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Personal Finance · head to head

Credit Karma vs Rocket Money

Credit Karma logo

Credit Karma

Personal Finance

Free credit scores, reports, and more

From
Free
Rated
-
Rocket Money logo

Rocket Money

Personal Finance

Cancel subscriptions and save money automatically

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Credit Karma state tax filing costs 15 USD even though federal filing is 0 USD; Rocket Money successful bill negotiation costs a one time fee of 35% to 60% of the first year's savings
  • They diverge on capability: Credit Karma covers Free credit score, Rocket Money covers Subscription tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Credit Karma and Rocket Money actually diverge.

Attributes where Credit Karma and Rocket Money differ
AttributeCredit KarmaRocket Money
Founded20072016

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, IOS, Android), 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

Only in Rocket Money

  • Subscription tracking
  • Bill negotiation
  • Automatic savings
  • Spending insights
  • Credit score monitoring
  • Bank accounts
  • Credit cards
  • Utility providers

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

Rocket Money

  • Finding and cancelling unwanted subscriptionsnot Credit Karma
  • Tracking bills and spending in one appnot Credit Karma
  • Having a third party negotiate down recurring billsnot 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

Rocket Money

  • Successful bill negotiation costs a one time fee of 35% to 60% of the first year's savings
  • Premium is priced on a sliding scale and the help centre publishes no fixed monthly or annual amount, stating rates vary across platforms
  • Custom budget categories, financial goal plans, credit score tracking and real time account syncing are Premium only
  • The Premium free trial is 7 days

Pricing, plan by plan

Credit Karma

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

Rocket Money

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Subscription tracking
    • Spending insights
    • Bill reminders
  • Premium$12/month
    • Bill negotiation
    • Subscription cancellation
    • Smart savings

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.

Choose Rocket Money if

  • You need subscription tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want bill negotiation.

Questions people ask

Is Credit Karma or Rocket Money better?
Neither clearly leads. Credit Karma starts at Free and Rocket Money at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Credit Karma or Rocket Money?
Credit Karma starts at Free and Rocket Money at Free.
Does Credit Karma or Rocket Money 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 Rocket Money is typically brought in for.
What can Credit Karma do that Rocket Money cannot?
Credit Karma covers Free credit score, Credit report monitoring, Credit card recommendations, Tax filing. Rocket Money covers Subscription tracking, Bill negotiation, Automatic savings, Spending insights. Both handle Web support, IOS support, Android support.

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