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Personal Finance · head to head

Credit Karma vs Quicken

Credit Karma logo

Credit Karma

Personal Finance

Free credit scores, reports, and more

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Quicken logo

Quicken

Personal Finance

Take control of your finances

From
$3.99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Credit Karma has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Credit Karma state tax filing costs 15 USD even though federal filing is 0 USD; Quicken quicken Simplifi (cloud version) costs $3.99 annually if billed yearly, but renews at full price $6.99/month unless cancelled before renewal
  • They diverge on capability: Credit Karma covers Free credit score, Quicken covers Budget creation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Credit Karma and Quicken actually diverge.

Attributes where Credit Karma and Quicken differ
AttributeCredit KarmaQuicken
Starting priceFree$3.99/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS
Founded20071983

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Personal Finance).

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
  • Web support
  • Android support

Only in Quicken

  • Budget creation
  • Bill management
  • Investment tracking
  • Tax planning
  • Bank accounts
  • Investment accounts
  • Credit cards
  • Windows support

Both cover

  • IOS 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 Quicken
  • Comparing credit card and loan offers with Approval Oddsnot Quicken
  • Filing federal tax returns at no chargenot Quicken

Quicken

  • Individuals managing personal finances via Quicken Simplifi cloud app for budgeting and savings trackingnot Credit Karma
  • Freelancers and self-employed managing business and personal finances via Quicken Business & Personal plannot Credit Karma
  • Users preferring local data storage via Classic desktop editionsnot 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

Quicken

  • Quicken Simplifi (cloud version) costs $3.99 annually if billed yearly, but renews at full price $6.99/month unless cancelled before renewal
  • Renewal pricing significantly higher than introductory rate; annual cost jumps from $47.88 (promotional) to $83.88 (regular renewal)

Pricing, plan by plan

Credit Karma

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

Quicken

$3.99/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Quicken review.

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 Quicken if

  • You need budget creation.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want bill management.
Quicken review

Questions people ask

Is Credit Karma or Quicken better?
Neither clearly leads. Credit Karma starts at Free and Quicken at $3.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Credit Karma or Quicken?
Credit Karma has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Credit Karma and $3.99/month for Quicken.
Does Credit Karma or Quicken run on more platforms?
Credit Karma runs on Web, IOS, Android. Quicken runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS.
Can I use Credit Karma for free?
Yes. Credit Karma has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Quicken starts at $3.99/month.
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 Quicken is typically brought in for.
What can Credit Karma do that Quicken cannot?
Credit Karma covers Free credit score, Credit report monitoring, Credit card recommendations, Tax filing. Quicken covers Budget creation, Bill management, Investment tracking, Tax planning. Both handle IOS support.
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