Personal Finance · head to head
Mint vs Credit Karma
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Mint service transitioned to Credit Karma platform; standalone Mint features migrated elsewhere; Credit Karma state tax filing costs 15 USD even though federal filing is 0 USD
- They diverge on capability: Mint covers Expense tracking, Credit Karma covers Free credit score.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Mint and Credit Karma actually diverge.
| Attribute | Mint | Credit Karma |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | free | freemium |
| Founded | 2006 | 2007 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), 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 Mint
- Expense tracking
- Budgets
- Bill tracking
- Credit score monitoring
- Financial insights
- Bank connections
- Bank-level encryption
- Verisign secured
Only in Credit Karma
- Free credit score
- Credit report monitoring
- Credit card recommendations
- Tax filing
- Credit bureaus
- Financial institutions
- IOS support
Both cover
- Web support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Mint
- Legacy free budget tracking for users with supported bank connectionsnot Credit Karma
- Users transitioning to Credit Karma for continued money management featuresnot Credit Karma
Credit Karma
- Monitoring a credit score and the factors affecting it for freenot Mint
- Comparing credit card and loan offers with Approval Oddsnot Mint
- Filing federal tax returns at no chargenot Mint
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Mint
- Service transitioned to Credit Karma platform; standalone Mint features migrated elsewhere
- Bank connections supported for only 17,000 financial institutions; many regional or international banks not supported
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Mint
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Mint review.
Credit Karma
Free- FreeFree
- Credit score monitoring
- Credit reports
- Personalized recommendations
Which should you pick?
Choose Mint if
- You need expense tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want budgets.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is Mint or Credit Karma better?
- Neither clearly leads. Mint starts at Free and Credit Karma at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Mint or Credit Karma?
- Mint starts at Free and Credit Karma at Free.
- Does Mint or Credit Karma run on more platforms?
- Mint runs on Web, iOS, Android. Credit Karma runs on Web, IOS, Android.
- Can I use Mint for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Mint best used for?
- Mint is most often used for legacy free budget tracking for users with supported bank connections, users transitioning to credit karma for continued money management features. Of those, legacy free budget tracking for users with supported bank connections and users transitioning to credit karma for continued money management features are not what Credit Karma is typically brought in for.
- What can Mint do that Credit Karma cannot?
- Mint covers Expense tracking, Budgets, Bill tracking, Credit score monitoring. Credit Karma covers Free credit score, Credit report monitoring, Credit card recommendations, Tax filing. Both handle Web support, Android support.