This Credit Sesame review has been updated for 2025. Many readers have asked me about Credit Sesame and whether I’d recommend their service. I decided to sign up for the free service to test out its features and now can report back with my Credit Sesame review. Is Credit Sesame really free? Is Credit Sesame a scam? Is Credit Sesame safe to use? What are the pros and cons? I’ll answer these questions and more.
What is Credit Sesame?
At its core, Credit Sesame is a credit score, credit reporting, credit monitoring, and identity protection service for consumers. Credit Sesame offers 2 tiers of service, “Free” and the premium “Sesame+”.
Is Credit Sesame Free?
The basic Credit Sesame “Free” tier is, in fact, free. Credit Sesame “Free” offers a free daily TransUnion VantageScore credit score, and some helpful credit reporting/analysis features. If you want to go beyond the free Credit Karma features, you have 2 options:
- Credit Sesame+: $9.99/month
- Credit Sesame+ Complete: $19.99/month
What Does Credit Sesame+ Offer?
If you decide to upgrade to the mid-tier “Credit Sesame+” plan, , you are offered a free 7-day trial, followed by the cost of $9.99/month. Sesame+ comes with the “Free” features and the addition of the following features:
- 24/7 ID fraud alerts and dark web surveillance
- Fraud resolution and $1 million ID theft insurance
- 3-Bureau credit monitoring & alerts
- TransUnion Credit Lock
- Credit Builder
- Rent Reporting
- Credit Calendar
Credit monitoring is rarely a free perk these days, with most services charging $24.95+/month for it.
What Does Credit Sesame+ Complete Offer?
If you decide to upgrade your account to the premium “Credit Sesame+ Complete”, you are offered a free 7-day trial, followed by the cost of $19.99/month. Sesame+ comes with the “Free” and “Credit Sesame+” features, with the addition of the following:
- $1 million in ID theft coverage
- Fraud resolution
- Wallet protection
- 3-Bureau credit reports
- 3-Bureau credit scores
- 3-Bureau credit insights
The last 3 features begin after the trial period.
Is Credit Sesame Safe and Secure?
Any time you are talking about your credit, there are naturally concerns about if the service is safe to use and your information is secured.
While I truly believe that no institution is 100% bullet-proof from hacks, Credit Sesame seems safe. For starters, they are considered secure by Norton, McAfee, and ETrust, and are BBB accredited (and have a good rating and customer responses on the BBB site).
Credit Sesame uses 256-bit encryption to protect your data.
During the signup process, you are not asked for your full Social Security Number – only the last 4 digits to confirm your identity:
The signup process goes through a series of multiple choice questions to make sure you are who you really say you are. You are asked for the following:
- To choose a login and password
- Your email address
- Your full legal name
- Your address
- Phone number
- Your date of birth
- Whether you own or rent your residence
- If you have lived at your current address for at least 6 months (if not, you must enter previous address so Credit Sesame can pull your credit history – typical of all credit reporting agencies)
- The last 4 digits of your Social Security number
Additionally, you can set up 2-factor authentication to protect your account from security breaches.
Is Credit Sesame Worth It?
If you’re looking for a basic free service to show you TransUnion credit score and report information, Credit Sesame’s free basic offering does the job. Sesame+ and Sesame+ Complete offer a lot more, however.
Credit Sesame Competitive Alternatives
Credit Sesame’s most direct competitors are:
- LifeLock: offers 3 paid tiers with credit scores, reports, identity monitoring, credit monitoring, data breach information, identity theft insurance, and much more – as low as $7.50/month. Check out my LifeLock review for more info.
- Credit Karma: is still 100% free and offers free credit scores, reports, credit monitoring, data breach information, and more. Check out my Credit Karma review for more info.
- Equifax: “Complete” is $9.95/month for 1 credit bureau (Equifax), “Complete Premier” is $19.95 for 1 credit bureau credit score and annual 3 bureaus. The “Equifax Complete Family Plan” is $29.95/month.
- Experian: “Identity Protection Premium” is $24.99/month for 3 credit bureau monitoring and alerts, “Identity Protection Family” is $34.99/month covers 1 additional adult and up to 10 children.
- TransUnion: credit monitoring is $29.95/month for TransUnion only.
Is Credit Sesame a Scam?
Credit Sesame is not a scam. They make money through offering premium account upgrades to users and through advertising financial products that its members might be interested in (e.g. credit cards and loans).
Credit Sesame Pros:
Credit Sesame’s pros are:
- Free TransUnion credit score
- Clean interface with helpful financial information
- Comprehensive premium features for the price
Credit Sesame Cons:
Credit Sesame’s cons are:
- Most features are under the mid and premium tier plans
- Some previously free features were moved to mid/premium tiers
Final Thoughts on Credit Sesame
Credit Sesame basic is worth the signup effort and Sesame+ and Sesame+ Complete offer a lot of bang for the buck, particularly in comparison to the 3 credit bureaus.
Have you used Credit Sesame? What’s your take?