The 7 Best Credit Counseling Services (2024)

• Our Top Picks
• GreenPath
• Cambridge Credit Counseling
• Apprisen
• InCharge Debt Solutions
• Money Management International
• Consolidated Credit
• American Consumer Credit Counseling
• See More (4)

• Frequently Asked Questions

• Methodology

GreenPath Financial Wellness was founded in 1961 and has been helping people manage debt, foreclosure, bankruptcy, and credit challenges. We chose it as the best overall because of its long history and network of brick-and-mortar offices across the country.

GreenPath offers most standard counseling services including credit and student loan counseling, debt management, and bankruptcy support. The organization also assists clients with foreclosure prevention and support, homebuyer assistance, reverse mortgage counseling, and resources for renters.

GreenPath also provides its customers with free educational resources and tools, including articles, online classes, webinars, calculators, worksheets, and guides. Those looking for more personalized support can visit one of the agency’s numerous branch offices in over 20 states to speak with a counselor in person.

Debt Management

GreenPath does not charge for a credit counseling session. There is a one-time setup fee between $0 and $50 plus a monthly fee between $0 and $75 for debt counseling based on the state and how much debt is owed.

Housing Services

GreenPath does not charge for mortgage delinquency or rental counseling. There is a $199 fee for reverse mortgage counseling and a $150 fee for pre-purchase counseling.

Student Loan Counseling

GreenPath does not charge for a student loan counseling session. For the enhanced service, which includes working with a client’s student loan servicers until a final resolution is reached, there is a $200 fee.

Bankruptcy Services

GreenPath provides clients with a certificate to show they've completed credit counseling. The fee is not listed on its website, but it does provide the service for free to those who cannot pay.

Cambridge Credit Counseling is a not-for-profit agency that has been providing credit counseling and financial literacy education since 1996. We chose it as our runner-up because of its high ratings and experienced and certified counselors.

Cambridge Credit is a member of the Financial Counseling Association of America (FCAA) and the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies (AICCCA). Its counselors have an average of 14 years of experience and are certified with the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education, the Partnership for Financial Education, NeighborWorks, and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

In addition to credit, housing, bankruptcy, and student loan counseling, Cambridge Credit offers debt management plans and financial education, including articles, videos, guidebooks, and worksheets. The organization claims to be able to reduce credit card interest rates from 22% to 8% and monthly credit card payments by 25% with debt repaid in 48 months or less.

Cambridge Credit’s fees are based on the rules and regulations set by each state. The organization's initial and monthly fees are capped at $75 and $50, respectively, with an average initial fee of $40.00 and an average monthly fee of $30.00.

Originally named the Economy Budget Service Company, Apprisen was founded in 1955 to offer budgeting and guidance to families overwhelmed with credit problems. We chose it as the best price because it offers the lowest maxim setup and monthly fees of any of the agencies we reviewed.

Clients can get started with Apprisen through the agency’s secure, online, interactive financial tool called IRIS. In conjunction with a financial specialist, IRIS will perform a comprehensive financial analysis and create a custom action plan in 24 to 48 hours. Clients can also schedule an appointment at one of a dozen branch offices located across Kentucky, Ohio, Kansas, Missouri, and Tennessee.

Apprisen offers most standard credit counseling services, including debt management and financial health plans as well as credit, health, student loan, housing, and bankruptcy counseling. The agency also offers a subscription-based financial health program called Propel, which includes on-demand financial coaching, a yearly financial checkup, a comprehensive savings plan, and exclusive educational tools and resources.

Debt Management

Apprisen’s debt management fees are determined by state and income, but will never exceed a maximum $45 one-time setup fee plus a $45 monthly fee. The agency may also reduce or waive fees for individuals facing financial hardship.

Financial Coaching

Apprisen offers holistic individual or joint coaching sessions over a 12-month period for a one-time $300 fee.

Bankruptcy Education

Apprisen offers pre-bankruptcy counseling sessions by phone as well as two-hour post-bankruptcy education workshops at one of the agency’s local offices at a price of $50 per session.

