9 Best Credit Repair Companies of 2024
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Your credit score is one of the most influential factors when it comes to your financial health. It determines whether or not you can get a loan, how much you pay in interest fees, and the amount you need for deposits.
Having a low credit score can make life difficult, but there is a way to recover. Credit repair companies can help you challenge errors onyour credit and provide you with the tools you need to maintain good credit in the future. We put together a list of the best credit repair companies along with details to help you choose which one is right for you.
Our Top Picks for the Best Credit Repair Companies
Many of the credit repair companies on the list can help you with fixing your credit. Each one has different strengths, and below, we’ve listed some of the top companies and where they excel:
- Lexington Law Firm: Best for legal experience
- CreditRepair.com: Affordability along with good features
- Credit Saint: Good customer service
- Credit Versio: Least expensive
- Sky Blue: Great value
- The Credit Pros: Credit builder loan services
- The Credit People: Best guarantee
Best Credit Repair Companies to Get Your Money’s Worth
The following are the best credit repair companies and some additional information about them. Below, you will find information about the company, pricing, and services they offer.
Lexington Law Firm
Best for: Legal experience
Lexington Law Firm is one of the most experienced credit repair services on the list. With 19 years of experience, Lexington Law Firm has a team that includes licensed attorneys and skilled paralegals. The biggest benefit of having a team of credit repair professionals with legal experience on your side is that they can fight for your rights when it comes to repairing your credit.
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While their service costs slightly more than some of the others on the list, they bring a high level of legal expertise. In addition to having access to a credit repair assessment, they challenge errors on your behalf with each of the bureaus while providing additional services like identity theft insurance as well. You can also find various free educational posts about credit repair on their blog.
CreditRepair.com
Best for: Affordability along with good features
Founded in 2012, CreditRepair.com has provided its services to over 955,000 people. During that time, their members have seen get over 8.6 million removals from their credit reports. They offer customers three tiers of service, and they keep you updated on the progress of your credit repair status along the way.
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Credit Saint
Best for: Good customer service
When you sign up for Credit Saint, you can sign up for one of three services starting at $79.99 per month. The lower tiers of service have a limited amount of credit bureau challenges, but you can receive unlimited challenges by purchasing the highest tier. When getting started, customers receive a consultation along with a credit score analysis. If you’re unhappy with their service, they have a 90-day money-back guarantee.
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Sky Blue
Best for: Least expensive
The team at Sky Blue has been helping customers with credit repair since 1989. They offer affordable pricing and a methodical approach to helping you fix your credit. They pride themselves on providing excellent customer support and have two levels of services to choose from. With their higher service tier, you get more frequent credit updates and access to their credit builder tool.
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The Credit Pros
Best for: Great value
Customers who sign up with The Credit Pros can choose from three tiers of service that provide a variety of extra features with each tier. One of the standout services The Credit Pros offers is credit builder loans at their highest tier.
Credit builder loans can be a great tool when you’re working on repairing and improving your credit. Something to note is that they don’t provide credit repair services at the lowest tier, but there are other tools that may help you improve your credit.
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Credit Versio
Best for: Credit builder loan services
If you’re looking for an inexpensive route to credit repair, Credit Versio may be the right option for you. They offer two levels of service, which are $24.95 and $29.95 per month. Their pricing is lower than the others primarily because they have a DIY approach to credit repair. Unlike the others on the list, they don’t file disputes on your behalf. They have an AI tool that scans your report for potential errors, and then they provide you with dispute letters to mail in yourself.
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The Credit People
Best for: Best guarantee
The Credit People offers the best guarantee on our list of the best credit repair companies. You can cancel at any time, and if you choose to cancel, they won’t charge you for that month. They’ll refund your previous month’s payment as well. They offer slightly fewer services than some other companies on this list, but they offer a six-month flat rate tier, which can save you about $115.
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CreditFirm.net
This credit repair service has an individual plan that starts at $49.99 per month as well as a couples plan at $89.99 per month. This means that if you sign up as a couple, you save about $10 per month. When you work with CreditFirm.net, you will work one-on-one with a credit consultant who will help you navigate the credit repair process. They also offer unlimited bureau challenges for both of their plans.
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Safeport Law
Safeport is another law firm on this list with 27 attorneys on their team, and they have one tier of service available for $129 per month. They’ll challenge errors on your behalf, and you can use their credit score tracker to check the progress of your credit repair journey. They provide a 90-day money-back guarantee as well.
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Guide to Credit Repair
Before you choose a credit repair company, it can be helpful to understand generally what they are and how they work. The best credit repair companies may be able to help you with derogatory marks like collection accounts and late payments while also setting you up for success in rebuilding your credit.
What Is Credit Repair?
