credit monitoring as an additional service.
Customers who choose to work with The Credit Pros will have to pay a one-time setup fee, which starts at $119. Then, they will owe a monthly fee starting at $69, depending on the package they choose of the three it offers. Customers who choose one of its top two packages—the Prosperity Package or Success Package— will receive a Slash Rx discount to save up to 80% on medication.
Before starting to work with The Credit Pros, potential customers can schedule a free consultation in either English or Spanish. This is a handy way to see if the company is a fit for your specific needs and which package would support you best.
The Credit Pros also offers a 90-day, money-back guarantee: In 90 days, if there’s no deletion from Equifax, Experian or TransUnion, you will be entitled to the amount you invested during that period.
The Credit Pros offers three packages that range from $119 to $149 per month.
Money Management—$119/month & $69 startup fee | Prosperity Package—$119/month & $119 startup fee | Success Package—$149/month & $149 startup fee |
---|---|---|
TransUnion credit score | TransUnion credit Score | TransUnion credit score |
TransUnion credit monitoring | TransUnion credit monitoring | TransUnion credit monitoring |
Full credit report | Full credit report | Full credit report |
DarkWeb monitoring | DarkWeb monitoring | DarkWeb monitoring |
Change of address monitoring | Change of address monitoring | Change of address monitoring |
Social Security trace | Social Security trace | Social Security trace |
Monitoring | Monitoring | Monitoring |
Pay-day monitoring | Pay-day monitoring | Pay-day monitoring |
Social network monitoring | Social network monitoring | Social network monitoring |
Bill reminder | Bill reminder | Bill reminder |
Budgeting system | Budgeting system | Budgeting system |
Real-time account sync | Real-time account sync | Real-time account sync |
Snowball and avalanche debt system | Snowball and avalanche debt system | Snowball and avalanche debt system |
TCP legal network | TCP legal network | TCP legal network |
Debt validation letters to creditors | Debt validation letters to creditors | Debt validation letters to creditors |
National Credit Direct line of credit | Slash Rx medication discounts | National Credit Direct line of credit |
- | - | Slash Rx medication discounts |
$89
$79 to $109
2
$89
$79 to $109
2
Ovation Credit Services has been in business for 45 years. It has built a trusted reputation and supportive customer service. It helps its clients improve and repair their credit scores through two cost-effective packages.
Customers can choose between the Essentials ($79/month) and Essentials Plus ($109/month) plans. Both plans require a $89 one-time setup fee. The Essentials plan doesn’t provide robust features but could be a good option if you’re on a tight budget. If you’re willing to kick in $30 extra dollars per month, you can have access to credit monitoring and unlimited challenge validation and creditor goodwill letters through the Essentials Plus package.
If you don’t know which package is right for you, Ovation Credit Services offers a free consultation to help guide you. You’ll have access to its discounts and no-risk refund policy regardless of the package you choose. It offers discounts for couples, seniors, military members and referrals, plus a refund policy that states during any month if Ovation Credit Services fails to “provide the agreed-upon services we will not charge your monthly fees for that month.”
Ovation Credit Services offers two packages ranging from $79 to $109 per month.
Essentials—$79/month & $89 startup fee | Essentials Plus—$109/month & $89 startup fee |
---|---|
Personalized dispute options | Personalized dispute options |
Personal case advisor | Personal case advisor |
Finance management tools | Finance management tools |
- | Unlimited challenge validation letters |
- | Unlimited creditor goodwill letters |
- | Official Ovation recommendation letter |
- | TransUnion credit monitoring |
$99 to $195
$79.99 to $119.99
3
Credit Saint has been in business for 17 years and is backed by a strong reputation in the industry. It offers a free consultation for new customers and handles all communications with the credit bureaus if the customer proceeds with one of its packages. Customers have the option to choose between three different packages, which start at $79.99 per month and a minimum setup fee of $99.