Housing Counseling

Apprisen’s mortgage delinquency, foreclosure prevention, first-time homebuyer counseling and education, and first-time renter counseling sessions are all free. The agency does offer pre-purchase mortgage counseling sessions for clients who are working with a mortgage lender for a one-time fee of $90.

InCharge Debt Solutions has been offering professional credit counseling, debt management services, bankruptcy education, housing counseling, and education in financial literacy since 1997. We chose it as the best mobile app because it offers an easy way for users to check and make changes to their debt management plan using their mobile phones.

InCharge offers many typical credit counseling services, including credit counseling, debt management, and consolidation programs, housing and student loan counseling, and pre-file credit counseling and pre-discharge education for bankruptcy. The agency also offers a number of educational resources, including financial calculators, e-books, and financial literacy workshops, and webinars through local and national partners.

Finally, InCharge offers a mobile app that lets clients access their debt management account on any iOS or Android phone. Users can view creditor proposal status, update account balances, add creditors to the program, and change their payment date on the go.

Credit Counseling Services

InCharge offers free credit counseling to its clients, which includes a budget review, debt analysis, and recommendations. InCharge does not share fees for its bankruptcy, debt management, housing, and student loan counseling services.

Founded in 1958, Money Management International (MMI) is one of the largest nonprofit, full-service credit counseling agency in the U.S. We chose it as the best for education because of its wide range of resources, including courses, e-books, and podcasts.

MMI provides all the typical credit counseling services including budget and credit counseling, debt management and housing programs, bankruptcy and student loan counseling, and a program to help military service members reconnect and establish themselves when they return home from service.

In addition to those services, MMI is one of the only agencies open 24/7 and offers both online counseling and a debt management app. MMI also operates branch locations in 25 states.

Clients can enroll at MMI University for free online on-demand courses on budgeting, managing a small business, paying down debt, rebuilding after foreclosure, and more. MMI also offers free budget guides, webinars, and a blog that covers financial topics and money management strategies. MMI offers access to a self-guided student loan counseling portal for $39 or work with a counselor by phone for $99.

Credit and Debt Services

MMI offers free budget and credit counseling free of charge. Pricing for debt management programs varies by state but on average, there is a one-time $33 set-up fee and a $25 monthly fee. Student loan counseling is available for a fee of $99, and credit report review sessions cost $59.

Housing Services

MMI also offers foreclosure prevention and post-disaster counseling for free. Pre-purchase counseling (in person or by phone) costs $149, and reverse mortgage counseling is available for $199.

Bankruptcy Services

MMI offers pre-filing counseling and pre-discharge education for $50 per household.

Educational Services

MMI offers an eight-hour online Homebuyer Workshop for $35 per person and various seminars and workshops with pricing that varies by location, size of the audience, and type of presentation. MMI also has a speakers bureau with subject-matter experts and has MMI Peer Advocates, a group comprised of former clients who are willing to discuss their experiences with the public.

MMI also offers free post-disaster coaching calledProject Porchlight, a program supported by Fannie Mae, HUD, and others. MMI also provides services tailored to other at-risk communities including Military Reconnect and the Hispanic Centers for Financial Excellence.

Since 1993, Consolidated Credit has been providing personalized credit counseling services to people facing challenges with debt. We chose it as the best for veterans because it partners with Army OneSource and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to help military personnel and their families improve their financial literacy.

Consolidated Credit offers free standard credit counseling services as well as debt consolidation and debt management programs. The agency specializes in housing counseling, including homebuyer education and counseling, foreclosure prevention, and reverse mortgage counseling. Consolidated Credit also offers a financial wellness program to help employers provide financial education to their employees.

In addition to offering a variety of webinars and tools, Consolidated Credit partners with Army OneSource and the VA to offer educational resources for military service members. These include a practical guide for veterans that walks them through the basics of bill paying, housing options, increasing credit scores, saving for retirement, and more. The agency also helps military service members plan ahead before deployment and Permanent Change of Station (PCS) to ensure their families and finances are taken care of.

