How we rank
debt relief companies.

What we look at in this category

Debt settlement and nonprofit credit counseling are two very different services that get advertised with the same words. Compare what each one costs after fees, what it can do to your credit, and what you could try before signing up.

Questions every profile has to answer

• Am I signing up for settlement or a debt management plan?
• What are the fees, and when do you collect them?
• What happens if a creditor refuses to deal?

Collect evidence you can compare

For each company we identify the legal entity and official site, collect written pricing and terms, check the relevant registrations, and note the date and source of every fact that matters. When pricing depends on the customer, we compare on an identical scenario.

Anything a company says about itself is labeled as the company’s claim. On its own it doesn’t prove quality, service, or results.

Show the upside and the catch together

Every profile should tell you who the service suits, what it costs, and when another option fits better. If we couldn’t verify something, we say so instead of counting it for or against the company.

Score only when the evidence is there

Our model is a 100-point rubric with weights set per category. Each criterion gets a documented 0 to 5 rating, multiplied by its weight and divided by five. No company gets a published number until the evidence is complete and a reviewer has signed off.

Identity, availability, core costs, and material terms are mandatory. Contradictions get resolved before anything is scored. Customer ratings, our editorial score, and a company’s position on the page are three different things.

Keep the record correctable

We go back to the source when a fee, product, restriction, or company status changes. Readers and companies use the same correction form.