7 Best Credit Repair Companies in 2022

Damaged credit can be repaired manually, but it’s time-consuming and not exactly easy. This is where the best credit repair companies prove useful. If you’re looking to remove negative items on your credit report or get a better interest rate on a home loan, for example, this article provides the credit repair services you need. We’ve fully vetted each one, and we lay out how they work and why they might be suitable.You’ll also find answers to your most popular questions related to credit repair companies, so you can start repairing your credit today.

7 Best Credit Repair Companies

First Look:

1. Best credit repair company overall - CreditSaint
2. Free credit repair services - Experian
3. Best pricing plans - Lexington Law
4. Affordable credit repair - The Credit People
5. For families - Pyramid Credit Repair
6. Best for identity theft - Ovation
7. Innovative technology - CreditRepair.com

1. CreditSaint - Best Credit Repair Company Overall

Pros

• 90-day, money-back guarantee
• 3 different credit repair plans on offer
• Fairly priced

Cons

• Lack of educational info on the website

Site Reputation

CreditSaint is a legit, trusted credit repair agency based in New Jersey that has been in operation since 2004. It’s been featured in the likes of Investopedia and The Observer, has a number of positive reviews on consumer review sites like TrustPilot, and terms and conditions and company policies are clearly listed on their website. We therefore have no problems where trust, transparency and reputation are concerned.

Things To Be Aware Of

We wouldn’t go as far to say there are hidden fees involved, but there are high first work week fees that might put some customers off. Setup, for example, can cost as much as $195 if you go for the biggest service plan (Clean Slate). This is a one-off fee that includes a full report on your credit score. Also, Credit Saint doesn’t service every single US state. For example, its services aren’t available in South Carolina.

Prices

You can apply for customized packages at Credit Saint but there are three main packages to choose from:

• Credit Polish - $79.99 per month
• Credit Remodel - $99.99 per month
• Clean Slate - $119.99 per month

How They Work

Credit Saint, which claims to be a credit restoration specialist, offers customers three different types of month-to-month repair plans. Their services include cease and desist letters, and in-house credit monitoring and disputes. Once a cycle is over, your three credit reports are mailed to your home. Ultimately, Credit Saint challenges information on your credit report to boost your credit score. If there is something that’s misleading or inaccurate on your report, they’ll work to remove it.

2. Experian - Free Credit Repair Services

Pros

• Free to use
• Builds better credit via alternative data including alternative financial services and rental payments
• Score improves instantly

Cons

• Average score increase is 12 points only

Site Reputation

Experian is a legit credit reporting company that was established way back in 1996. Its services have been used by thousands of satisfied customers each year, and consumer review sites like Consumer Affairs and TrustPilot are awash with glowing reviews.

Things To Be Aware Of

Because Experian scans transactions for on-time bills such as subscriptions and utility bills, there’s no guarantee that lenders you’ll later deal with will be using a version of FICO that takes utility payments into account. As such, while Experian can repair your credit, it won’t necessarily ensure approval from a specific lender at a later date if the lender is using a version of FICO that doesn’t take utility payments into account.

Prices

Experian’s credit repair service is called Boost - and it’s totally free to use.

How They Work

Experian offers a free service called Experian Boost that’s designed to do one thing: boost (repair) your credit score. To sign up for free, you just need to create an Experian account and head over to the Boost page. Understanding that on-time payment is the crucial make-or-break factor in your credit score, Experian requires you to link your bank account to your Experian credit report, as well as your positive payment histories (these need to be at least three months old minimum). The tool then highlights the bills that are pulled, and shows you when they were paid, and Experian then lets you know if they can give you a boost.

3. Lexington Law - Best Credit Repair Company For Pricing Plans

Pros

• Free initial consultation
• Expert, qualified lawyers
• Fair pricing

Cons

• Extra services cost more

Site Reputation

Lexington Law has an extensive track record of success with helping clients repair their credit. They use legit, qualified lawyers to remove biased and inaccurate information from your credit report. The credit repair arm of the company was established online in 2004, and at the time of writing they claim to have removed over 70 million items on their clients’ credit reports.

Things To Be Aware Of

While we have very few concerns about Lexington Law’s reputation, it’s worth mentioning that the firm isn’t accredited by the Better Business Bureau.

Prices

Lexington Law offers three different credit repair packages:

• Concord Standard - $89.95 per month
• Concord Premier - $109.95 per month
• Premier Plus - $129.95 per month

In terms of value for money, these pricing plans - which are average in this industry - compare favorably with rivals. Not only do they help you repair your credit, but they also arm you with the necessary financial literacy so that you don’t make the same mistakes twice going forward.

