Brendan is a full-time senior editor of financial products and services at Investopedia. He has a decade of experience researching, writing, and editing content for financial and business publications about banking, credit and debt, auto loans, credit cards, and more. Previously, he was a managing editor at Credit Card Insider.
Isaac Braun is the Research Manager for Investopedia. He has analyzed data for over a decade, with over five years in the digital media landscape, and he holds a degree in communication and culture from The Media School at Indiana University - Bloomington. Isaac believes it is paramount to provide the most accurate data-driven product recommendations to help readers make educated decisions.
Investopedia’s comprehensive research into the credit repair industry found CreditFirm.net to be the best overall choice for anyone struggling with credit report problems. Those could include errors in your personal information, mistaken late payments, or serious identity theft, among others. CreditFirm.net’s low fees, long track record, and willingness to work with many kinds of credit problems helped it earn the top spot.
The credit repair industry is notorious for scams and disreputable companies. Investopedia’s research and editorial teams collected over 1,200 data points on 17 major credit repair companies, evaluating each for fees, services, availability, customer experience, reputation, and stability. We ranked each to determine the best companies for people in different circumstances and with different needs.
Useful info about the service and credit education
Cons
Mediocre customer reviews
Somewhat strict money-back guarantee
Relatively simple; limited customization
CreditFirm.net is our top-rated company, in large part because it’s relatively affordable while still covering most credit problems people are likely to have (check the Dispute Types section below for a long list).
You’ll start with a free consultation, and unlike most other companies, there's no upfront fee to begin the service. After that, the monthly fee ($49) is lower than average among companies included in our research. There’s even a discount for couples ($89.99 per month for two people) and military members ($39.99 per month).
Customers get legal assistance along with credit repair, if necessary. The company will help fix errors in minor details, send cease-and-desist letters to collection agencies, and even escalate to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) investigations—whatever your particular situation needs.
CreditFirm.net will send an unlimited number of disputes each month, helping to resolve your credit problems as quickly as possible. (Some companies limit the number of monthly disputes, so it takes longer to address and respond to problems.)
Customer ratings aren't great for CreditFirm.net, although they’re not explicitly bad either—they’re about right in the middle (3 out of 5 stars) on sites like Trustpilot and the Better Business Bureau (BBB). There aren’t many reviews, and the company didn’t get a high score for overall customer satisfaction.
CreditFirm.net was founded in 1997 and is based in Illinois. For more information, see our full CreditFirm.net review.
CreditFirm.net has a single plan, which will likely serve most people well:
Plan
Cost
Features
Inclusive Plan
$49.99 monthly for individuals $89.99 monthly for couples $39.99 monthly for military
Personal credit consultant Unlimited credit bureau challenges Unlimited goodwill interventions Unlimited debt validation requests Unlimited escalated info requests Credit monitoring
Great variety of dispute types (debt verification, goodwill removal, etc.)
Unlimited disputes in all plans
Transparent info about plans and dispute types
Credit monitoring included in all plans
Cons
Doesn't send cease-and-desist letters
Relatively expensive base plan
Poor customer reviews
If you have some less-common credit problems or a variety of issues to address, The Credit People is worth considering. It works with almost all of the dispute types and credit problems we looked for in our research, along with others that most companies never mention (such as negative settlements and liens). Like most of the best credit repair companies, it’ll send unlimited disputes per month to help resolve your credit problems as quickly as possible.
The Credit People’s fees are a bit of a mixed bag. The setup fee ($19) is one of the lowest we found, but the base plan monthly fee ($99) is one of the highest. But then, the premium plan monthly fee ($119) is on the low side among premium plans. You can also opt to pay a flat rate for the premium plan: $599 for six months (about $99.83 per month). And there’s a couples’ discount for the monthly plans: You and your partner will both receive $20 off if your partner signs up within three days of your sign-up date.
