Whether you’re building back your credit from past damage or starting from scratch, you may need expert help navigating the process. 

Credit improvement services offer expert assistance in reviewing your credit report and disputing errors with the agencies. They may even offer to negotiate with lenders on your behalf. But as tempting as this seems, not all companies that offer to clean up your score are legitimate—sometimes, they may not deliver the results they promise. 

If you’re considering hiring a credit score improvement agency, you must fully understand what these companies offer and review their claims thoroughly for legitimacy. 

In this article, we’ll explain what credit score improvement services do and explore five popular options that could assist with your score cleanup. We’ll also share a reliable alternative that empowers you to build your credit responsibly. 

What Is a Credit Score Improvement Service?

A credit improvement service primarily focuses on addressing negative or inaccurate items on your credit reports and assists you in disputing and correcting them. They may also identify outdated data that may be causing your score to stop growing or dip. Improvement services, also known as repair or cleanup services, can:

• Review your credit report for errors
• Dispute incorrect information with the major credit bureaus
• Appeal to creditors to remove negative or derogatory remarks from your report

While credit improvement services may be helpful for users with a damaged score or negative items on their reports, they’re not a magic solution. These companies cannot remove legitimate negative information from your report or fabricate a credit history for you out of thin air.

Any credit score cleanup service claiming to be able to do this is likely a scam.

How Does a Credit Improvement Service Differ From a Credit Building Service?

Credit improvement services and credit building services are both focused on helping improve your creditworthiness; however, they have different operating methods. 

A credit building app or company helps you establish or build a positive credit history by reporting your on-time payments and responsible financial behaviors. They may provide credit builder loans or secured credit cards or offer tools to monitor your credit score or track your progress.

Credit score improvement services focus on disputing errors and negative remarks on your report and, in some cases, helping to remove inaccurate ones. 

The table below summarizes the key differences:

Credit Improvement Services	Credit Building/Increasing Services
Dispute errors, remove inaccuracies, and negotiate with creditors	Establish, build, and report positive credit
Good choice for correcting existing credit history and identifying errors	Best for people with no/limited credit history and for rebuilding credit
Cannot erase legitimate negative information from your report	May involve fees or deposits and require consistent effort

Pros and Cons of Credit Repair—What To Know Before You Begin

Working with a credit repair service could have its benefits, but it also has significant downsides. The section below explores both sides of the coin to help you make an informed decision.

Pros of Using a Credit Improvement Service

These are the benefits you stand to gain when you engage with a credit repair service:

• Potential quick results—They may be able to fast-track your credit repair process since they have trained professionals who handle similar situations frequently. They are efficient in spotting errors and resolving credit issues that you may have spent time fixing yourself
• Your report is expertly analyzed—Improvement services thoroughly review your credit report to pinpoint potential causes of your low score. The service digs deep to uncover valuable insight into the cause of your credit issues 
• Your score may increase—Credit repair may help boost your score if you combine it with other positive credit building habits. Cleaning up your credit score can lead to better financial deals and opportunities, too

Cons of Using a Credit Repair Service

It’s important to carefully consider these downsides before you decide to work with a credit repair company:

• Results are not guaranteed—A credit repair does not guarantee that your credit score will increase or meet your desired range. There are no specific guaranteed outcomes to using an improvement service. You will not shoot up from bad credit to an excellent one, and, in some cases, there may be no changes at all
• Fees are often high—Credit score improvement services often charge fees, depending on the type of service you need. It begins with an initial setup fee that ranges from $19 to $200, then a monthly subscription of $50 to $150. Other fees may cover ongoing credit monitoring, identity theft monitoring, and dark web monitoring
• Some credit repair services are scams—Some fraudulent companies take advantage of people in vulnerable financial positions and deceptively promise to help them improve their credit. They may convince unsuspecting victims to engage in illegal activities or pay exorbitant upfront fees

If you’re considering using a credit repair service, remember to approach with caution and carefully review them before proceeding.

