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Written by
Jennifer Gorman
Jennifer Gorman is a freelance writer with more than a decade of experience covering personal finance and insurance topics, most recently for Assurance IQ and Credit Karma.
Edited by
Aylea Wilkins
Aylea Wilkins has been at Bankrate since 2019, editing content in student, personal and home equity loans and auto, home and life insurance before taking on editing content in a variety of other categories. She has nearly a decade of editorial experience with a primary focus on helping people confidently make financial and purchasing decisions by providing clear and unbiased information.
Bankrate logoAt Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict editorial integrity , this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for how we make money .
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Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories, except where prohibited by law for our mortgage, home equity and other home lending products. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range, can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service.
A good credit score (670 or higher on the FICO scale) makes life easier. It helps you qualify for the credit cards and other loans you want and at better interest rates. Even if you don’t plan to borrow money, good credit can come in handy when renting an apartment or getting a new job.
If you’re among the third of Americans with poor or fair credit — or the 17% percent with no credit score at all — there are many ways to work toward a good score. One of those is to use a credit-building app.
Credit-building apps work in various ways to help you improve your credit score. You’ll generally find four types to choose from:
Most of the top credit apps are available for iPhone and Android devices. Many also have websites that offer the same services.
Badge Best for people with limited or no credit history