It’s not unusual for credit repair companies to have poor reviews, and that’s true for The Credit People on Trustpilot and the BBB (although there are only a couple dozen reviews). The company has no complaints with the CFPB, however.
The Credit People has been in business since 2001 and is based in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. For more information, see our full review of The Credit People.
The Credit People offers a standard plan and a premium plan. You can pay for the premium plan monthly or commit to a six-month period.
Plan
Cost
Features
Standard
$19 setup fee $99 per month
Unlimited disputes Disputes with all three credit reporting agencies Before and after credit scores
Premium
$19 setup fee $119 per month $599 flat rate for six months
All of the above Creditor interventions Three-bureau credit reports and scores Escalated disputes and validations
The Credit People works with the following issues:
Each credit repair plan includes credit monitoring and identity theft insurance
Business credit repair services
Bill reminder and budgeting systems
Cons
Relatively expensive
No Android app available
Past lawsuits
All of the companies on our list offer basic credit repair, but other related services are included in many plans as well. The Credit Pros is our top pick if you’re interested in additional services, as it has quite a few to consider. Among our top-rated companies, it’s the only one to provide three-bureau credit monitoring and identity theft protection in every plan, along with business credit repair services if you need them.
The Credit Pros will also help with various credit-related situations, such as dark web monitoring, reminders to pay your bills, and budgeting. It has some uncommon offerings like credit references for a new apartment or vehicle. Customers can monitor the progress of their credit disputes online or through a mobile app, although the app is only available for Apple devices.
Although The Credit Pros has mildly positive reviews online, there are a couple of important things to note: Trustpilot has previously suspended The Credit Pros' page due to an accused breach of Trustpilot’s guidelines. Trustpilot stated some reviews may have been fake or purchased. The Credit Pros was also involved in a lawsuit in 2023.
The Credit Pros was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida. For more information, see our full review of The Credit Pros.
The Credit Pros offers three plans, but the least-expensive option is only related to building credit—it doesn’t include credit repair (and we don’t recommend paying for a plan like that just to build credit).
We recommend going with the middle Repair Credit plan. The main additional service in the most expensive plan is a “credit-building tradeline,” but we don’t recommend using this because there are better ways to build credit.
Plan
Cost
Features
Build Credit
$119 setup fee $69 per month
Positive payment reporting One-bureau report and score Dark web monitoring Bill reminder system Fraud alerts Debt payoff/budgeting system
Repair Credit
$129 setup fee $129 per month
All of the above except payment reporting Unlimited three-bureau disputes Creditor interventions Cease-and-desist letters Letters of reference Three-bureau credit reports and scores
Repair + Build Credit
$149 setup fee $149 per month
All of the above Credit-building tradeline
The Credit Pros deals with the following credit problems and related issues:
Doesn’t cover cease-and-desist or Section 605B letters
Somewhat-high initial setup fee
Somewhat-high monthly fee
To put it mildly, some credit repair companies are vague about the fees and details of their services. But Credit Saint doesn’t have that problem. It has three plans defined by different levels of aggressiveness, and it clearly spells out their prices and the services included in each one. It’s at least as good in this respect as our overall recommendation, CreditFirm.net.
The most basic, least-aggressive (and least-expensive) plan, Credit Polish, is $79.99 per month; for that, you get five disputes per month plus credit score tracking. That’s a bit more expensive than your average ground-floor credit repair plan, but the premium plan—Clean Slate, for $139.99 per month—is a bit less expensive than the average premium plan. Clean Slate includes three-bureau credit reports and scores and a variety of other features.
Be aware that Credit Saint’s initial working fee (a one-time fee you pay at the start of service) for the premium plan is quite expensive. The other plans have more reasonable fees. Additionally, take note that Credit Saint doesn’t send cease-and-desist letters to creditors or Section 605B letters (used to help deal with identity theft) to credit bureaus.
Credit Saint was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Mahwah, New Jersey. For more information, see our full Credit Saint review.