5 Companies That Help Improve Your Credit Score

The following credit score improvement companies may be able to help you repair your credit score:

1. Credit Saint
2. Lexington Law
3. CreditRepair.com
4. The Credit People
5. Credit Firm

Credit Saint

Credit Saint is a credit repair service that aims to help you improve your credit score by disputing inaccurate, outdated, or unverifiable information. It offers tiered service packages with varying levels of service and pricing, including:

• Credit Polish—The basic package challenges the three credit bureaus for a limited number of negative items on your report at $99.99 per month
• Credit Remodel—This mid-tier package is more aggressive in disputing errors and includes creditor interventions. It costs $109.99 per month 
• Clean Slate—The most aggressive of all packages costs $139.99 per month and is designed for people with more grievous credit issues

All the plans have an additional $99 initial working fee, except Clean Slate, which has a $195 fee. The plans also offer a 90-day money-back guarantee. 

Lexington Law

This is one of the largest law firms specializing in credit repair services in the U.S. The service begins by analyzing your credit report to identify inaccuracies or negative items, then starting a dispute as needed. Tools for tracking and monitoring your score for changes are also included. 

Lexington Law’s wide range of credit repair services includes: 

• Bureau Challenges and Disputes
• Credit Interventions
• Credit Score Improvement Analysis
• DebtHandler
• Inquiry Assist
• MoneySmart Alerts

The repair service offers a one-payment package billed monthly at $135.95. It sends an invoice at the end of each service period and bills every 30 days.

CreditRepair.com

CreditRepair.com has existed since 2012. It helps users dispute their credit reports and intervene with creditors. The company claims to have helped over 850,000 members with their credit, but results are not guaranteed. 

CreditRepair offers three main pricing plans, each with an additional first-work fee that costs as much as your selected plan. These plans include:

• Direct—$49.95 + $49.95 first payment 
• Standard—$69.95 + $69.95 first payment
• Advanced—$119.95 + $119.95 first payment

CreditRepair doesn’t offer a satisfaction guarantee, so you’re not entitled to a refund if you’re not pleased with its services. It’s also important to note that the company was recently named in a lawsuit by regulatory authorities like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

The Credit People

This company offers a more streamlined approach to its services and is focused on analyzing your credit, disputing errors, and offering personalized credit management to get you through the process. The Credit People disputes erroneous items on your credit report as often as needed and provides a monthly refreshed score report. The pricing is as follows:

• Standard—A basic plan with Unlimited Challenges, allowing you to pay as you go for $99 a month
• Premium—A more advanced plan that includes creditor interventions, escalated disputes, and validations for $119 per month
• Premium Flat Rate—Everything in the Premium plan but at a 6-month flat rate of $599

The company claims to be able to boost your score by up to 50–100 points and allows you to cancel your plan at any time without charge if you’re unhappy with the service.

Credit Firm

This is a long-standing credit repair company with a straightforward approach to their services. Credit Firm begins by reviewing your report and then disputing errors and challenging negative items on it. It doesn’t charge a setup fee like its competitors and offers one all-inclusive plan that caters to all your repair needs. 

For an individual account, you pay $49.99 per month, while combined accounts (couples, two individuals) pay $89.99 monthly. There are no hidden fees or additional charges, making it a budget-friendly option. 

Credit Firm focuses primarily on dispute processing, so it’s not the best choice if you’re looking for other credit repair assistance. Note that it’s also not a Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredited company. 

Signs That a Credit Score Improvement Agency Is a Scam 

Certain signs can indicate that a credit repair company may be a scam. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), these signs include:

• Asking for upfront fees before providing services
• Claiming to be able to remove all negative information from your report, even accurate and up-to-date remarks
• Encouraging you to dispute accurate information on your report
• Discouraging you from contacting the credit bureau yourself
• Failing to provide a written contract with details of their services and costs
• Failing to inform you of your rights, such as your right to cancel your contract with the company after three days at no charge
• Telling you to waive your Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA) rights
• Offering you a new credit profile or identity

When it comes to repairing your credit, there’s no quick fix. It takes patience and consistent positive credit habits. Be wary of any company promising complete improvement guarantees or using high-pressure sales tactics to get you to sign up.

