Apps Like Kikoff: 6 Alternative Credit-Building Apps

Kikoff is a fintech company with various credit-building services and products, including credit-building loans, a secured card with 0% APR, dispute tools, rent reporting, and more. While many of its products don’t charge any monthly fees, some don’t report to all three major credit bureaus, and others aren’t very useful outside of building credit.

If Kikoff isn’t the right fit for you, compare these top credit-building app alternatives.

6 top alternatives to Kikoff to build credit

• For young adults: Mine debit card (formerly Fizz)
• For all-in-one finance app: Cleo Credit Builder Card
• For rent reporting: Self Credit Builder
• For a secured card with 0% APR: Chime Card™
• For subscription credit building: Grow Credit
• For credit-building loans: OnePay Credit Builder

Finder Score	Fee	Minimum deposit to open	Requirements	Credit Bureaus
For young adults
9.4 Excellent Mine debit card (formerly Fizz)	9.4 Excellent	From $5 per month	$150	Requires an existing bank account with a balance of at least $150.	Experian, TransUnion	Earn 1,000 points ($10 value) when you download the Mine app and enter code FINDER. T&Cs apply.	Go to site View details Compare product selection Compare	loading	Why we like it The Fizz card, now called Mine, works more like a debit card than a credit card, but it is secured through an external bank account. When you use it, the Fizz card pays itself back using said account. There are no interest charges because you're required to pay off your balance each billing cycle. Fizz's card offers very high cashback rewards from 25% to 100%, with merchants frequently found around college campuses, such as Starbucks, Chick-fil-A and Einstein Bros. Bagels. It also features in-app support and no credit check. But to qualify for Fizz, you must link an existing bank account with at least $150. And perhaps one of the biggest cons, you have to pay a membership fee to get the card, which is either $59.99 annually for students or $129.99 for non-students. Pros & cons Pros No APR or late fees No credit check Cashback rewards Cons $59.99 or $129.99 annual fee Requires existing bank account with $150 balance Doesn't report to Equifax
For all-in-one finance app
8.8 Great Cleo Credit Builder Card	8.8 Great	$14.99. per month	$1	Requires bank account	Equifax, Experian, TransUnion	Go to site View details Compare product selection Compare	loading	Why we like it Cleo is a personal finance app that combines budgeting tools with a credit-building feature. For $14.99 per month, you get access to the Cleo Credit Builder Card, a secured card that helps build credit without a hard credit check. You set your own credit limit by depositing funds, and Cleo reports your payments to the major credit bureaus, which can boost your credit score over time. The app also provides personalized budgeting tips and spending insights, making it a handy tool for managing your finances and improving your credit simultaneously. However, that $14.99 monthly fee is hefty compared to other options on this list, but it's still lower than Kikoff's Credit Account Premium monthly fee of $20. Pros & cons Pros Easy budgeting tips Credit Builder Card with no hard check Cash advances up to $100 AI that roasts or praises your habits Cons $14.99 monthly fee Credit Builder needs funding Fewer credit-building tools than Kikoff
For rent reporting
Not scored yet Self Credit Builder	Not scored yet	From $0 per month	$0		Equifax, Experian, TransUnion	Go to site View details Compare product selection Compare	loading	Why we like it If rent reporting is what you're after, consider Self. It offers free rent reporting to all three major bureaus, as well as retroactive reporting. It's one of our favorite credit-building apps — period — and it has just about the same offerings as Kikoff. To make it even better, Self has great customer ratings, and compared to Kikoff, more of its products report to the three major bureaus. There are also credit-building loans, secured cards and utility reporting. Pros & cons Pros Most products report to all three major bureaus Free rent reporting No hard credit checks on most services Retroactive rent reporting for a one-time $49.95 fee Cons Debit card payment fees on credit-building loans Utility payments only sent to TransUnion
For a secured card with 0% APR
10 Excellent Chime Card™	10 Excellent	$0 per month	$0	Must have a Chime Checking Account	Equifax, Experian, TransUnion	View details Compare product selection Compare	loading	Why we like it The Chime Card (formerly the Secured Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card) is an accessible option for building credit with no interest or monthly fees, and it doesn't perform a hard credit check when you apply. This secured card helps you responsibly manage credit without interest charges, and it reports to three major credit bureaus. However, to get the card, you must have a Chime Checking account. Pros & cons Pros No hard credit check 0% APR No annual or monthly fees Cons Requires a Chime Checking Account Limited to users who receive direct deposits
For subscription credit building
9 Excellent Grow Credit	9 Excellent	From $0 per month	$0	You need a bank account in good standing (60 to 90 days history), an email, phone number, a valid SSN, US permanent residency, and be at least 18 years old.	Equifax, Experian, TransUnion	View details Compare product selection Compare	loading	Why we like it A favorite of ours, Grow Credit is a popular credit-building app that uses a virtual Mastercard to report your subscription payments — like Netflix, Hulu and Spotify — to the three major credit bureaus. There's no hard credit check, and you can start with a 12-month free trial that reports up to $17 in monthly subscriptions. Higher tiers let you report more, but they cost $6.99 or $12.99 per month. While it's great for building credit with subscription payments, Grow Credit lacks some features that Kikoff offers, like rent reporting, loans and dispute tools. Pros & cons Pros Base Build plan free for 12 months Compatible with 100+ subscription services No hard credit check Reports to three major credit bureaus Cons Build plan $3.99 after first 12 months Higher monthly cost to report more subscriptions Kikoff offers more credit-building tools and products
For credit-building loans
Not scored yet OnePay Credit Builder	Not scored yet	$0. per month	$0	Bank through One and set up $500+ in monthly eligible direct deposits to sign up	Equifax, Experian, TransUnion	View details Compare product selection Compare	loading	Why we like it Like Kikoff, OnePay offers credit-building loans, but its Credit Builder loan could be a better fit if you're looking for low-cost credit building. With OnePay, you take out a $300 loan at 0% APR and make just $1 monthly payments for 12 months. Those payments are reported to all three major bureaus, and at the end, you get your $12 back. In comparison, Kikoff's loan requires $10 monthly payments and doesn't report to Experian. However, to qualify for OnePay Credit Builder, you need a OnePay Cash+ account, which requires $500 in direct deposits each month or a balance of at least $5,000. Pros & cons Pros $1 monthly payments $12 returned at term's end Reports to the three major bureaus Cons Only one credit-builder term Requires OnePay Cash+ account Kikoff has more credit-building products

