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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
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The verdict on

Credit Sesame

45
User verdict / 100 High confidence Divided

Credit Sesame is generally praised for its free credit monitoring and educational tools, but recent user reviews highlight significant issues with app functionality, inaccurate credit scores, and deceptive practices around paid subscriptions and 'free trials'.

4.8★ lifetime (436,446) Free to download since 2011 by Credit Sesame, Inc. updated 0.8 mo ago recent negative 31% 120 reviews across 1 regions
App Functionality Subscription & Free Trial Issues Credit Score Accuracy Customer Support Credit Building & Monitoring
5★148
4★12
3★13
2★9
1★68
recent reviews across 1 regions, vs the 4.8★ lifetime average

Credit Sesame offers free credit monitoring and tools to help users track and improve their credit scores, with many appreciating its ease of use and regular updates R45R59R63. However, recent reviews frequently report critical app malfunctions, discrepancies in credit score reporting, and frustration with subscription models that are perceived as misleading or predatory R3R7R16. The app's lifetime rating is high, but the recent negative trend suggests a decline in user satisfaction.

What users like

  • Provides free credit score monitoring and updatesR45R57R59R64
  • Offers helpful information and tips for credit improvementR49R50R59R63
  • Easy to use interface for tracking creditR30R63R64
  • Alerts users to changes in their credit score and potential identity theftR45R64R84R87

What users complain about

  • Frequent app crashes and login issues make the app unusableR3R6R11R15
  • Credit scores and report information are often inaccurate or outdated compared to other sourcesR1R7R41R43
  • Paid features and 'free trials' are misleading, requiring payment for advertised benefits or charging unexpectedlyR16R22R25R35
  • Poor customer service, including unresponsiveness and difficulty canceling subscriptions or getting refundsR1R5R9R10
  • Difficulty deleting accounts or removing personal informationR128R243
  • Credit card offers and approval odds are often inaccurate, leading to hard inquiries and denialsR55R75

Latest update · v7.28.1

What the developer says changed (the verdict above weighs this against what reviewers report):

Minor enhancements and bug fixes

Recurring themes

App Functionality negative
Many users report that the app frequently crashes, fails to load, or prevents them from logging in, even with correct credentials or after updates. Some also mention issues with updating the app or being unable to find the update. The developer's notes mention 'bug fixes', but recent reviews contradict this, indicating ongoing issues.R3R6R11R15
Credit Score Accuracy negative
A significant number of users state that the credit scores provided by Credit Sesame are inaccurate, often much lower than scores from banks or other credit monitoring services like Experian or Credit Karma. Users also report outdated information on balances and accounts.R1R7R41R43
Subscription & Free Trial Issues negative
Many users feel misled by 'free trials' that don't offer full access or require immediate payment for features. There are numerous complaints about being charged unexpectedly, after cancellation, or for services not received due to app malfunctions.R5R9R16R22
Customer Support negative
Users report extreme difficulty contacting customer service, getting responses, or resolving issues like incorrect charges, password resets, or account cancellations.R1R10R33R85
Credit Building & Monitoring mixed
While some users find the app helpful for tracking credit and getting tips to improve their score, others criticize it for promoting increased credit usage or offering inaccurate credit card approval odds. The ability to dispute items is also paywalled.R17R23R26R49

Who it's for

Credit Sesame is for individuals who want a free, easy-to-use tool for basic credit score monitoring and general credit improvement tips R57R59R63. It might appeal to those who appreciate daily updates and alerts for credit changes R45R84. However, it is not for users who need highly accurate, up-to-date credit scores from all three bureaus, reliable app functionality, or responsive customer support R7R16R33. It's also not recommended for those who are sensitive to unexpected charges or misleading subscription practices R29R36.

Evidence note: The recent reviews skew heavily negative, particularly regarding app functionality and subscription practices, which contrasts sharply with the high lifetime rating. This suggests a recent decline in quality or user experience. Evidence for positive points is present but less detailed and less frequent in the recent sample.

