Kikoff vs. Self vs. Chime

Comparing the Top Three Credit Building Apps of 2023

Credit building has never been easier. Fintech apps like Kikoff, Self, and Chime have changed the game, simplifying the credit building process and bringing differing degrees of easy credit health to the masses. Still, choosing the right one for you can be a daunting task. It’s hard to know which app is right for you. We’ll compare three leading credit building services based on key features, user experience, pricing (including hidden fees!) and more.


Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Overview of Each App
  3. Key Features Comparison
  4. User Experience & Usability
  5. Pricing & Subscription Options
  6. User Reviews & Testimonials
  7. Final Verdict
  8. Conclusion

1. Introduction

Building a good credit score is essential for securing loans, purchasing homes, and even getting certain jobs. Thanks to innovative technology, there are now apps designed to help you achieve this. Let’s dive into the details of Kikoff, Self, and Chime.


2. Overview of Each App

  • Kikoff
    • App Store Rating: 4.9 ⭐️
      • Kikoff is the king of credit builder apps for a reason. With a focus on accelerating your credit building journey, Kikoff offers loans for credit building, a secured credit card that helps build credit, and concierge services like Rent Reporting and Disputes – so that you can give your credit a glow-up from every side.
  • Self
    • App Store Rating: 4.9 ⭐️
      • Like Kikoff, Self claims to be a credit-building toolkit. Their flagship product, the Self Credit Builder Loan, charges high up-front fees and locks up your payments for two years, but returns a portion of that money at the end of loan.
  • Chime
    • App Store Rating: 4.8 ⭐️
      • While Chime isn’t specifically built for credit builders, it does have some products targeted at improving credit health. While their Credit Builder card can improve some of credit factors, it’s doesn’t include some of the perks offered by competitors like Kikoff. On Chime’s card, credit builders miss out on cash back, overdraft protection, and more.

3. Key Features Comparison

FeatureKikoffSelfChime
Credit Score Tracking
Easy Sign-Up
Loans for Credit Building
Find & Dispute Credit Report Errors
Secured Credit Card with Cashback & Overdraft Protection
Build Credit with Rent Payments *
*requires an Experian Boost™ account

4. User Experience & Usability

  • Kikoff: Kikoff is streamlined for credit building from the ground up. Their mobile app for iOS and Android highlights your progress, helps you improve key factors, and keeps all of your Kikoff products at your fingertips. With its iconic, minimalist, trademark green design, credit building has never looked this good, or felt this simple.
  • Self: Self’s app is simple, but may lack access to some of the features that serious credit builders find most useful. The homepage features a large Experian VantageScore reading over a progress bar that indicates how far away you are until you can get access to your savings.
  • Chime: Since Chime isn’t specifically designed for building credit, some users might find the app UI a bit cluttered and unfocused. While the app includes a lot of non-credit building features, some of these can feel like ads or upsells for additional services.

5. Pricing & Subscription Options

  • Kikoff: Kikoff starts at just $5/month for the Basic Account, which includes a specialized $750 line of credit, access to reports, and more. It’s also important to note that Kikoff has no administrative fees, zero annual fees, $0 late fees, 0% APR, and no annual finance charge. The Kikoff Premium includes a credit line that’s over three times as high, as well as access to additional features, for a flat rate of just $20/month.
  • Self: Pricing for the Credit Builder Account on Self is complicated. They charge confusing, non-refundable fees like a $9 “administration fee,” and hide the actual price of their product behind a hybrid savings account, which can lock up your money for up to two years. In general, your monthly commitment for Self can range anywhere from $25 to $150 every month.
  • Chime: As a general purpose banking app, Chime doesn’t offer credit building products outside of its Credit Builder Secured Visa. Instead, Chime asks for $200 of “qualifying direct deposits” to open have access to their credit building feature. Chime then lends your money out to other institutions and makes money off of your deposit.

6. User Reviews & Testimonials

  • Kikoff:
    • “My credit score jumped up to 720, by almost 100 points. Better credit makes everything so much smoother. Now, I feel like creditors know they can trust me. I got my total credit limit up to $20,000. Kikoff made life so much easier.” – Alexus (Denver, CO) 
    • “I looked at other credit builders, but they were really complicated. It’s like you have to jump through three hoops and light a ring of fire. If I’m giving my money to a company, I need to know what they’re doing for me. Kikoff always gives me an understanding of what’s happening. After I joined, I got an email saying how much my score went up – I was like, whoa, that’s amazing.” – Lakisha (Houston, TX)
  • Self:
    • “Actually lowered my credit score. I followed their instructions to the letter, but my score fell by 80 points.” – zerodark (1 ⭐️ iOS App Store review)
    • “I too used Self. At the time I signed up I was extremely anxious about seeking any credit after practically a lifetime of financial mistakes. The value was in the psychological benefit of doing something – of feeling like I could take some control of my personal finances – at basically zero risk of failure. I understand why people here say there are better ways. They aren’t wrong that there are from a financial POV.” – Reddit user u/non_ducor_duco
  • Chime:
    • “Chime is just what you would expect out of a bank. You can open a checking and savings account just as you would with any other banking service. One of the main things that stand out to me over other banks is their app UI, it’s very simple and clean.” – Omuyasha (4 ⭐️ iOS App Store review)
    • “I wouldn’t use it as my only bank. Customer service absolutely does not care if you’re having issues and they have no information to help. But if there’s no issues, that shouldn’t be a problem.” – Reddit user u/paulander15

7. Final Verdict

For those who are serious about building credit, Kikoff is the clear choice. Along with it’s core credit building products, Kikoff’s perks, simplicity, and pricing clarity position it as the preferred choice for most. While Self offers an interesting model for some credit builders, the lengthy loan terms and high monthly payments might not be worth the hassle when compared to competitors. And while Chime is a good option for those without a bank, its credit building features are bare bones and less effective than the competition.


8. Conclusion

Standing out from the crowd as a powerful, yet dead simple credit hack – Kikoff outshines its competition and stands tall as the #1 credit building app. By already helping members increase their credit scores by a total of 9.6 million points – there’s a clear leader in this new generation of credit building fintech. Try it for yourself and get started in minutes to join over a million members getting their credit right with Kikoff.

Disclaimer: Always ensure to check the app’s official website and user agreements for the most up-to-date information. This review aims to provide a general overview and comparison.

The information provided in this blog post is meant for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Kikoff Inc. is a financial technology company and not a bank. The Kikoff Secured Credit Card is issued by Coastal Community Bank, Member FDIC. Terms and conditions apply & individual results may vary. Make consistent on-time payments to maximize credit building potential.  Credit factors outside Kikoff, like other account balances or delinquencies, can have an impact on credit building progress.  Subject to approval via identity verifications and subject to terms and conditions. Kikoff Credit Account reported line of credit intended exclusively for credit building purposes & can be used to finance the purchase of monthly Credit Service plans and/or digital educational material via the Kikoff Store. For more information, visit our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. We report to the major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Features, tradelines, bureau reporting, & pricing may vary depending on plan purchased. This post may contain marketing messages and advertisements in compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act. Please refer to our Secured Card and Credit Account Terms for detailed product disclaimers.

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