Tips for Improving Your Credit Responsibly

After a credit score cleanup, you still need to practice responsible borrowing habits to maintain your score or cause it to increase. You’ll find the following tips useful:

1. Keep an eye on your payment history—Your payment history accounts for 35% of your FICO^® Score, so skipping a payment impacts your score significantly. Always make on-time payments, never skip a bill even if it’s in dispute, and set up electronic alerts to remind you of due payments 
2. Use your credit wisely—Make an effort to stay within your credit limit and, if possible, use less than 30% of your available limit. A low credit utilization rate can boost your score
3. Improve your credit history—The older your credit account is, the better it is for your score. Keep your old accounts open, even if they’re no longer in use
4. Avoid triggering hard inquiries—A hard inquiry on your credit report can ding your credit score mildly, but multiple hard inquiries at a time can significantly lower your score. If you’re rate-shopping, try to keep your applications within 30 days so that bureaus will treat your inquiries as a single inquiry, mitigating its effects on your score

Should You Use a Credit Repair Service?

While credit repair services may seem like a quick fix for improving your credit, they may not always be the best solution for several reasons:

• They often make false promises of rapid credit improvement and even demand significant upfront payments for services you can likely perform yourself. You could spend a lot of money with very minimal results
• These agencies are considered unethical and illegal to operate in some states, such as Georgia. The lack of consistent regulation across all states is a red flag
• There are multiple free resources provided by The Federal Trade Commission to enable you to dispute inaccurate information on your report for free, without the aid of repair services. These services also claim to be able to remove accurate but negative information from your report when it’s impossible to do so

Instead of focusing on removing negative information from your report, a more effective long-term strategy is to build a positive credit history. 

Platforms like CreditStrong offer a more reliable approach that focuses on using your positive payment history and diversifying your credit mix to raise your score. CreditStrong is a sustainable solution that empowers you to build your credit profile consistently at a low cost.

CreditStrong—The Safest Way To Improve Your Credit 

CreditStrong by Austin Capital Bank is an effective solution for making positive changes in your credit score with the possibility of growing your savings simultaneously. It’s an FDIC-insured independent community bank that ensures absolute transparency by reporting your positive credit habits to the three major credit bureaus. 

Unlike credit repair services, CreditStrong doesn’t make unrealistic promises about removing negative credit history from your report. Instead, it empowers you to develop responsible financial and borrowing habits, enabling you to grow your credit with consistent on-time payments. It also doesn’t charge high up-front fees or require a minimum credit score to get started.

It’s suitable for everyone, whether you’re building your credit from the beginning or rebuilding after a financial hit.

How CreditStrong Accounts Build Credit

CreditStrong offers three main account types—Instal/CS Max, Revolv, and MAGNUM—designed to help you build credit hitch-free. The table below summarizes how they work:

Account Type	How It Works
Instal/CS Max	You make fixed payments on a secured installment loan The loan funds are locked in a savings account and released after payment is complete You grow your savings and build up to a 45-point credit increase by making on-time payments
Revolv	It offers a secured revolving line of credit that you don’t spend CreditStrong reports 0% utilization on the credit line, which helps boost your score by up to 62 points It’s most suitable for people with significant credit card debt
MAGNUM	It functions like Instal/CS Max but with a larger installment loan  It prioritizes rapid credit growth and helps you build a large amount of credit to qualify for a higher credit limit With this account, you can raise your score by up to 86 points if you make 12 on-time payments

Regardless of the type of account you choose, your payment history significantly affects your score increase, so making on-time payments is crucial to achieving your desired results.

Steps To Open Your CreditStrong Account

If you’re ready to begin, follow these steps to open a CreditStrong account:

1. Discover CreditStrong account options and get started here
2. Choose from the following products depending on your goals:
   • MAGNUM (from $30/month)
   • Revolv ($99/year)
   • Instal (from $28/month)
3. Submit the necessary information in the online application form
4. Monitor your progress via the dashboard

CreditStrong helps improve your credit and can positively impact the factors that determine 90% of your FICO score.

Start Building credit today