Frequently asked

Is Credit Sesame's credit score accurate?
Based on recent reviews, Credit Sesame's credit score is often reported as inaccurate and significantly lower (e.g., 92 pounds lower, 90 points higher for FICO) than scores from banks or other credit monitoring services like Experian and Credit Karma R7R78R119R148.
Does Credit Sesame offer a truly free trial?
Many users report that Credit Sesame's 'free trial' is misleading, as it often doesn't provide access to all advertised features, requires immediate payment to unlock them, or charges users unexpectedly R16R22R35R36.
Can I file a credit dispute for free with Credit Sesame?
No, according to reviews, Credit Sesame requires users to upgrade to a paid subscription to file a dispute, unlike some other credit monitoring services R23R26.
Is it difficult to cancel Credit Sesame or get a refund?
Many users report significant difficulty canceling subscriptions, getting refunds after cancellation, or even contacting customer service to resolve billing issues R5R9R29R33. Some also struggle to delete their accounts R128R243.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R45] 5/5 · US Love Credit Sesame!: I literally check my credit daily and it’s also nice to get the updates!! Thank you for your service.
  2. [R57] 5/5 · US App review: Like like this app because it's free
  3. [R59] 5/5 · US All around an amazing app: I never write reviews, so this just goes to show how amazing this app is. I can always check on my credit score and it gives you many tips to maintain and improve your credit score. And it’s all free! It also suggests credit cards that you have a good chance of getting approved for. There’s many other functions as well, but these are the ones I utilize the most.
  4. [R64] 3/5 · US Great App: Love this app easy way to stay on track with credit score credit inquiries etc notify you of any use of credit usage as well . EJG
  5. [R49] 5/5 · US Wow!: Credit Sesame is a helpful tool to keep up with your credit score and work on improving it if needed and how to do it. It’s helped me a lot!
  6. [R50] 5/5 · US Credit Sesame the best app: If you want to fix your credit Credit sesame is the best place to do That
  7. [R63] 5/5 · US Credit Sesame:Grow Your Score: Easy To Use,Lots Of Valuable Information.
  8. [R30] 5/5 · US Get it!: This app is so easy to use and so convenient! I got my results in less than 30 seconds. Also gives you options to better your score!!
  9. [R84] 5/5 · US Love it!: I love the alerts when my score changes!
  10. [R87] 5/5 · US Absolutely Amazing!!!: Caught my identity being used…Next step is fixing the problem!
  11. [R3] 2/5 · US Unable to sign in: App doesn’t allow me to sign in the majority of the time I try to access it
  12. [R6] 2/5 · US Was great until update: Then stopped working! Gah!!!
  13. [R11] 1/5 · US Useless now: Used to be okay app, now it’s unusable. Pin keypad doesnt work, and neither does login with user and pass.
  14. [R15] 1/5 · US Doesn’t work: I used to love this app but now I can’t even get into it. I log in (using username and password because for some reason the pin I setup no longer works) then it wants to send a code but never sends it. This app is now deemed useless.
  15. [R1] 2/5 · US Credit score change: I have tried several times to correct this credit score discrepancy. No one follows up or calls back or texts. This score went from 812 to 680 and is not changing. Can’t someone find the time to contact me???
  16. [R7] 2/5 · US Not accurate!: While this app does offer a great rundown of everything on your credit report and their balances, it does NOT provide an accurate score. In fact - my score on Credit Sesame was 92 pounds LOWER than what my bank pulled and the Experian app showed! It’s not a great tool for tracking scores so don’t depend on this app to get your most accurate credit rating.
  17. [R41] 1/5 · US Not worth the money.: This app doesn't keep track of accurate information from the credit bureaus. For the past few months my score has been 30 to 50 points off from all bureaus. The balance of my credit cards shows inaccurate balances. I assume it's to offer the subprime lending a for profit.
  18. [R43] 1/5 · US Why I canceled: You showed that I still owed all my credit cards when I had paid all of them off so your information obviously was not up-to-date so I don’t see how that was gonna help me $20 a month is expensive for information that is not up-to-date. That is why I canceled.
  19. [R16] 1/5 · US Liars. Don’t do free trial people!: Complete advertising fraud. Went to site and it said get all 3 credit scores now, start free trial so I did. Then it said other 2 credit bureaus are not included in free trial. Couldn’t even open full report of the one they do provide. All they want is money money and more money on everything you try to view. I’m sure they make money on the people that forget to
  20. [R22] 1/5 · US Tried to charge for free trial: They tried to charge me $15 for a three day free trial
