FICO vs VantageScore
If your bank app and a free credit app show two different numbers, neither is broken. They are usually two different scoring models reading slightly different data.
The basics
- FICO Scores are made by Fair Isaac Corporation.
- VantageScore was created jointly by the three credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
- The versions you will see most often (FICO Score 8, and VantageScore 3.0 and 4.0) all use the same 300 to 850 range.
Who can get a score
The two models have different minimum requirements. FICO needs at least six months of credit history and at least one account reported to a bureau within the last six months. VantageScore can score you with as little as one month of history and one account reported in the past two years.
That is why people who are new to credit often see a VantageScore in free apps before they have a FICO Score at all.
Why the numbers differ
Both models read the same kinds of information from your credit report: payment history, how much of your credit you use, how long you have had credit, recent applications, and your mix of accounts. They weigh those factors differently, so the same report can produce two different numbers. A gap of a few points to a few dozen is common.
There is no official formula for converting one into the other.
Different by bureau, too
Each bureau keeps its own file on you, and lenders do not always report to all three. So you can have a different FICO Score at Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, and the same is true for VantageScore. Which bureau an issuer checks can change which of your scores it sees. See our bureau lookup.
Which one lenders use
Most credit card issuers are widely reported to rely on FICO Scores when deciding applications, while many free credit-monitoring apps show VantageScore. Lenders can choose their own model and version, so it is worth knowing both of your numbers.
How Bravox handles both
On a Check, tell us which model your score is from and, if you know it, add the other one. Your odds are modeled on FICO-style cutoffs, and we use your FICO Score whenever you provide one. Your dashboard shows both side by side, exactly as you reported them. We never convert one into the other.