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How Kikoff compares

Kikoff is a fintech company offering a range of credit-building products, including credit-builder loans, a secured card, a revolving line of credit, rent reporting, and dispute tools. Unlike many apps that provide only one or two credit-building options, Kikoff gives users multiple ways to build credit, making it a solid choice if you’re looking for variety.

That said, some of Kikoff’s products don’t report to all three major credit bureaus. For instance, its rent reporting and dispute tools only report to Equifax, while the credit-builder loan only reports to Equifax and TransUnion. The Kikoff Secured Credit Card is the only product that reports to all three bureaus, and with its 0% APR, it stands out as one of the stronger options if all-around reporting is your priority.

Bottom line

Several strategies can improve your credit score, and credit-building apps are just one method. Maintaining a low credit card balance, paying your bills on time, and keeping your accounts out of collections can all contribute to a better credit score with time and patience.

See more tips on how to build credit, or check out our comprehensive credit-building guide for more credit-boosting options and apps.

To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Holly Jennings as part of our fact-checking process.

Written by

Bethany Hickey

Banking editor

Bethany Hickey is the banking editor and personal finance expert at Finder, specializing in banking, lending, insurance, and crypto. Bethany’s expertise in personal finance has garnered recognition from esteemed media outlets, such as Nasdaq, MSN, Yahoo Finance, GOBankingRates, SuperMoney, AOL and Newsweek. Her articles offer practical financial strategies to Americans, empowering them to make decisions that meet their financial goals. Her past work includes articles on generational spending and saving habits, lending, budgeting and managing debt. Before joining Finder, she was a content manager where she wrote hundreds of articles and news pieces on auto financing and credit repair for CarsDirect, Auto Credit Express and The Car Connection, among others. Bethany holds a BA in English from the University of Michigan-Flint, and was poetry editor for the university’s Qua Literary and Fine Arts Magazine. See full bio

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