Who’s the real deal? Brigit’s Credit Builder vs. Credit Strong.
Bad credit doesn’t have to be your story. If you want to improve your finances and make life less expensive, finding a way to build credit fast is the way to go.
But which service should you pick?
Let’s take a look at two credit building products, Credit Builder by Brigit and Credit Strong.
Both build your credit score by taking out a loan in your name, making monthly on-time loan payments for you, and reporting the positive payment history to the three major credit agencies, Equifax, Experian, and Transunion.
Your payment history is the largest factor in calculating your credit score, so both Brigit and Credit Strong target it by showing that you can make payments on time every month.
At first glance, Brigit’s Credit Builder and Credit Strong might seem similar — but there are some key differences when it comes to affordability and accessibility, including:
- How long the term of the loan is
- How much your monthly payment amount is
- Whether interest, administrative fees, and cancellation fees are added on, and
- What extra features are included, if any.
Brigit is proud to have an affordable credit builder tool that helps you save, with loan payments as low as $1 a month that are returned to you in full once the loan is complete. Becoming a Brigit Plus member for $9.99 a month gives you access to Credit Builder and much more — including instant cash, overdraft prevention, and personalized budgeting tools. Credit Strong’s cheapest plan is $15 a month, and choosing that plan means you’ll be on the hook for 10 years.
With Credit Strong, your monthly loan payments are not returned to you in full because they deduct interest — and that means you’ll lose up to $1,099 of your savings.
Brigit does not charge interest or any administrative or hidden fees of any kind. Credit Strong deducts interest of nearly 15 percent from you and also charges an upfront administrative fee of up to $15.
Loan term and monthly payments
Brigit’s Credit Builder takes out a 1-year loan in your name and has an affordable monthly payment amount that you can choose. You can pay as little as $1 a month towards your loan, and Brigit returns all of your monthly loan payments in full once your loan is complete.
Credit Strong offers several credit building plans with different loan terms and monthly payment amounts. They offer one plan for a 1-year loan where you pay nearly $90 a month, two plans for a 2-year loan where you pay nearly $50 or $100 a month, and two plans for a 10-year loan where you pay either $15 or $30 a month.
Unlike Brigit, your monthly payments are not returned to you in full. Depending on your plan, Credit Strong keeps anywhere between $68 and $1,099 of your total monthly payments.
Interest, administrative fees, and cancellation fees
Brigit’s Credit Builder charges no interest, no administrative fees, and no cancellation fees.
Credit Strong charges an annual percentage rate (APR) of between 8 percent and 15 percent 7.75% and 14.89%, depending on your plan. They also charge an administrative fee of up to $15 upfront based on the plan you choose.
Like Brigit, Credit Strong doesn’t charge any fee for early cancellation.
Extra features included
Brigit’s Credit Builder comes with a ton of extra features that are included in your Brigit Plus subscription. You can get budgeting tools and financial insights, credit score and identity theft protection, and instant cash of up to $250 a month.
Self’s Credit Builder Loan does not come with any extra features.
Let Brigit’s Credit Builder give you the best bang for your buck, build your credit, and support your financial future by signing up here today.