Credit Saint offers three credit repair plans:
Plan
Cost
Features
Credit Polish
$99 setup fee $79.99 monthly
Challenges to the three credit bureaus Creditor intervention letters Score analysis Score tracker Saint Legal Watch
Credit Remodel
$99 setup fee $109.99 monthly
All of the above One-bureau credit report and score Real-time account sync
Clean State
$195 setup fee $139.99 monthly
All of the above Unlimited challenges to the three credit bureaus Three-bureau credit reports and scores Loan readiness program enrollment Access to rent-to-own program
Credit Saint may be a good option if you’ll be dealing with any of these issues:
Bankruptcy disputes
Charge-off disputes
Collection account disputes
Debt verification letters
Foreclosure disputes
Goodwill removal request letters
Hard inquiry disputes
Late payment disputes
Method of verification letters
Personal information error letters
Repossession disputes
Longest in Business,
Best for Couples: Sky Blue Credit
Sky Blue Credit has been in business longer than any of the other 16 credit repair companies we researched—it was founded in 1989, so it has over 30 years of experience helping people identify and fix credit problems. It does business in 47 states, giving it a wide range of exposure to various people and credit situations.
You have three plan options, and the fees are decent. The lowest startup fee you might pay is $99, which is better than average. The basic plan costs $79 per month, which is a touch high, but it includes most of what you might want (aside from creditor interventions). Couples’ discounts aren't uncommon among credit repair companies, but Sky Blue’s discounts are pretty good: You’ll only pay 50% of the normal cost for another subscription if you add a spouse or partner to your plan.
One downside is that Sky Blue will only send up to three credit disputes per month. That’s far fewer than some other companies, which will send unlimited disputes, but Sky Blue claims to have a state-of-the-art dispute system, with customized disputes and re-disputes.
Customer ratings are mixed, though there aren’t many reviews to go by. Google Reviews has the largest amount, and it gives Sky Blue 4.3 stars with about 500 reviews.
Sky Blue Credit is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. For more information, see our full Sky Blue Credit Repair review.
Sky Blue has three plans with different services to meet different needs:
Plan
Cost
Features
Basic
$79 setup fee $79 per month $119 per month for couples
Three-bureau reports and scores Credit bureau disputes One-on-one consultations 60-day credit updates
Full Service
$99 setup fee $99 per month $149 per month for couples
All of the above 45-day credit updates Creditor interventions Credit builder tool
Premium
$119 setup fee $119 per month $179 per month for couples
All of the above Monthly inquiry disputes Debt validation letters Cease-and-desist letters Personal information correction letters
Sky Blue assists customers with the following issues:
Two important things when it comes to credit repair: how long it takes, and how much you like working with the company. MSI Credit Solutions excels in both areas. It’ll start working on your credit problems in just one business day, as fast as any other company. And unlimited disputes are included in each package, which should usually help resolve your credit problems faster than a company that only sends a few monthly disputes.
MSI also has a good reputation among past customers. It scored 4.5 out of 5 on Trustpilot, which is good but not great. But it has 4.68 stars at the BBB, and it earned 4.7 stars (with nearly 2,000 reviews) on Google Reviews. There are no complaints for MSI with the CFPB.
However, MSI’s pricing information isn't fully transparent. The company website mentions a single plan for $98, but a customer rep told us the basic credit repair plan costs $99 (with no setup fee). The rep also mentioned two other plans for much higher costs, but no details about these plans are available.
