Credit Report Monitoring

Updated 05-19-2013

Looking for the best credit report monitoring service that also gives you free credit scores? We've done the research for you by signing up and actually using the most popular services. Our final independent evaluations of which credit report monitoring services came out on top are below. Most of the services we review give you free credit scores as well as explanations of what actions are helping or hurting your scores. They'll also monitor your credit reports and scores for any changes and send you an email alert or text when a change occurs. Want to find out more? See our full credit report monitoring comparison.

Credit Report Monitoring Reviews & Ratings


Services: Our Ratings: Bottom Line:
Identity Guard Rating:stars
All 3 credit scores free; most comprehensive & best overall service; 25% discount & free 30-day trial
PrivacyGuard Rating:stars
All 3 credit scores for $1; monthly credit score & report updates plus other benefits; 30-day trial for $1
Trusted ID Rating:stars
All 3 credit scores free; great value, especially for families; free 14-day trial
LifeLock Ultimate Rating:stars
All 3 credit scores free, excellent ID protection; free 30-day trial & 10% discount
Equifax Complete Advantage Rating:stars
All 3 scores plus excellent 3-bureau monitoring and ongoing Equifax score updates; no free trial
ProtectMyID.com Rating:stars
Cheapest monthly price to monitor all 3 credit reports, but no scores
Equifax Score Watch Rating:stars
Only monitors Equifax report; two Equifax FICO® Score reports annually plus updated score whenever it changes; no free trial
CreditReport.com Rating:stars
3-bureau monitoring; bi-monthly Experian score updates; free 7-day trial
TransUnion Credit Monitoring Rating:stars
3-bureau monitoring, unlimited TransUnion scores; free 7-day trial
FreeCreditScore.com Rating:stars
Only monitors Experian report; two updates/mo to your Experian Score; free 7-day trial

NextAdvisor Credit Report Monitoring Blog Headlines

Can I Protect My Family with Identity Guard?
May 17, 2013 - Q: I'm a single parent and interested in signing up for Identity Guard, but I also want to make sure my children have identity theft protection. Does Identity Guard offer any program that protects one parent and two children? A:

TrustedID Credit Monitoring Now Offers a Monthly Plan For You and Your Family
May 10, 2013 - TrustedID is ranked highly in our credit report monitoring comparison thanks to their comprehensive daily credit monitoring and identity theft protection tools. In addition to their excellent features, TrustedID is the only service we've reviewed that offers a family plan,

Can I Get Credit Monitoring For My Business?
Apr 26, 2013 - Q: Do any credit report monitoring services offer a business plan? A: Though there aren't credit monitoring services that will monitor your company's Tax Identity Number (TIN) number, there are a couple of ways you can use these services to

Can I Get Credit Monitoring for My Teenager?
Apr 24, 2013 - Q: I would like to get a credit report monitoring service for myself and my 14 year old son, which service would be best? A: Companies will only monitor a person's credit file if they are over 18; however, there

Why Are Lenders Unable to Pull My Credit Report?
Apr 18, 2013 - Q: I am trying to apply for a loan and the lender is unable to pull the score. Why is this happening and how do I fix it? A: There are two reasons why a lender may be unable to

Credit
Report
Monitoring
Overview

Which Credit Report Monitoring is Best?

The best credit report monitoring service depends on what you're looking for. Most of our top-rated services offer free trials, so you can try them out at no cost and make sure they're right for you. Many provide free instant access to your credit score, 3-bureau credit monitoring and other goodies to sweeten the pot. We've signed up for, used and evaluated all these services to get the information you'll need to make your decision.
Compare all Credit Report Monitoring services.

How Does Credit Report Monitoring Really Work?

Credit report monitoring services continually monitor your credit files for any changes. When a significant change occurs, you'll be alerted via email or text. By knowing what's happening on your credit reports you'll be able to help prevent identity theft. In fact, the FTC recommends close monitoring of your credit reports as one of the best methods to detect identity theft. Most credit monitoring services also give you free credit scores and free credit reports, plus explanations of what factors are helping or hurting your creditworthiness.
View all credit report monitoring services.


Free Trials

Most of our most highly recommended credit report monitoring services offer free trials which include free access to your credit score. We think it's important to monitor your credit score and report on an ongoing basis, but if you decide you don't want to keep any of these services, you can simply cancel during the trial period and your credit scores are yours to keep for free.


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Disclosure: NextAdvisor.com is a consumer information site that offers free, independent reviews and ratings of online services. We receive advertising revenue from most of the services we review. Our editors thoroughly research and whenever possible test each service we review and offer their honest opinions about each one. We are independently owned and operated and all opinions expressed on this site are our own.