Although Consolidated Credit doesn’t offer clear pricing on its website, it states that its fees are based on how much is owed in total, as well as how many accounts need to be paid off. It also claims that its debt management program clients pay around $40 per month.

Founded in 1991, American Consumer Credit Counseling (ACCC) is a nonprofit organization offering confidential consumer credit counseling services with 16 locations across eight states and Washington D.C. We chose it as the best for transparency because they offer an extensive FAQ page that breaks down every detail of their services.

Like many of the agencies we reviewed here, ACCC offers debt management; budget, bankruptcy, housing, and student loan counseling; and financial education to consumers nationwide. The agency also offers a number of financial calculators, videos, and educational resources on specific topics, including budgeting, retirement planning, identity theft, information for veterans, and more.

ACCC goes above and beyond in terms of offering transparency about its process and programs. An extensive FAQ page covers everything important to its clients, including pricing, interest rates, client rights and responsibilities, account transfers, confidentiality, and more. Users can also access Ask Talking Cents Guy, a feature on ACCC’s blog that lets anyone ask personalized finance questions and receive an email response.

ACCC does not charge a fee for credit counseling sessions. Debt management programs are billed at a one-time payment of $39 plus a monthly maintenance fee between $7 and $70. The agency may waive or reduce these fees for clients in financial hardship.

Credit counseling services help individuals manage debt and plan their financial futures. The trusted relationship between credit counseling services and creditors allows individuals to get better interest rates for their unsecured debts and pay them off faster through a debt management plan (DMP).

Credit counseling services can also help individuals with bankruptcy counseling, budgeting, student loan management, as well as general education about smart money management.

Credit counseling typically starts with a financial review of the individual to get a picture of their debts and overall financial picture. From there, an agency can make simple recommendations or offer a more structured service, like a DMP, to help manage a client’s debt.

Credit counseling services can also help individuals improve their credit scores through budgeting and repayment plans and create a savings plan for future financial security. Many offer classes and educational resources on specific topics to improve their clients’ financial literacy.

Many people confuse credit counselors with debt relief agencies. Credit counseling services are typically nonprofit organizations that help clients managing money and debts and often offer educational materials and workshops. By contrast, debt settlement companies are for-profit businesses that can arrange settlements of debts with creditors or debt collectors for a fee.

Although credit counseling agencies aren’t able to reduce amounts of debt their clients owe, they can lower their overall monthly payments. Debt settlement companies, on the other hand, negotiate a debt settlement for their customers allowing them to pay off what they owe in one lump sum.

Almost all credit counseling services will perform an initial credit counseling session at no charge. This typically involves a review of a client’s debt and finances as well as basic recommendations for budgeting and money management.

The most typical service offered by credit counseling agencies is the DMP. This typically costs between $40 and $75 upfront plus a $40 to $75 monthly fee, depending on the amount owed and one's state of residence.

Typical pricing for other services includes a one-time fee of $200 for reverse mortgage counseling, $150 for pre-purchase counseling, and $90 for student loan counseling. Some agencies also offer paid and free educational classes.

According to a National Foundation for Credit Counseling study about one of their programs, 73% of people enrolled in debt management plans said they paid off their debt more consistently. Similarly, participants in improved their credit scores by 50 points and reduced their revolving debt by $8,000 in just 18 months.

Most people think that credit counseling is only for people experiencing a financial crisis like bankruptcy or foreclosure. However, credit counseling can actually help people who are dealing with debt avoid such disasters and begin to save money and reduce their overall expenses.

Article Sources

1. National Foundation for Credit Counseling. "2021 Financial Literacy and Preparedness Survey: Key Findings – General Population," Page 8.

2. U.S. News & World Report. "How Does Credit Counseling Work?"

3. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. "What's the Difference Between a Credit Counselor and a Debt Settlement or Debt Relief Company?"

4. National Foundation for Credit Counseling. "Evaluation of Outcomes: The NFCC’s Sharpen Your Financial Focus Program: Executive Summary," Page 3.