Borrowell vs. Credit Keeper: How Are They Different?

Borrowell and Credit Keeper are both great options to consider when you need to check your credit score. There are similarities in the services provided by both, however, there are also some notable differences. In this article we look at how the platforms compare, and which one might be the best option for you. 

Borrowell

Borrowell is an online fin-tech company that, in addition to providing free credit scores and credit reports, helps Canadians better understand the importance of credit. Borrowell will also make recommendations based on your personal financial situation for products such as personal loans, credit cards, and mortgages.

Free credit score monitoring

Borrowell provides Canadians with free access to their Equifax credit score. The score you see when you sign-up for Borrowell is generated using the same Equifax credit score model that is used by many lenders and institutions when they make decisions about providing you with credit. 

It’s a legitimate and popular credit score model, but it’s also safe and secure. Borrowell uses advanced 256-bit SSL data encryption. We won't share your personal details with unauthorized third-parties or initiate transactions without your consent.

Accessing your credit score with Borrowell is free, it takes less than 3 minutes to sign up, and signing up doesn’t affect your credit score. Borrowell also provides free credit monitoring of your credit score on a weekly basis! This means not only can you track your success, but you can also flag errors and spot fraudulent activity.

Personalized Product Recommendation & Features

When you sign-up for Borrowell for free, we analyze your credit profile and suggest the best financial products from our diverse financial marketplace of over 50 different companies. These products include personal loans, credit cards, mortgages, and more. We instantly show you your approval chances for these products based on your credit score. We find the best products that match your credit profile to help you avoid rejection from lenders, save time applying, and protect your credit score.

Personal Loans

When you use Borrowell to check your free credit score, you'll instantly see your approval chances for all kinds of loans in Canada, from car loans to home improvement loans to debt consolidation loans. We will also show you tailored loan options that are available to you based on your credit profile. 

If you are tracking your credit health regularly, and taking on board the personalized tips to help you build your score, you will continue to qualify for different offers in the future.

Credit Cards

There are so many different types of credit cards in Canada that it can be overwhelming trying to choose the right one for you. Cards come with different interest rates, fees, and benefits. There are also some that are easier to be approved for than others. 

Let us help discover the best credit cards for you!  When you sign up for Borrowell, you can compare 60+ different credit cards for free. You can view different card types, such as rewards cards, travel cards, and cashback cards. There are also credit builder cards, which are designed to help to build your credit score. With Borrowell, you can easily compare cards by interest rates, fees, and approval chances, so you’ll soon find the card that is right for you.

Mortgages 

A mortgage is the biggest loan you will ever take out. Because of this, your credit score plays a huge role in your chances of mortgage approval. Banks want to know that when they lend you such a large sum of money, you are going to be able to pay it back. If you're looking to buy your first property or you are refinancing an existing home, the better your credit score, the better the interest rates you will be offered, and the more mortgage products you will qualify for. 

Borrowell will not only offer you tips to improve your credit score to increase your chances of mortgage approval, but we also offer a variety of tools to help you gain more visibility into, and help manage your finances. Calculators, new features, and fresh content monthly can help you understand mortgage topics, including pricing, deferrals and budgeting.

Remember, checking your credit score with Borrowell is free, and it doesn't hurt your credit score when you check it yourself!

Bonus Features

In addition to everything outlined above, Borrowell also offers credit coaching and bill tracking. 

• Credit Coaching: At Borrowell, we focus on helping our members improve their credit score and financial well-being. With that in mind, we created Molly, Canada's first AI-powered Credit Coach within the Borrowell platform. Once you’ve signed up for Borrowell, Molly will do the hard work behind the scenes to ensure you are maximizing your credit building chances, and let you know when you might be veering off course. For example, she can provide quick reminders to let you know if you’ve missed a payment (as this impacts 35% of your credit score), or if your credit utilization/usage is a little high that month (as this impacts 30% of your credit score. 

• Bill-tracking: Paying your bills on time is an important part of credit building. Credit card and loan repayments have a direct impact on your credit score. Whether it’s positive or negative depends on if you made your payment or not. Other bills such as your cable or phone bill are slightly different. Positive payments do not directly impact your credit score, however if you miss a payment and do not get caught up, it might be sent to collections and this will appear on your credit report, having a negative impact on your score. 

Borrowell’s free bill tracking tool can help you get ahead of your bills and manage cash flow. By connecting Borrowell to your bank account, Borrowell can automatically forecast your upcoming bills and predict your expected bank balance so you can ensure you have enough funds in your account to make the payment. You can set up alerts straight to your phone when your bills are due or when your balance is running low.

Stay organized and never miss a bill payment!

Borrowell Dashboard Interface Navigation

Here's a sample screenshot of what the Borrowell dashboard looks like on desktops. When you sign in to your account, you'll see a historical view of your credit score, along with product recommendations that match your credit profile.

Credit Keeper

Credit Keeper^™ is an online service for Canadians offered by Capital One®. Credit Keeper is currently offered to both Capital One customers and non-Capital One customers who are looking to check their credit score for free. Currently, Credit Keeper isn’t available in the province of Quebec

Capital One Canada has been offering Canadian consumers a range of competitive Mastercard credit cards since 1996, and now offers innovative credit solutions tailored to the individual needs of Canadians.

Free Credit Score Monitoring

Unlike Borrowell, which provides Canadians with access to their Equifax score, Credit Keeper from Capital One provides access to TransUnion scores. If you check your credit score with both Borrowell and Credit Keeper it is very likely that you see two different scores. Don’t worry too much about the differences. What is important is that you track your credit score regularly over time and see how it changes, an option that both Borrowell and Credit Keeper offer. Credit Keeper updates credit scores weekly. 

Capital One Credit Card Recommendations

Credit Keeper from Capital One provides credit card recommendations if you are not currently a Capital One customer. This could be a great way to discover a new premium or rewards card from Capital One. Note that these credit card recommendations aren't necessarily based on you credit score.

Key Features of Credit Keeper

Here are some of the key features of Credit Keeper from Capital One.

• Your credit score updates weekly - This means you can keep close tabs on how your score is changing over time.  

• It is safe and secure - Credit Keeper and Capital One use industry-leading encryption to keep your personal information safe.

• It doesn’t hurt your credit score - Checking your score with Credit Keeper has no impact on your credit score – no matter how often you check it.

• Capital One Product Recommendations - Credit Keeper provides you with Capital One product suggestions, including premium credit cards, if you are not currently a Capital One customer

Borrowell vs. Credit Keeper: The Bottom Line

While there are many similarities between Borrowell and Credit Keeper, the main difference is which score you see when you access the tools. While the score you see when you sign-up for Borrowell is generated using the same Equifax credit score model, with Credit Keeper, the score you see is pulled from TransUnion. Borrowell and Credit Keeper are both great options to consider when you need to check your credit score.

Interested in using Borrowell to check your Equifax credit score? Sign-up for Borrowell for free! Interested in using Credit Keeper to check your TransUnion credit score? Learn more about Credit Keeper here.