To help customers repair their credit, Credit Saint focuses on removing the following items from a credit report if they’re incorrect:
It provides customers with confidence through a 90-day, money-back guarantee. The guarantee states, “If you sign up for service with Credit Saint in any program, and do not see any questionable items deleted from your credit in 90 days, you will be entitled to a full refund.” Credit Saint also requires customers to “be an active participant in the program for 90 days” and “eligibility for a refund does not start until day 90.”
Credit Saint offers three packages ranging from $79.99 to $119.99 per month.
Credit Polish—$79.99/month & $99 startup fee | Credit Remodel—$99.99/month & $99 startup fee | Clean Slate—$119.99/month & $195 startup fee |
---|---|---|
Five challenges to the three credit bureaus per dispute cycle | 10 challenges to the three credit bureaus per dispute cycle | Unlimited challenges to the three credit bureaus |
Score analysis | Score analysis | Score analysis |
Creditor interventions | Creditor interventions | Creditor interventions |
Score tracker | Score tracker | Score tracker |
- | Inquiry targeting | Inquiry targeting |
- | Experian Monitoring | Experian Monitoring |
$69.95 to $119.95
$69.95 to $119.95
3
CreditRepair.com has been in business for nine years and has driven 1.8 million removals since its inception. It aims to challenge customers’ credit report discrepancies with each credit bureau, ask creditors to verify negative items they’re reporting and monitor customers’ credit to help them reach their goals.
Customers have access to three separate packages and a free consultation to help them find the one that matches their needs. Packages start at $69.95 and go up to $119.95 with a startup fee that’s equivalent to the monthly fee for each service. The big plus to CreditRepair.com’s packages is that each includes credit monitoring, not something all credit repairs boast.
CreditRepair.com offers three packages ranging from $69.95 to $119.95.
Direct—$69.95/month & $69.95 startup fee | Standard—$99.95/month & $99.95 startup fee | Advanced—$119.95/month & $119.95 startup fee |
---|---|---|
Four negative item challenges per month across the three credit bureaus | Six negative item challenges per month across the three credit bureaus | Eight negative item challenges per month across the three credit bureaus |
Inquiry assists | Inquiry assists | Inquiry assists |
Goodwill intervention | Goodwill intervention | Goodwill intervention |
Quarterly credit score updates | Quarterly credit score updates | Monthly credit score updates |
TransUnion credit monitoring | TransUnion credit monitoring | TransUnion credit monitoring |
- | FICO® Score Inquiry Assist service | FICO® Score Inquiry Assist service |
- | - | Cease and desist intervention |
$79
$79
1
$79
$79
1
Sky Blue Credit has been in operation for over 30 years and offers a unique, one simple credit repair service option. Its service includes everything a customer needs to find and dispute errors on their credit reports and repair their credit scores. Unlike other credit repair companies on this list, there are no upgrades needed to more expensive packages.
Customers can access Sky Blue Credit’s service for a monthly fee of $79, plus a one-time setup fee of $79. If customers sign up as a couple, the second member receives a 50% discount, which applies to both the monthly and setup fee. If a customer is not satisfied for any reason during the first 90 days of their membership, Sky Blue Credit will refund their money in full.
According to Sky Blue Credit, customers are told the credit repair process can take up to six months; however, they can cancel anytime during that period with no additional charge.
Sky Blue Credit offers one package for $79.
One Price, Every Feature—$79/month & $79 setup fee |
---|
Pro Analysis—expert dispute candidate identification |
15 item disputes (five per bureau) every 35 days |
Custom disputes tailored to the situation |
Statute of limitation research |
Credit rebuilding guidance |
Debt validation |
Goodwill letters |
Cease and desist letters |
Debt settlement/negotiation consultations |
Consider these tips when comparing credit repair companies:
We reviewed 13 popular credit repair companies based on 19 data points in the categories of stability, reputation and customer satisfaction, customer experience, services, and cost and fees. We chose the six best companies based on the weighting assigned to each category:
Within each major category, we also considered several characteristics, including years in business, customer reviews and online resources the companies provide. We also looked at service packages offered, fee structure, money-back guarantees, discounts and cancellation policies.