Moreover, each package nets you different types of services. Even with the Concord Standard plan, Lexington Law files creditor interventions and bureau challenges for you.

How They Work

Lexington Law aims to do one thing: help you shift negative items from your credit report. It’s a law firm that requires you to sign up online (this takes just a few minutes) before you’re offered a free credit consultation.Then, the credit repair process typically begins within the next 48 hours, with their team of lawyers pulling your credit reports from TransUnion, Experian and Equifax. During the process, Lexington Law analyzes your credit reports and looks for information that might be negatively harming your score. If they find items that aren’t in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act, they’ll remove them. It doesn’t end there. Lexington Law will then fire off dispute letters to bureaus and creditors with the hope of removing negative items from your report - and improving your credit score.

4. The Credit People - Most Affordable Credit Score Repair

Pros

• 7-day trial period
• Prompt reviews of your credit report
• Round-the-clock hour access to your account

Cons

• Only one package available

Site Reputation

The Company People make the bold claim that they can improve your credit score by 30 percent. It’s a big claim, but there’s no doubt that The Credit People is a legit, trustworthy company that’s been around for 20 years. They give you 24 hour access to your account, there are lots of positive reviews on consumer review sites, and they’re transparent about how many people sign up to use their services each month.

Things To Be Aware Of

The way the pricing works means that customers who only need relatively “small” issues fixed will end up paying just as much as those who need major corrections to their credit. If you’ve got one or two minor issues, you might want to look for a “pay-per-deletion” style credit repair service, or even do it yourself.

Prices

An initial $39 fee is required to get things started, but this only covers a 7-day trial period. After the 7 days are up, you can either lock yourself into a “pay as you go” $79 per month subscription, or you can pay $419 upfront for six months worth of the service.

How They Work

To get started, you need to pay an initial $39 to see your credit reports and scores. Then, after seven days have passed, you can choose whether or not to keep using The Credit People to improve your credit.If you say “yes” at this stage, an agent will jump on a call with you and work out a strategy to help you mend your credit over a time period of between 45 days and two months. After the two months are over, you can either keep using their service or move on.

5. Pyramid Credit Repair - Good Credit Repair Company For Couples

Pros

• 24/7 customer service
• 100 percent, money-back guarantee
• Free consultation
• Couples plan available

Cons

• Not the cheapest

Site Reputation

Pyramid Credit Repair has been described as an “industry leader” in the credit repair sector by Consumer Affairs. It offers a 100 percent, money-back guarantee, there are no hidden fees and the company consistently attracts positive customer reviews. Moreover, they also give permission to The Bureau of Internet Accessibility to audit their website in order to ensure compliance.

Things To Be Aware Of

Customer service is only available at the rather unusual times of 12pm until 9pm Eastern Time, Monday to Friday.

Prices

There are three plans available:

• Singles plan - $99 per month
• Couples plan - $198 per month
• Identity theft protection plan - $29.99 per month

How They Work

To begin, you just need to visit the website and enter your information into a credit assessment form. Then, you can book a free credit consultation with a specialist who will put together a strategy that is aimed at improving your credit.

6. Ovation Credit Services - Best Credit Repair With Identity Protection

Pros

• Comes with an identity optimization feature
• A+ BBB rating
• Mobile app

Cons

• No online support

Site Reputation

Ovation Credit has an A+ Better Business Bureau profile, which is a big testament to their reputation. Most of the slightly negative reviews we found were centered around the rather complex pricing structure.Moreover, Ovation Credit was launched in 2004 by Lending Tree, and it has a wealth of positive reviews on sites like TrustPilot and Consumer Affairs.

Features

• Identity optimization
• Credit monitoring
• Financial management tools

Things To Be Aware Of

There’s no online customer support available with Ovation Credit, and you can’t create an account online, either.

Prices

There are two plans available:

• Essentials Plan - $79 per month, plus a $89 first work fee
• Essentials Plus Plan - $109 per month, plus a $89 first work fee

How They Work

Ovation Credit works differently to a lot of other credit repair services in that you can’t sign up online. Instead, you get access to a personal agent who talks you through the process, and who comes up with a game plan to help improve your credit rating. The process is still very simple and approvals are same-day if you use the Fast Track program. Moreover, while there are just two repair plans available, they’re more flexible than most competitors and indeed its same-day services help this company stand out. There’s also an identity optimization feature available for $25 that’s ideal for anyone who’s had to deal with identity theft at some point, as well as credit monitoring, which helps you understand your credit score more by breaking it down.