MSI Credit Solutions’ plan details aren't disclosed on its website. You’ll need to request a free consultation to go over your situation and figure out the right plan for you (we don’t recommend going with either of the very expensive plans below). According to customer support, the following plans are available:
Plan
Cost
Features
Plan 1
$99 per month
See “Credit Problems Addressed and Dispute Types” below Other features not disclosed
Plan 2
$750 per month
See “Credit Problems Addressed and Dispute Types” below Other features not disclosed
Plan 3
$1,500 per month
See “Credit Problems Addressed and Dispute Types” below Other features not disclosed
MSI can work with the following credit situations:
Good option if you have some minor credit problems
One-on-one coaching available for a fee
Cons
Free plan requires you to do most of the work yourself
Paid plans can be expensive
Limited pricing information online
Credilife offers a free DIY credit repair tool that could be a great idea if you’re dealing with some minor credit problems, or just one or two larger issues. It might also be all you need if you’re familiar enough with credit repair.
Credilife’s free tool, Dispute Creator, can help you identify problems on your credit reports and generate dispute letters to address them. You’ll need to set up the system, print the letters, mail them, and respond appropriately to anything you get back. But it could save you some money compared to other options, so if you feel relatively tech-savvy, you might want to give it a try.
If the DIY tool doesn’t seem like the right fit, Credilife offers paid credit repair plans to help find and remedy credit report errors. You can also get one-on-one coaching for general financial guidance or consultations for specific problems. Credilife’s website isn't clear on the pricing and plan details, however, making it hard to compare its services to others'.
Credilife has several different service options, although these aren’t all laid out clearly on the website. You’ll need to contact customer support or request a free consultation to get more details.
Plan
Cost
Features
DIY
$0
See “Credit Problems Addressed and Dispute Types” below
Mid-Tier Plan
$139.99 per month
See “Credit Problems Addressed and Dispute Types” below
Premium Plan
$239.99 per month
See “Credit Problems Addressed and Dispute Types” below
You’ll find help with the following issues across Credilife’s services:
Bankruptcy disputes
Charge-off disputes
Collection account disputes
Debt verification letters
Foreclosure disputes
Goodwill removal request letters
Hard inquiry disputes
Late payment disputes
Method of verification letters
Personal information error letters
Repossession disputes
Section 605B letters (identity theft letters)
Section 609 letters (credit dispute letters)
Why You Should Trust Us
Investopedia was founded in 1999 and has provided original recommendations for the best credit repair companies since 2020. Investopedia’s research and editorial teams are committed to giving readers the best recommendations for a variety of circumstances. To that end, Investopedia evaluated 17 major credit repair companies across 69 objective metrics, collecting over 1,200 data points, to determine the best companies in several important categories.
Important
Credit repair companies can work to change inaccurate information on your credit reports, but don't expect them to be able to remove bad marks on your credit if they're based on correct information. This is possible in some cases, such as pay-for-delete agreements, but there's no guarantee.
Who Is Credit Repair Good For?
Hiring a credit repair company may be the right move for people who have inaccurate information on their credit reports and need to get it corrected. The inaccurate information could be due to errors made by creditors, unauthorized charges, or even identity theft.
Any individual can do everything done by a credit repair company, but the process can be cumbersome and time-consuming if there are numerous errors, so it might be worth it to have a company work on it for you. It's a bit like doing your taxes—you can do your taxes yourself, but for many people it makes sense to hire a professional.
Tip
A credit repair company can be a great lifeline if you're overwhelmed and/or are too busy to fix your credit directly. That said, if your budget is already stretched thin and you can't afford to hire a credit repair company, you always have the option of filing disputes directly, at no (monetary) cost to yourself.
Common Credit Repair Terms to Understand
If you are considering working with a credit repair company, you should familiarize yourself with these common terms:
Creditor: A creditor is the institution that holds your debt. It's who you owe money to. Creditors will try to collect on the debt you owe, but they may be willing to accept less than the full amount. This is known as debt settlement, and it can have severe consequences for your credit score.
Credit score: A credit score is a number based on your credit history; it's one way lenders and other companies measure your creditworthiness. The most common score is the FICO score, which ranges from 300 to 850.
Credit reports/credit history: Your credit reports, or credit history, contains the information used to calculate your credit score. Information in your credit history will include current and previous credit accounts you've held, payment histories, bankruptcies, and more.
