Alternative
Brigit Review: Brigit Credit Builder Cost, the $15.99 Premium Plan, and a Brigit Alternative
Brigit Credit Builder is advertised at "$1/month," but its own footnote says a $15.99 monthly subscription is required, and its Terms of Service limit Credit Builder to the Brigit Premium plan. Most reviews still say it comes with the $8.99 Plus plan, which has not been true for new members since June 5, 2023. Over the 24-month loan term that is $383.76 in subscription fees, and the $1 a month you save comes back to you. Payments are reported to Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, with no hard pull. CreditPal is not a loan: it reads your existing credit file, explains which factors are costing you points, simulates a change before you make it and sequences a plan, from $7 a month.
Current score
What is moving the score
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Turn an action on above to see the likely direction and rough size of the change, with the reasoning.
The plan, in order of what pays off first
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Side by side
CreditPal vs Brigit
| Capability | CreditPal | Brigit |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay each month | From $7 | $15.99 Premium subscription plus at least $1 in savings |
| Subscription over 24 months | $168 at $7 a month | $383.76 |
| Plan that includes the product | Every plan | Premium only. Plus ($8.99) does not include Credit Builder for new members |
| Adds a new installment account to your report | No | Yes, a 24-month credit builder loan |
| Explains which existing factors are holding your score down | Credit monitoring and score simulators | |
| What-if simulator before you act | Score simulators | |
| Hard inquiry to sign up | No | No |
| Requires a linked bank account | No | Yes, open at least 60 days and active 2 of every 10 days |
| Cancelling | Month to month | Close the loan first, then cancel the subscription |
| Prioritized plan personalized to your file |
Comparison reflects general product positioning and is provided in good faith. Verify current capabilities with each vendor.
The field
What the tools cost and who each one is for
| Tool | What it actually is | Typical price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brigit Premium | Credit builder installment loan held at Coastal Community Bank, reported to three bureaus, plus Instant Cash advances of $25 to $500, free express delivery, credit monitoring and identity theft protection | $15.99 a month. Savings from $1 a month, returned to you | People who will also use cash advances and want the tradeline bundled in |
| Brigit Plus | Instant Cash advances, credit monitoring, score simulators and identity theft protection. No Credit Builder for new members | $8.99 a month | Cash advances only |
| Self | Credit builder loan held in a certificate of deposit. Three bureaus. You get most of the money back at the end. | $25, $35, $48 or $150 a month for 24 months. Net cost $89 to $531 | Thin files that can afford a larger payment and want it mostly returned |
| Kovo | Installment account that buys Kovo's own tools on credit. Reports to four bureaus including Innovis | $10 a month for 24 months, $240, none of it returned | People who want the lowest monthly payment and accept that nothing comes back |
| CreditPal | AI credit coach. Reads your file read-only, explains which factors are costing you points, simulates changes before you make them and sequences a plan. Opens nothing and lends nothing. | From $7 a month | People whose score is held down by accounts they already have |
Brigit figures were read off hellobrigit.com/credit-builder, the Brigit Terms of Service (last revised March 31, 2026) and the Brigit help center articles on pricing, Credit Builder payments, failed payments, eligibility, closing the loan and cancelling, on 27 September 2026. Self and Kovo figures come from their own sites, read in September 2026. Vendors change prices, so confirm at checkout.
How much does Brigit Credit Builder really cost?
The headline says "Save just $1/ month to build payment history" and "No interest or upfront deposit." Both are true of the loan itself. The cost is the subscription. Footnote 2 on the Credit Builder page reads: "Brigit paid monthly subscription required for $15.99. Cancel anytime." Brigit's pricing article in its help center confirms that Credit Builder sits in the Premium plan at $15.99, and that Plus members "will need to upgrade to Brigit Premium to use Credit Builder."
The loan runs for 24 monthly payments, according to Brigit's help center. Here is what that works out to, next to the other options people weigh it against. These are our own calculations from each vendor's published prices:
| Option | Per month | Over 24 months | Comes back to you | Net cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brigit Premium, saving $1 a month | $16.99 | $407.76 | $24 in savings | $383.76 |
| Self, $25 plan | $25 | $600 | $511 | $89 |
| Kovo | $10 | $240 | Nothing | $240 |
| CreditPal | $7 | $168 | Nothing, it is a subscription | $168 |
On tradeline cost alone, Brigit is the most expensive of the four. The fair counterpoint is that Premium is not only Credit Builder. It also includes Instant Cash advances of $25 to $500 with free express delivery, credit monitoring and up to $1 million of identity theft protection. If you would pay for advances anyway, the extra $7 over Plus is what the tradeline actually costs you.
Is Brigit Credit Builder included in Brigit Plus?
Not for anyone who joined after June 5, 2023. Brigit's Terms of Service say: "Brigit Premium provides all of the features of Brigit Plus in addition to access to Credit Builder," and "Credit Builder and Line of Credit Credit Builder is available to Brigit Premium Subscription customers."
There is a legacy exception. Plus members who subscribed before June 5, 2023 keep Credit Builder "unless and until the Legacy Subscriber connects a new linked Bank Account." The help center adds that a current Credit Builder user on the old Plus plan keeps access until the end of the loan term, and must upgrade to Premium to open another loan.