There are different aspects to credit repair, but in short, it’s the process of fixing a bad credit score. This often involves disputing errors on your credit report that are hurting your credit. Credit repair companies usually file these disputes with the three main credit bureaus: Experian®, Equifax®, and TransUnion. They will also educate you on the other factors affecting your score, so you can address those areas as well.
While it’s possible to do DIY credit repair for free, many people turn to credit repair companies due to their experience in that space. A reputable credit repair company will review your credit report with you to identify errors and file disputes on your behalf.
If you need further assistance with tips that can help improve your credit, many credit repair companies offer additional information to help you understand how to practice better credit habits.
How Does Credit Repair Work?
Credit repair works by using the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) in your favor. The FCRA gives consumers rights when it comes to getting information about their credit scores. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has a brief guide listing some of your rights listed in the FCRA, such as:
- The right to your credit score
- The right to know what’s in your credit file
- The right to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information
While you have many rights, this doesn’t guarantee the bureau will remove the information that you dispute. As stated in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau guide, “Inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information must be removed or corrected, usually within 30 days. However, a consumer reporting agency may continue to report information it has verified as accurate.”
Whether or not the credit reporting agencies are able to verify the errors, you may want to also proceed with other credit-building methods to repair your credit.
What Is a Credit Repair Company?
Credit repair companies are service-based businesses that focus in credit repair. As mentioned, you don’t have to go through a company, but they have valuable experience dealing with credit bureaus. They can help you locate errors within your credit report.
Many credit repair companies offer additional credit services alongside disputing errors on your credit report. Some provide free credit repair assessments, credit monitoring, and other tools that can help you improve or maintain your credit health.
How Do Credit Repair Companies Work?
There are many different credit repair companies, and they all have their own methods. Many use the following steps as part of their service:
- Initial consultation: First, you meet with a credit repair representative to go over your credit situation. This may involve reviewing your credit report for potential errors and coming up with a plan. During the consultation, you may also receive tips for working to improve your credit habits.
- Limited power of attorney: You will need to sign a contract giving the credit repair company limited power of attorney. This allows them to act on your behalf when disputing errors and communicating with the credit bureaus.
- The dispute process: If you have errors on your credit report, the credit repair company will then initiate the dispute process.
- Regular updates: After initiating the dispute, the credit repair company will provide you with regular updates. They’ll let you know when they hear back from the credit bureaus and when your credit report updates.
How Much Do Credit Repair Companies Charge on Average?
Credit repair companies typically bill monthly, and some services are as low as $24.95, while others are upward of $149 per month. Some companies also offer a discount if you sign up for multiple months in advance. When choosing a credit repair company, keep in mind that the higher prices may provide better services.
What You Need to Know Before Hiring a Credit Repair Company
Before hiring a credit repair company, there’s some useful information that you should know.
You Will Need to Do Some of the Work
The credit repair company will take care of a lot of the work, like writing and sending the dispute letters, but you will still have to do some work. To dispute the negative items, you will need to provide them with documentation to support your claims.
Some Negative Items May Not Be Removed
When hiring a credit repair company, remember that there are some nefarious companies out there. A big red flag to look out for is any company that guarantees they can remove all of the negative items from your credit report.
If you check your credit report and know that you are responsible for the negative marks, they most likely can’t be removed. Negative items that are correct can stay on your report for seven to 10 years.
You Can Cancel Your Credit Repair Contract Within Three Days
In addition to consumer protections like the FCRA, there are also protections when working with credit repair organizations. The Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA) also provides you with rights. It states, “You have the right to cancel your contract with any credit repair organization for any reason within three business days from the date you signed it.”
Credit Repair Companies Cannot Charge You in Advance
The CROA also states that credit repair companies can’t charge you until services are being performed. While they can charge you for the setup fee, they can’t charge you for the services up front. Any company that tries to take payment before they have performed work on your behalf, may be a scam.
There Are Setup Fees
Many credit repair companies have setup fees. Depending on the company and which tier of service you choose, the setup fees can be upward of $195.
Removed Items May Reappear on Your Credit Report
There are some rare instances in which removed items reappear on your credit report. This typically happens if the institution does not respond to the credit bureau within 30 days, but the credit bureau later finds that the item was correct.
For example, if you challenge a late payment from a credit card company on your credit report, and the credit card company does not provide evidence within 30 days, it may be removed. If the credit card company shows evidence that the late payment was correct, the item may appear again on your report.
What to Consider When Choosing a Credit Repair Company
There are many different credit repair companies to choose from. The following tips will help you choose the right one while also avoiding scams.
- They’re CROA compliant: Be sure the company you’re working with follows the Credit Repair Organization Act guidelines. Familiarizing yourself with the rights stated in the CROA can help you stay alert for potential scams.
