ClearScore vs Credit Karma vs Experian: Free Scores Compared
ClearScore vs Credit Karma vs Experian: which agency each app shows, how often it updates, what it costs and why you can use all three free.
Comparing ClearScore vs Credit Karma vs Experian trips people up for one reason: they look like rivals, but each shows you a completely different score from a completely different company. The UK has three credit reference agencies, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, and each keeps its own file on you and scores it on its own scale. ClearScore shows the Equifax version, Credit Karma shows the TransUnion version, and the Experian app shows the Experian version. So the honest answer to “which is best” is often “use more than one”, because no single app shows you the full picture that lenders see.
The quick answer
If you only want one free app, pick the agency that matters most to the lender you are applying to, and Experian is the one UK lenders quote most often. If you want the fullest free view, use all three: ClearScore for your Equifax score, Credit Karma for your TransUnion score, and the free Experian app for your Experian score. That covers all three agencies for nothing. The only thing you pay for is Experian’s full CreditExpert service, which unlocks daily updates and the complete report.
Your score is not one number. It is three numbers on three different scales, and they will rarely match.
What each app actually shows you
ClearScore uses Equifax data. Your score runs from 0 to 1000, and Equifax calls 531 to 670 “good”, 671 to 810 “very good” and 811 to 1000 “excellent”. It is free forever with no trial and no card details, and the score refreshes monthly. ClearScore also bundles open-banking budgeting tools and dark-web monitoring into the same app.
Credit Karma uses TransUnion data (it was called Noddle in the UK before Intuit rebranded it). Your score runs from 0 to 710, where 604 to 627 is “good” and 628 to 710 is “excellent”. Its stand-out feature is refresh speed: the score updates weekly, more often than either rival’s free tier, and it is free for life with no card required.
Experian shows your Experian score, which runs from 0 to 999, with 881 to 960 rated “good” and 961 to 999 “excellent”. The basic Experian app gives you this score free, updated roughly every 30 days. To see the full report with daily updates you need CreditExpert, which is a paid monthly subscription (it starts with a free trial, so cancel before it renews if you only want a one-off look).
Which agency should you trust?
None of them is “the real one”. Lenders choose which agency, or agencies, to check when you apply, and they do not tell you in advance. Experian is the largest and the one quoted most frequently in UK lending, so if you are about to apply for a mortgage or a big loan and can only watch one, watch Experian. But a clean Experian file means little if there is an error sitting on your Equifax or TransUnion file that a lender happens to pull instead. That is exactly why checking only one app can give you false confidence.
How often each updates
Refresh frequency matters when you are actively repairing your credit and want to see progress. Credit Karma leads on the free tier with weekly updates. ClearScore and the free Experian app both refresh roughly monthly. Only Experian’s paid CreditExpert gives you daily movement. If you are counting down to an application and want the fastest free signal that something has changed, Credit Karma is the one to watch.
Do these apps hurt your credit score?
No. Checking your own score through any of these apps is a soft search. It is visible only to you, it is not visible to lenders, and it never affects your score, no matter how often you look. This is different from a hard search, which is what a lender runs when you formally apply and which does leave a footprint. Our guide to whether credit apps affect your rating covers the difference in full.
The smart free stack
Because each app is tied to one agency, the genuinely useful move is to run all three free tiers together rather than agonise over which single one to install. ClearScore covers Equifax, Credit Karma covers TransUnion, and the free Experian app covers Experian. Between them you see every file a lender could pull, you catch errors on any of the three, and it costs nothing. Keep the paid Experian CreditExpert subscription in reserve for the weeks around a major application, when daily updates and the full report are worth the fee, then cancel.
If your goal is to actively lift your score rather than just watch it, pair this with our guide to improving your credit score with an app and our roundup of the best credit builder apps.
Which should you choose?
Choose Experian if you want the score most lenders lean on and you are happy with a monthly free update. Choose ClearScore if you want your Equifax score plus budgeting and monitoring extras in one free app. Choose Credit Karma if you are repairing your file and want the fastest free refresh, weekly, on your TransUnion score. And if you are serious about your credit, choose all three, because they are free, they do not overlap, and together they show you what no single app can.
You can confirm how the three agencies differ straight from the source at ClearScore’s explainer on credit reference agencies or MoneySuperMarket’s good-score guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is ClearScore, Credit Karma or Experian the most accurate? None is more “accurate” than the others, because they measure different things. ClearScore shows your Equifax score, Credit Karma shows TransUnion, and Experian shows Experian. Each agency holds its own file and scores it on its own scale, so all three can be right at the same time while showing different numbers.
Why is my ClearScore different from my Experian score? Because they come from different companies on different scales. ClearScore uses Equifax (0 to 1000) and Experian uses its own scale (0 to 999). A gap between them is normal and does not mean either is wrong. To compare them fairly, look at the band each app puts you in, such as “good” or “excellent”, rather than the raw number.
Are ClearScore, Credit Karma and Experian free? ClearScore and Credit Karma are free for life with no card details required. Experian’s basic app and score are free too, updated about every 30 days. Only Experian’s CreditExpert, which adds daily updates and the full report, is a paid subscription.
Which app updates most often? On the free tiers, Credit Karma updates weekly, while ClearScore and the free Experian app refresh roughly monthly. Daily updates are available only through Experian’s paid CreditExpert plan.
Does checking these apps lower my credit score? No. Viewing your own score is a soft search that only you can see. It has no effect on your score and lenders cannot see that you checked, however often you log in.
Can I use all three at once? Yes, and it is the best approach. Because each app is tied to a different agency, running ClearScore, Credit Karma and the free Experian app together lets you see all three of your files for free and spot any errors a lender might otherwise find.
