Switching from Credit Karma's debt features to Unburden

Why you might be leaving Credit Karma's debt features

Free is a real advantage. Credit Karma does not ask for a credit card, and you get a VantageScore from two bureaus refreshed weekly. For millions of people, that is plenty. If debt monitoring is all you need, you are probably not reading this page.

You are reading this because the basic debt view (list of balances, rough minimum, sponsored consolidation offer at the bottom) is not enough when you are actually trying to pay debt down. Credit Karma will show you what you owe. It will not show you the month-by-month difference between snowball and avalanche, or what an extra $100 a month does to your debt-free date, or what your debt is doing to your financial vulnerability. A debt-specific tool does all of that.

Here is what you will do

Five steps. Ten minutes. Credit Karma stays open if you want credit score monitoring.

1. Step 1 (2 min): Note your debts in Credit Karma. Open Credit Karma, go to the Debts view, and write down each debt's balance, APR, and minimum payment. Credit Karma pulls these from your credit report, so double-check against your actual statements if the numbers look off.
2. Step 2 (1 min): Open Unburden. Go to app.unburden.money or install from Google Play. No sign-up.
3. Step 3 (5 min): Recreate your debts. Add each debt manually in Unburden: name, balance, APR, minimum. Five debts takes about five minutes.
4. Step 4 (1 min): Set your monthly amount. Pick the total you can commit each month. Unburden builds the snowball and avalanche plan and shows your debt-free date.
5. Step 5 (optional, 1 min): Close Credit Karma. Most people keep the account for credit score monitoring. If you do not want it at all, go to Settings, Account Management, Close Account.

What carries over vs. what doesn't

Carries over

• Your debt balances, APRs, and minimums. The same four fields Unburden needs for each debt.
• Your credit score awareness. Keep Credit Karma open in a tab; free score monitoring is the one thing they genuinely do well.

Doesn't carry over

• Credit score monitoring. Unburden has the Burden Score, which is different. It measures debt stress on your life, not your risk to a lender. If you want both, keep Credit Karma alongside.
• Sponsored card recommendations. Credit Karma's bread and butter is matching you to credit cards and loans. Unburden has none of that, which may be a feature for you.
• Transaction history (if migrated from Mint). Unburden tracks balances over time, not every transaction.

Feature-by-feature comparison

Credit Karma wins on credit score monitoring. Unburden wins on actual debt payoff planning. For free vs free, Credit Karma has the wider net; Unburden has the sharper tool for the specific job of paying debt down.

How to export your data from Credit Karma

Credit Karma does not offer a broad debt export. The fastest path is to open the Debts section in the app or on the web, and copy your balances, APRs, and minimums into a notes app or straight into Unburden. If you want your full profile data, Credit Karma provides a data-download option under Settings, Privacy & Data. Official help: support.creditkarma.com.

How to close your Credit Karma account (optional)

Most people keep Credit Karma because it is free and handles credit score monitoring. If you want to close it entirely, log in, go to Settings, then Account Management, and pick Close Account. Closing does not affect your credit score or report; Credit Karma does not furnish data to the bureaus. You can reopen later if you change your mind.

Why Unburden works for ex-Credit Karma users

Three specific reasons:

• It has real payoff tools. Credit Karma tells you what you owe. Unburden shows you the path out: snowball and avalanche compared, daily interest cost, a debt-free date that moves when you do.
• No offer feed. Credit Karma's business model is matching you to credit products. Unburden has no offer feed at all. When you open it, the only thing you see is your plan.
• The Burden Score is something your credit score cannot show. Your VantageScore measures lender risk. The Burden Score measures how much stress your debt is putting on your life. They answer different questions, and debt is a life problem, not just a lender-scoring problem.

FAQ

What happens to my Credit Karma history?

Your credit report history stays with the credit bureaus, not with Credit Karma. Credit Karma only shows you that data; closing your account does not affect your credit. If you migrated from Mint, your transaction history stays accessible in Credit Karma until you close the account.

Can I import Credit Karma data into Unburden?

No automated import. Credit Karma pulls your debts from your credit report, so the balances may be slightly behind real-time. Write down current balances, APRs, and minimums from your most recent statements and enter them in Unburden.

Is Unburden cheaper if Credit Karma is free?

Unburden is free for up to three debts. Credit Karma is free but monetized via sponsored credit card and loan recommendations. If free with no referral pressure matters to you, Unburden's free tier may be the better deal even though both cost nothing out of pocket.

What if Unburden does not monitor my credit score?

It does not. Credit score monitoring is Credit Karma's core feature, and Unburden does not replicate it. Most people keep Credit Karma on the side for score updates and use Unburden for the actual debt payoff plan. The apps answer different questions.

Do I get a refund from Credit Karma?

Credit Karma is free, so no refund applies. If you paid for any Credit Karma-adjacent product (like a tax filing service or Credit Karma Money checking account), those are separate and handled through their own support flows.

If you landed in Credit Karma through the Mint shutdown, see switching from Mint. For a direct comparison of both free tools, start at the comparison hub.