- They won’t make false promises: Legitimate credit repair companies won’t guarantee results. They also won’t use scam tactics like Credit Privacy Numbers (CPNs) to repair your credit.
- They have positive reviews: Not all credit repair companies have reviews, but it’s helpful if they do. You can find out about their service quality from current and former customers.
- They provide additional tools: Filing disputes is only one aspect of credit repair. The best credit repair companies will provide additional services like credit monitoring, bill reporting services, educational tools, and more.
- They have competitive pricing: Compare prices and fees to see what the norm is for credit repair services. It’s also helpful to remember that the least expensive service may not be the best.
What Credit Repair Companies Can’t Do
Credit repair companies can be helpful if you’re looking to fix your credit but don’t want to do it all on your own. With that in mind, there are some things a credit repair company can’t do. The CFPB advises consumers to be aware of the following credit repair red flags:
- Demanding up-front payment
- Guaranteeing results
- Being unable to answer questions
- Not informing you of your rights
- Providing misinformation
How to Spot a Credit Repair Scam
In addition to the previous section, one of the primary ways to spot a credit repair scam is if they ask you to misrepresent information. CPNs are a common tactic in credit repair scams. A CPN is used to create a new credit profile, but to do so, these companies often use stolen Social Security numbers.
In an article from Capital One, they explain, “Selling CPNs as a way to repair credit is illegal. And many companies that sell CPNs are selling stolen SSNs of unsuspecting victims—like children, prison inmates, or senior citizens—and presenting them as CPNs.”
What Should You Do If You Encounter a Fraudulent Credit Repair Agency?
If you encounter a credit repair scam, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends reporting the scam to the following:
Reporting fraudulent credit repair companies can help protect other consumers and potentially get these businesses shut down.
How Long Does It Take to Repair Credit?
How long it takes to repair your credit can vary from person to person. Some of the factors that can determine the time frame include:
- Your current credit score
- How many negative items you have on your credit report
- How much access you have to credit
- The type of negative items on your credit report
Credit reports update roughly every 30 days, but when you file a dispute, the bureaus have 30 – 45 days to do the investigation. This means that if they remove a negative mark, it can take a month or two. If the negative items on your credit report are correct, it can take longer for these items to fall off of your credit report. Some of these items stay on your report for seven to 10 years.
What Are the Consequences of Bad Credit?
Some people believe that the only downside of having a bad credit score is that you can’t get credit cards or loans. The reality is that bad credit affects much more than that. A bad credit score indicates that you are a high credit risk, which means that it can make various aspects of your life more difficult.
Some of the consequences of bad credit include:
- Higher interest rates for credit cards and loans
- Larger deposits for utilities and other services
- Larger deposits when renting a home
- Higher insurance costs
Not only does low credit cost you more money, but some jobs may check your credit score as part of the hiring process. If the job involves handling money, they may run your credit because some jobs see it as a risk to hire someone who may have financial troubles.
Credit Repair FAQ
Next, we discuss some of the most frequently asked questions about credit repair.
Are Credit Repair Companies Worth It?
Whether or not a credit repair company is worth the money depends on your situation. If you have the time to learn about credit repair and feel confident doing it on your own, you can. Many people hire credit repair companies because they’re experienced at what they do.
Can Credit Repair Companies Remove Late Payments?
What items get removed is up to the credit bureaus, but your late payment could potentially get removed if it’s inaccurately on your report. The credit repair company can file a dispute along with evidence that you made the payment on time and wait to see if the credit bureaus remove the item.
How Can You Repair Your Credit Fast?
One of the fastest ways to repair your credit is to get negative marks removed from your credit report. However, it may have no impact at all. Credit repair companies can help you address errors..
Is It Possible to Raise Your Credit Score 200 Points in 30 Days?
Some people may claim they can help you raise your score by 200 points within 30 days, but this is pretty rare unless you have multiple damaging errors on your report. Many of the methods to improve your credit can take six months to a few years.
Start Fixing Your Credit Today
There are many credit repair companies that can help you if you have errors on your credit report. If you don’t have errors and are looking for tools that may be able to help you stay on top of your credit, Credit.com offers our ExtraCredit® subscription. With ExtraCredit, you get access to credit monitoring, additional reporting of your rent and utilities, and credit score tracking. Start your seven-day free trial today.
Methodology
The credit repair companies chosen are based on rankings from reputable sites in the financial space.
Credit.com and CreditRepair.com are both owned by Credit.com Holdings, LLC. Oquirrh Mountain Law Group, PC, d/b/a Lexington Law Firm is an independent law firm that uses
Credit.com Holdings, LLC, as a provider of business and administrative services.
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