Unsecured debt: Unlike secured debt, which is tied to physical property, such as a home or a car, unsecured debt isn't connected to any specific assets a creditor can seize in the event of a default.
Bankruptcy: In extreme cases of identity theft, working with a credit repair company may be a way to avoid bankruptcy, which is a legal process that discharges your debt in the event that you cannot repay it. Credit repair, when done correctly, doesn't damage your credit, but bankruptcy has severe negative credit consequences.
Debt consolidation: One way to lower your monthly payments, and potentially your interest rates, is a debt consolidation loan. Debt consolidation involves taking out a single loan, preferably with a lower interest rate than what you're paying on your outstanding debts, and using those funds to pay off your other loans. The goal is to consolidate multiple loans into a single loan with a lower monthly payment than your previous loans combined.
Financial plan: In addition to working with a credit repair company, it's important to have a plan for your financial health. More than just a budget, a financial plan helps identify financial goals for the short term and the long term and establishes a framework for reaching those goals.
Different FICO Score Versions
In addition to the different types of credit scores, there are also multiple FICO scores currently in use. Some of these are industry-specific scores that are optimized for certain kinds of credit products. Additionally, both the base FICO score as well as its industry-specific counterparts are updated periodically, but there's no requirement to upgrade to the latest iterations. As such, different versions of each type of FICO score are utilized by different lenders.
FICO score 8 is the most commonly used iteration of the base score, though FICO score 10 and 10 T are the most up-to-date versions. FICO auto scores are used in most auto loan credit evaluations, while many credit card issues will look at one of a prospective borrower's FICO bankcard scores. Older iterations of the base score are used in the majority of mortgage-related credit evaluations.
Pros & Cons of Credit Repair Companies
Pros
Efficiency
Credit monitoring
Legal assistance
Cons
Expensive
Results take time
Pros Explained
Efficiency: You could contact creditors and credit bureaus and challenge errors on your own, but that takes time and some understanding of how the process works. Credit repair companies take care of the hassle for you.
Credit monitoring: In addition to challenging errors on your credit report, some services will monitor your credit for further problems.
Legal assistance: If you need to send cease-and-desist letters to creditors that are hounding you, many credit repair companies can take care of that.
Cons Explained
Expensive: In addition to monthly fees that can surpass $100, sometimes there are upfront costs to get started.
Results take time: Services aren't rendered instantly and often involve regular communication with creditors. It can take months to see results—not days or weeks. However, this is typical for DIY credit repair as well, which may take longer than working with a company.
How to Choose a Credit Repair Company
When choosing a credit repair company, it’s essential to do research and consider factors like price and features.
Since some credit repair companies are scams, be wary of companies that make grand claims about improving peoples’ credit scores. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), it’s illegal for credit repair companies to require an upfront payment for credit repair before assisting customers. Additionally, they must provide customers with a written contract, laying out an individual’s legal rights.
People should think about their budgets and the time they want to devote to improving their credit. Credit repair companies charge monthly fees—how much are you willing to pay and for how long? Fees can vary quite a bit, so shop around with our picks above to find a company that suits your needs.
Some companies are more transparent than others about the services they provide, such as working with hard inquiries or late payments. Look for a company that can deal with your specific credit problems.
Lastly, if you're willing to spend some time and energy on fixing your credit, you might just consider learning about credit repair and filing a dispute yourself.
How to Avoid Credit Repair Scams
Credit repair itself is legal, but seemingly legitimate credit repair companies can actually be bad actors trying to scam you. Getting scammed can cost you a lot of money, and to make matters worse, the actions they require of you can harm your credit or even get you charged with fraud.
