FICO® score vs. credit score: What’s the difference?

You’ve probably heard of a credit score. And you’ve probably heard of a FICO® score. But what’s the difference between a credit score and a FICO score?

Think of a FICO score as a specific type of credit score from a specific credit-scoring company.

Read on to learn more about credit scores and FICO scores, including why they’re important, their range, how they’re calculated and where you can find yours.

Key takeaways

• Credit scores are used in lending decisions and are based on the information in credit reports.
• A FICO score is a credit score calculated by the Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO). 
• FICO has a number of credit-scoring models for calculating credit scores, including a variety of industry-specific models for things like mortgage lending and auto loans.
• FICO scores generally range from 300 to 850. And the higher the score, the better.

A FICO score is a credit score. But it’s a specific type of score that comes from FICO based on scoring models, which are complex formulas used to calculate credit scores.

FICO produces multiple models that lenders can use to calculate scores and assess borrowers’ creditworthiness. And the most popular FICO score models have credit score ranges from 300 to 850.

So what is a credit score anyway? A credit score is a three-digit number that’s based on a borrower’s credit history. Scores are based on information found in credit reports. And according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), credit scores are used to predict a borrower’s credit behavior, such as how likely they are to pay money back on time. 

In other words, credit scores reflect a person’s creditworthiness. And they’re used by lenders, like credit card issuers, to determine someone’s credit risk. Credit scores could impact whether a borrower is approved for things like a credit card, auto loans or personal loans. 

Scores can also affect interest rates and credit limits, and they can play a role in other things too:

• Landlords may check a rental applicant’s credit scores. 
• Insurance companies may consider credit when determining premiums.
• Lenders take credit into account when reviewing applications for financing plans.
• Cellphone and utility providers may waive security deposits for applicants who have good credit scores.
• Government agencies can check your credit if you’ve applied for public assistance or have to pay child support.
• Debt collection agencies may request to see your credit history.
• Employers may even check applicants’ credit as part of a background check.

According to the CFPB, there are several factors that scoring models usually take into account when calculating credit scores, including:

• Bill payment history
• Current unpaid debt
• The number of loans a borrower has
• The different types of loans a borrower has, which is known as credit mix
• How long someone has had credit accounts
• The available credit they’re using, or credit utilization
• Any recent applications for a new line of credit
• Whether they’ve had a debt sent to collections, a bankruptcy or a foreclosure and how long ago it was

But keep in mind that different companies have different scoring models. And some companies may have multiple versions of scoring models. So a person might have several different credit scores. 

Different scoring models may take into account certain aspects of your credit history or give more weight to certain factors. But regardless of the scoring model, the higher the score, the better.

Here’s a list of factors that credit scores—including FICO’s—don’t take into account:

• Race, nationality or color
• Sex
• Gender
• Marital status
• Religious or political affiliations
• Where you live or where you were born
• Your income, your job or whether you’re employed
• Where you work
• Where you were born
• Soft credit inquiries

A FICO score is a credit score from a specific credit-scoring company. FICO—shortened from Fair Isaac Corporation—is credited with creating the first standardized scoring model back in 1989. The company has created multiple versions of its credit-scoring models since then, but it says today’s models are still very similar to the original.

FICO is one of two credit-scoring companies whose scores are most commonly used by lenders. The other is VantageScore.

FICO offers a number of different scores, such as FICO Score 8, as well as industry-specific scoring models, including FICO Auto Scores and FICO Bankcard Scores. 

There are a number of factors that affect credit scores, and FICO is clear about how exactly those factors affect theirs:

• 35% payment history
• 30% total debt 
• 15% length of credit history
• 10% types of accounts, known as credit mix
• 10% new credit

Like all credit-scoring models and companies, there are ranges to FICO scores. Typically, the range is from 300 to 850. FICO says a good FICO score is from 670 to 739. Anything above that is considered very good or exceptional. 

Despite the fact that there are multiple scoring models, FICO score ranges generally stack up like this:

• Exceptional: 800+
• Very good: 740-799
• Good: 670-739
• Fair: 580-669
• Poor: less than 580

For comparison’s sake, VantageScore credit scores generally look like this:

• Excellent: 781-850
• Good: 661-780
• Fair: 601-660
• Poor: 500-600
• Very poor: 300-499

If you’re trying to check your credit score, you may be able to find it by checking your credit card statement or signing in to your online account. You may also be able to get your scores directly from the credit bureaus and credit-scoring companies, but you might have to pay for them. 

And while some companies do offer paid options for services like credit monitoring and identity protection, you don’t have to pay for credit monitoring if you use CreditWise from Capital One, for instance. With CreditWise, you can access your TransUnion credit report and VantageScore 3.0 credit score for free—without negatively impacting your scores. You can even see the potential impacts of financial decisions on your credit score before you make them with the CreditWise Simulator.

CreditWise is free and available to everyone—even if you don’t have a Capital One account.

To learn more about the differences between FICO scores and other credit scores, check out these frequently asked questions.

Credit scores can be thought of as a snapshot of credit reports and are used in lending decisions. And they’re calculated by credit-scoring companies using different scoring models.

A FICO score is a specific type of credit score. And while FICO has multiple scoring models of its own, FICO scores generally range from 300 to 850. And the higher the score, the better.

If you want to check and track your credit, consider a free service like CreditWise.