Softwr

Personal Finance · head to head

Credit Karma vs Square Cash

Credit Karma logo

Credit Karma

Personal Finance

Free credit scores, reports, and more

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
S

Square Cash

Personal Finance

Send money easily with Square Cash

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; Square Cash cash App Green status (higher savings rate, free in-network ATM withdrawals, overdraft coverage) requires spending $500 or depositing $300 in Qualifying purchases/deposits per month, per the App Store listing
  • They diverge on capability: Credit Karma covers Free credit score, Square Cash covers Money transfers.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Credit Karma and Square Cash actually diverge.

Attributes where Credit Karma and Square Cash differ
AttributeCredit KarmaSquare Cash
Pricing modelfreemiumfree
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidIOS, Android
Founded20072014

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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

Only in Square Cash

  • Money transfers
  • Instant deposits
  • Transaction history
  • Customer support
  • Bank accounts

Both cover

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

Square Cash

  • Budget Managementnot Credit Karma
  • Expense Trackingnot Credit Karma
  • Investment Trackingnot 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

Square Cash

  • Cash App Green status (higher savings rate, free in-network ATM withdrawals, overdraft coverage) requires spending $500 or depositing $300 in Qualifying purchases/deposits per month, per the App Store listing

Pricing, plan by plan

Credit Karma

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

Square Cash

Free
  • FreeFree
    • P2P transfers
    • Instant deposits
    • Mobile app

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 Square Cash if

  • You need money transfers.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on IOS, Android.
  • You also want instant deposits.
Square Cash review

Questions people ask

Is Credit Karma or Square Cash better?
Neither clearly leads. Credit Karma starts at Free and Square Cash at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Credit Karma or Square Cash?
Credit Karma starts at Free and Square Cash at Free.
Does Credit Karma or Square Cash run on more platforms?
Credit Karma runs on Web, IOS, Android. Square Cash runs on IOS, Android.
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 Square Cash is typically brought in for.
What can Credit Karma do that Square Cash cannot?
Credit Karma covers Free credit score, Credit report monitoring, Credit card recommendations, Tax filing. Square Cash covers Money transfers, Instant deposits, Transaction history, Customer support. Both handle IOS support, Android support.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Credit Karma

More on Square Cash

Keep looking

Other head to heads