This is where most Brigit reviews go wrong. They still describe Credit Builder as part of an $8.99 plan, and the footer of Brigit's own Terms page still says Credit Builder is "included in the Brigit Plus membership," two screens below the section that says otherwise. The Premium section is the operative one, and it matches the footnote on the product page.
How Brigit Credit Builder works, and what happens if you miss a payment
Brigit arranges a credit builder installment loan and deposits the proceeds into a deposit account at Coastal Community Bank, Member FDIC. You cannot touch the loan money. Each month you choose how much to save, and Brigit reports that as a payment on the loan to Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. What you save is yours and can be withdrawn in the app at any time. At the end of the term the loan is reported as paid in full.
To qualify you need a Premium subscription and a linked bank account that has been open for at least 60 days, with activity on at least 2 of every 10 days. There is no hard pull and no minimum score. Brigit does warn that you may see a small dip when the new account first appears.
Missed payments are handled more gently than at most lenders, but they are still reported. If a payment fails, you get an email and can make it up. Brigit says there is no negative impact if you catch up within 30 days, and that after 30 days "your account will be reported as delinquent on your credit report." A delinquency on a builder account defeats the reason you opened it.
How to cancel Brigit Credit Builder
The order matters. Brigit's help center says: "if you have a Credit Builder loan open, you will need to close that before canceling your subscription." Close the loan in the app under the Credit tab, then Close Loan. Brigit reports the loan as "paid in full" and sends any remaining savings to your linked bank account. Then cancel the subscription under Account Settings, My Subscription.
Two more details from the help center. Brigit "typically charges at the end of the billing cycle," so you may still be charged for the month you cancel in. And cancelling removes Instant Cash, credit monitoring and identity theft protection along with Credit Builder.
Brigit's cancellation flow has history. In November 2023 the Federal Trade Commission announced a settlement requiring Brigit to pay $18 million in refunds over charges that it advertised misleading "instant" advances and made its $9.99 membership hard to cancel. The FTC has since sent more than $17 million to affected customers. The order also required Brigit to stop the tactics that blocked cancellation, and the current help center steps are straightforward.
When a Brigit alternative makes more sense
A credit builder loan helps a thin file: few accounts and no recent late payments. It adds up to 24 months of on-time installment history. It does nothing about a collection, a maxed-out card or a late payment already on your report. Brigit's own footnote says "Some users' scores may not improve" and that members who started at 600 or below were more likely to see gains.
If your file is thin and you do not need cash advances, the cheaper tradelines are elsewhere. Our credit builder apps comparison puts the options side by side, our Self credit builder review shows what each Self plan returns, and the MoneyLion Credit Builder Loan breakdown covers the other app that ties a loan to a membership.
If your score is low because of accounts you already have, a new loan is the wrong tool. That is what CreditPal is for, at $7 a month. It connects read-only, explains in plain English which factors are costing you the most points, lets you simulate a change before you make it, and puts the fixes in the order that pays. It lends nothing, opens no accounts, does not file disputes and does not report rent.
Straight answers
Questions people ask before they buy
How much does Brigit Credit Builder cost?
Brigit Credit Builder requires the Brigit Premium subscription at $15.99 a month, plus whatever you choose to save, from $1 a month. The loan has no interest and no deposit. Over the 24-month term the subscription totals $383.76, and the money you save is returned to you.
Is Brigit Credit Builder free with Brigit Plus?
No, not for new members. Brigit's Terms of Service limit Credit Builder to Premium at $15.99 a month. Plus members who joined before June 5, 2023 kept access as legacy subscribers until they link a new bank account or their loan term ends.
Is Brigit worth it for building credit?
It is worth it if you already want Brigit's cash advances, because Premium bundles those with the tradeline. For credit building alone it is expensive: $383.76 over 24 months, against $89 net on Self's $25 plan or $240 at Kovo. It will not fix negative marks already on your report.
Does Brigit report to all three credit bureaus?
Yes. Brigit says Credit Builder payments and the loan balance are reported to Experian, Equifax and TransUnion every month. If a payment is more than 30 days past due, it is reported as delinquent, so keep the linked account funded.
Does Brigit Credit Builder do a hard credit check?
No. Brigit collects your name, address, date of birth and Social Security number to verify your identity, but it does not run a hard pull and has no minimum score. You need a bank account open at least 60 days with regular activity.
How do I cancel Brigit Credit Builder?
Close the loan first in the app under Credit, then Close Loan. Brigit reports it as paid in full and sends your savings to your bank. Then cancel the subscription under Account Settings, My Subscription. You may still be charged for the current billing cycle.
Can I get my money out of Brigit Credit Builder?
Yes. The amount you save each month is yours and can be withdrawn at any time with Withdraw Funds in the Credit Builder section of the app. The loan proceeds themselves stay in the secured account at Coastal Community Bank and are never paid out to you.
What is the best Brigit Credit Builder alternative?
For a thin file without a need for cash advances, Self returns most of what you pay and Kovo costs $10 a month. If your score is held down by accounts you already have, CreditPal explains which factors cost the most and sequences what to fix, from $7 a month, without a loan.
Other comparisons
See it on your own credit profile
Connect read-only, transparent pricing, no credit card. Educational only, never a lender or financial advice. Decide for yourself.