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Software · head to head

Credit Karma vs Personal Capital

Credit Karma logo

Credit Karma

Software

Free credit scores, reports, and more

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Personal Capital logo

Personal Capital

Software

Invest wisely, retire confidently

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Credit Karma state tax filing costs 15 USD even though federal filing is 0 USD; Personal Capital wealth management requires a 100,000 USD minimum for Investment Services, 250,000 USD for Wealth Management and 1,000,000 USD for Private Client
  • They diverge on capability: Credit Karma covers Free credit score, Personal Capital covers Investment tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Credit Karma and Personal Capital actually diverge.

Attributes where Credit Karma and Personal Capital differ
AttributeCredit KarmaPersonal Capital
Founded20072010

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, IOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Credit Karma

  • Free credit score
  • Credit report monitoring
  • Credit card recommendations
  • Tax filing
  • Credit bureaus
  • Financial institutions

Only in Personal Capital

  • Investment tracking
  • Retirement calculator
  • Fee analyzer
  • Net worth tracking
  • Bank accounts
  • Investment accounts
  • Real estate

Both cover

  • Web support
  • IOS support
  • Android support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Credit Karma

  • Monitoring a credit score and the factors affecting it for freenot Personal Capital
  • Comparing credit card and loan offers with Approval Oddsnot Personal Capital
  • Filing federal tax returns at no chargenot Personal Capital

Personal Capital

  • Tracking net worth and investment accounts in one dashboardnot Credit Karma
  • Managed portfolio construction with tax loss harvesting for high balance investorsnot Credit Karma
  • Retirement planning projections across linked accountsnot Credit Karma

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Credit Karma

  • State tax filing costs 15 USD even though federal filing is 0 USD
  • Credit Spark builds score history against TransUnion, and the site states that not all lenders use TransUnion credit reports or scores
  • Card and loan listings are advertising placements, disclosed on the site as compensation from third party advertisers
  • Send and score update frequency limits are not published on the site

Personal Capital

  • Wealth management requires a 100,000 USD minimum for Investment Services, 250,000 USD for Wealth Management and 1,000,000 USD for Private Client
  • The annual advisory fee is charged as a percentage of assets under management on a tiered structure rather than a flat subscription
  • Assets are custodied at Pershing Advisor Solutions rather than by the provider itself

Pricing, plan by plan

Credit Karma

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Credit score monitoring
    • Credit reports
    • Personalized recommendations

Personal Capital

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Account tracking
    • Net worth monitoring
    • Investment analysis
  • Premium$undefined/month
    • Financial advisor access
    • Personalized advice

Which should you pick?

Choose Credit Karma if

  • You need free credit score.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want credit report monitoring.
Credit Karma review

Choose Personal Capital if

  • You need investment tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want retirement calculator.
Personal Capital review

Questions people ask

Is Credit Karma or Personal Capital better?
Neither clearly leads. Credit Karma starts at Free and Personal Capital at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Credit Karma or Personal Capital?
Credit Karma starts at Free and Personal Capital at Free.
Does Credit Karma or Personal Capital run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, IOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Credit Karma for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Credit Karma best used for?
Credit Karma is most often used for monitoring a credit score and the factors affecting it for free, comparing credit card and loan offers with approval odds, filing federal tax returns at no charge. Of those, monitoring a credit score and the factors affecting it for free and comparing credit card and loan offers with approval odds are not what Personal Capital is typically brought in for.
What can Credit Karma do that Personal Capital cannot?
Credit Karma covers Free credit score, Credit report monitoring, Credit card recommendations, Tax filing. Personal Capital covers Investment tracking, Retirement calculator, Fee analyzer, Net worth tracking. Both handle Web support, IOS support, Android support.
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