7. CreditRepair.com - Top Credit Repair Company For Innovative Technology

Pros

• Free initial consultation
• Affordable
• Claim to improve credit scores by 40 points on average

Cons

• Not a great deal of website info

Site Reputation

CreditRepair.com claims to have removed 1.8 million negative items from credit reports since they were established in 2012. They’ve also launched 19 million challenges altogether and have a large amount of favorable reviews on consumer review sites and aggregator sites. They’re transparent about the services they provide and the software they use.

Things To Be Aware Of

CreditRepair.com is only available in a limited number of states. Its services aren’t available in Wisconsin, South Carolina, Colorado, Maine, Georgia, Maryland, Kansas, Ohio, Oregon, Mississippi, Minnesota and Michigan.

Prices

There’s only one package available with CreditRepair.com and it costs $99.95 per month. You’ll also be charged an initial one-time fee of $14.99 to have your credit report pulled.

How They Work

To get started, CreditRepair.com offers you a free credit report consultation. This is maxed at 10 minutes but gives you access to a personalized analysis of your credit report that’s carried out by three credit reporting agencies. If you wish to proceed further, you’ll need to pay a small fee of just $14.99 to have your credit report pulled. Beyond that, you’ll need to subscribe to the only package they have available, which costs $99.95 per month. From there, they set to work on improving your credit score over the course of the next four or-so months.

Once you subscribe, you get access to features such as a personal online dashboard, text alerts and a credit score tracker. There is a mobile app available, too.

Credit Repair Services FAQ

Do Credit Repair Companies Really Work?

Yes, credit repair companies really work, whether it’s with cease and desist letters, or other things that are blighting your score. However, it takes time for any credit repair service to boost your credit score, and some services work better than others.

Do Credit Repair Companies Guarantee Errors Will Be Removed?

Yes, some credit repair companies guarantee errors will be removed but it’s not always 100 percent possible.The best credit repair companies work to spot errors and mistakes on your credit report. If they find them, they can certainly try to get them removed from your credit report. However, no legitimate credit repair company should guarantee they can remove errors.

Can Credit Repair Hurt Your Credit?

No, credit repair can’t hurt your credit score. The purpose of credit repair is to help you understand your credit report more, while at the same time disputing any perceived inaccuracies with creditors. Designed to make the whole process easier for you, it will not have the adverse effect of making your score worse.

How Long Does Credit Repair Take?

How long credit repair takes depends on a variety of factors.There’s no such thing as a quick fix credit repair, and anyone who signs up to even the best credit repair companies will need to have patience. For example, many credit repair companies offer monthly subscription plans, which means you generally need to wait at least 30 to 45 days to see signs of success.However, some credit repair companies may offer six month payment packages, which suggests it can take a number of months before your credit is repaired.

Is It Really Worth Paying Credit Repair Companies To Fix Your Credit?

It can be worth paying credit repair companies to fix your credit, but again, it also depends on the circumstance.The thing with hiring credit repair companies to fix your credit is that they don’t do anything you couldn’t do.However, paying someone to fix your credit makes sense if you’re simply too busy to do it yourself. Moreover, some companies, such as Lexington Law, employ top-notch lawyers who are able to identify errors and write professional dispute letters.

How Do I Choose a Credit Repair Company?

Choosing a credit repair company can take a bit of time.The main thing you should look out for when choosing between credit repair companies is how long the company has been around for. Ideally, you should choose credit repair companies that have been established for at least 3 years, and which have a number of positive credit repair reviews. You can also check out their Better Business Bureau rating, too Other than that, you’ll want to look for things like service fees (are they reasonable?), pricing plans (are they flexible?) and whether or not the company is legal in your state. It’s also a good idea to check their customer support - do they offer telephone and email support, and what are their hours of availability?

Is Credit Repair Legal In All 50 States?

Yes, credit repair is legal in all 50 states but not all credit repair companies offer their services in all 50 states.

Can Credit Repair Help With Identity Theft?

Yes, credit repair can help with identity theft, but the same above applies, not every company deals with identity theft. Some, such as Ovation Credit, offer features specifically for identity theft issues.

Best Credit Repair Companies: Final Thoughts

Choosing the right credit repair company requires research and diligence. The best companies, such as CreditSaint, are reputable, fast-acting and have experience with repairing credit for thousands of clients.

The next step for you is to decide which company is the best for your needs, before visiting them online and taking things from there.