According to the FTC, consumers should look out for the following warning signs when dealing with a credit repair company:
The company doesn't explain your legal rights when giving you information on their services
The company requires payment prior to assisting you (credit repair companies legally cannot charge you until they've completed the promised services)
The company requires you to pay using cryptocurrency, wire transfer, or gift cards
The company instructs you not to contact the credit bureaus yourself
The company instructs you to dispute accurate information on your credit report
The company instructs you to put false information on your applications for credit or a loan
The company instructs you to submit a false identity theft report
The company offers to hide your bad credit history or create a new credit identity for you (potentially using stolen Social Security numbers (SSNs))
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Does Credit Repair Take?
Credit bureaus are generally required to complete an investigation into a specific credit report dispute within 30 days, but the entire credit repair process may take months, especially if you’re required to submit additional information. Some credit repair companies only send a certain number of disputes per month, which can make the process take longer.
Keep in mind that a credit repair company cannot get accurate information removed from your credit report.
If your credit score has been negatively impacted by inaccurate information on your credit reports and you send a dispute, it typically takes up to 30 days for the credit bureau to investigate the dispute and update your credit profile (it may take longer in some cases). However, if your credit score is low because you’ve failed to make your monthly credit card payments on-time, that negative information will stay on your reports for up to seven years, although the negative effects diminish over time.
In that case, the fastest way to improve your credit score is to avoid making late payments on your debt. You should also consider limiting your new credit applications and trying to keep your credit utilization ratio—or the ratio of credit you use to the total amount of credit you have—lower than 30%.
Can I Fix My Credit Myself For Free?
Yes, you can fix your credit by yourself. Individuals can request free credit reports online to check for any errors or inaccurate information or use credit monitoring services. If you’ve noticed an error, reach out to the credit bureau and the business that supplied the incorrect information. After you’ve filed a dispute, the credit bureau typically has 30 days to investigate it. They must then inform you of the results of the dispute.
What Is a Good FICO Score?
According to myFICO, it considers a credit score of 670-739 to be "good." Meanwhile, higher scores of 740–799 and 800+ are "very good" and "exceptional," respectively. Conversely, a scores of 580-669 is only considered "fair," while anything below 580 is regarded as "poor."
Is a Credit Repair Company Worth It?
Whether or not a credit repair company is worth it will depend on your financial situation and personal preferences. For example, if you don't have the time to dispute mistakes on your credit report yourself, then working with a credit repair company may be a good idea. However, if there are no errors on your report to fix, then it likely wouldn't be a good use of your funds.
Is It True That After 7 Years Your Credit Is Clear?
In most cases, a lawsuit or judgment against you will remain on your credit report for seven years or until the statute of limitations runs out, whichever is longer. Bankruptcies, however, can take up to 10 years to fall off your report.
How We Pick the Best Credit Repair Companies
Investopedia’s research and editorial teams conducted independent, comprehensive research into the credit repair industry from July 1 to Oct. 7, 2024.
In August, Investopedia commissioned a survey of 500 people who have used a credit repair company in the past three years, gathering data on customer values and satisfaction within the industry. We identified 17 credit repair companies to research based on prior Investopedia research, public interest, and a competitive analysis of the industry. We identified 69 criteria by which to evaluate each company, broken down into the following categories. Each category was weighted based on importance to the average credit repair customer.
Services: 28.00%
Cost and Fees: 27.50%
Reputation/Customer Satisfaction: 18.50%
Customer Experience: 16.00%
Stability/Availability: 10.00%
Over 1,200 data points were collected on company details like plan fees, dispute types, consumer ratings, and complaints. 799 of those data points were used in our scoring calculations; the other data points were collected for background and to improve content quality. Investopedia collected data from company websites, customer support and media representatives, and independent agencies (CFPB, FTC, etc.). Data collection was conducted from Sept. 6 to Sept 30, 2024, and has since been maintained by Investopedia’s compliance team to maintain accuracy in content.
Investopedia requires writers to use primary sources to support their work. These include white papers, government data, original reporting, and interviews with industry experts. We also reference original research from other reputable publishers where appropriate. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in our
editorial policy.