Where appropriate, we awarded partial points depending on how well a lender met each criterion.
Credit repair is when consumers work with companies that specialize in removing errors from credit reports with the intent to increase their credit score. Depending on the company someone works with, they can access a range of additional features, including free credit score updates, credit monitoring, writing cease and desist letters to debt collectors or even writing letters of recommendation to lenders you’re applying for a loan with.
A subscription model is the most common credit repair pricing structure. This means customers would pay a monthly fee between $60 to $200, depending on the package, plus a potential setup fee, which can be the same price as a full-month subscription.
Some companies estimate that it takes six months for the credit repair process to create results. So, for example, if you signed up for a package with a $100 monthly fee and $100 setup fee, after six months you would have paid $700. While it may seem worth it, you can do this work on your own, but it would require more of your own time.
While many companies will advertise how many negative entries they’ve had deleted, there are no reliable statistics that prove the effectiveness of credit repair companies. Credit repair companies can help you in the process of the removal of negative items on your credit report, but it’s not guaranteed that it will be successful.
Because you can do everything a credit repair company can do on your own, it’s often better to take the time to review your credit reports on your own and submit any disputes. Doing the work yourself is completely free, which will save you hundreds of dollars you would have to pay a credit repair company.
Rank | Company | Company - Logo | Score out of 100 possible points | Forbes Advisor Rating | Forbes Advisor Rating | Learn more CTA below text | Learn More | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Lexington Law | 74.72 | 3.5 | Learn More | On Lexington Law's Secure Website | |||
2 | The Credit Pros | 71.4 | 3.5 | View More | ||||
3 | Ovation Credit Services | 69.14 | 3.5 | View More | ||||
4 | Credit Saint | 64.9 | 3 | View More | ||||
5 | CreditRepair.com | 61.39 | 3 | Learn More | On CreditRepair.com's Secure Website | |||
6 | Sky Blue Credit | 56 | 2.5 | View More |
Experian can help raise your FICO® Score based on bill payment like your phone, utilities and popular streaming services. Results may vary. See site for more details.
While a credit repair company can take the workload off your plate, you are able to fix your credit on your own. Follow these eight tips to take action:
• Get your credit report
• Review your credit report for errors
• Dispute any errors
• Pay late or past-due accounts
• Increase your credit limits
• Pay off high-interest debts
• Open a new credit card
• Pay balances on time
Because each person’s financial situation is unique, there’s not an exact amount of time it takes to improve your credit. While credit scores typically update every 30 days, that doesn’t mean you’ll see an improvement in your score.
To understand how long it might take to improve your credit, let’s look at a FICO study of the average amount of time it takes to recover your score back to its original number after a negative mark on your credit report.
Starting credit score of 680 | Starting credit score of 720 | Starting credit score of 780 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
30-day late payment | 9 months | 2.5 years | 3 years | |||
90-day late payment | 9 months | 3 years | 7 years | |||
Short sale, deed-in-lieu of foreclosure, or foreclosure | 3 years | 7 years | 7 years | |||
Bankruptcy | 5 years | 7-10 years | 7-10 years | |||
*This study was only done for mortgage payments.
After you repair your credit, it’s crucial to practice healthy credit habits to keep your credit score and reports in shape. Be sure to pay all your debts on time or early, don’t use more than 30% of your total credit limit, refrain from submitting multiple credit applications in a short period of time and only spend what you know you can afford.
It’s always a good idea to check your credit score regularly so you understand how your habits impact your score. You can also receive a free credit report weekly through AnnualCreditReport.com through April 20, 2022. This is a handy way to catch any new errors or negative information.
Jordan Tarver is the assistant editor for loans at Forbes Advisor. Before joining Forbes Advisor, Jordan was an editor and writer for multiple finance sites, focusing on loans, credit cards and bank accounts. His goal is to create actionable content that enables people to make sound personal financial decisions. When he is not working on personal finance content, Jordan is a self-help author and world traveler who helps people experience the world and discover themselves.