  21. [R25] 1/5 · US App crashed after purchase??? Really?: Made a purchase then app crashes and won’t let me log in. Charged me 20 bucks for that? Had to go through the web and immediately cancelled my subscription as it’s too expensive anyway. Now I’m skeptical if my subscription really has been cancelled. Theft by algorithms? They make a killing while I go broke and that’s not good for my credit or mental health.
  22. [R35] 3/5 · US Free Trial isn’t a free trial at all: I like the free limited app, and would have considered purchasing the full service app after checking out the 7 day free trial, except you’re unable to actually try any of the features bc soon as you attempt to use them, you get a prompt to end your free trial and pay for the full app before you can use any of the features. Isn’t that the entire point of a fre
  23. [R5] 1/5 · US Why you stole my money: I will appreciate if you put my money back I canceled the app
  24. [R9] 1/5 · US Stop changing me: You keep charging me and I’m not liking it!
  25. [R10] 1/5 · US Impossible to contact: Be aware- if you need to contact them to reset your password, you won't be able to. Save yourself the time & trouble, it's a dead-end road.
  26. [R128] 1/5 · US UNABLE TO DEACTIVATE: App is not allowing to terminate the account. I found nothing special or nothing new in this app, comparing to other apps. So I want to terminate. But they never let me do that. When I click on Terminate, the window never loads. All other windows load in one click. Looks like they want to keep stealing my info every day. Feeling unsafe. If you have any doubt in what I said, t
  27. [R243] 3/5 · US Not letting me delete it: I only downloaded this for a offer of something and apparently I can’t remove my information from this app and I want to
  28. [R55] 1/5 · US Don’t be fooled by credit card offers: Pay no attention to the approval odds they give you for credit cards. They’re totally bogus and inaccurate. They’re definitely getting kickbacks from the credit card companies if you apply and get approved.
  29. [R75] 1/5 · US Lies about credit card approvals: Applied for two of the top “approval odds” both being considered “very good” one step below from “excellent” approval odds. Just to be instantly denied on both. Now I have two hard pulls on my credit report with absolutely nothing to show for it. Wouldn’t recommend this app to my worst enemy.
  30. [R33] 1/5 · US Lies about giving refunds: Initially I got the premium membership on October 3rd and paid the $20.99 , Then came here to read reviews and decided against it.. I then messaged them and asked for a refund, they then told me they refunded it and downgraded me to a free account. I waited a few days , gave them a few extra. Then it came to October 12 I realized the money hadn’t come back. I messaged
  31. [R85] 1/5 · US Do not use: I got this app to help build my credit got credit sesame cash didn’t use it for 6 months hit me with some inactivity charges whatever il eat that but when I went to call an close my account I got hung up on an every time I called back I got hung up on I tried to use the call back an would ring once an hang up. The guy I talked to was completely rude and hateful to me 100% do not recomm
  32. [R17] 1/5 · US Bad advice: I’m tired of you promoting me to increase my credit usage while I am under bankruptcy. If being good at credit is your application then you should understand that’s impossible.
  33. [R23] 1/5 · US Extortion to dispute: You need to pay a membership fee to report a dispute. They are trying to extort people into paying for a membership. They will leave charges on your report that say $0 and it’s an eye sore they’re extorting people into paying to get rid of. Contact the credit company directly instead, if that fails, then use a trial to dispute the charge(s) and cancel the subscription before
  34. [R26] 3/5 · US Luv6500: I have had this app for a long time , I did not know you can’t file a dispute unless I upgrade to pay for this option on the app , I have Experian and kredit Carma they let me file a dispute an was not charge do not have to pay for this option , which I believe is very unfair! It makes me want to uninstall this app !
  35. [R78] 2/5 · US My credit score is in the 600s and you have my score in the 500s. I believe this is wrong.: I can’t give a good review because I don’t know why you are giving me over 100 points LESS on my credit score. My credit score is in the 670s.
  36. [R119] 1/5 · US Not accurate: 2 cards from the same company, they only report 1 my Rico score is 90 points higher than this…
  37. [R148] 2/5 · US Credit score: Almost everywhere else I have an 807 and you can continually have the same 774 778 scores.
  38. [R36] 1/5 · US Free trial scam: The free subscription is misleading. It doesn’t actually provide access to all three credit reports, just one. If you want to see the other two, you’re forced to skip the so-called 7-day free trial and pay immediately. The free version changes nothing and offers no real benefits. Feels like smoke and mirrors, borderline scam.”
  39. [R29] 1/5 · US Credit sesame+: You guys keep charging people even when you already cancelled the subscription that’s the only bad thing anything else it’s straight but there’s way better apps for credit that don’t steal your money

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store