Best Debt Companies in 2021

Top 3 Debt Companies in 2021

There are many ways to get into debt. Fortunately, there are also multiple paths to get out of debt as well.

We've ranked the top debt companies in the world. Before getting started, it's important you know the difference between the variouis types of debt companies:

• Debt Resolution
• Debt Consolidation
• Debt Management

Debt consolidation is combining some or all unsecured debts into a single loan, usually resulting in a lower interest rate and/or lower monthly payment.

While many consolidation companies don’t provide a consolidation loan, they do offer consolidation services, which mirror the single payment consolidation – minus the loan.

Clients enroll all of their unsecured credit accounts to a debt management program (DMP) and make a single payment to the company of choice.

Negotiators or arbitrators reach out to creditors to create a monthly payment plan suitable for client’s budgets. Each month, the consolidation company splits the payment between creditors and keeps a portion as their payment.

These plans vary in length with many aiming to get clients out of debt within 12-48 months. We advise seeking a company willing to put in extra effort to resolve debt in fewer than 36 months.

Debt consolidation is just one of the various strategies debt companies use to help customers find financial freedom. Some of these strategies will help you wipe out your debt at the cost of your credit score and some will help you consolidate debt into one monthly payment.

Debt resolution is an alternative to bankruptcy — declaring bankruptcy has several consequences: it stays on your credit report for 10 years, affects future eligibility for loans, involves selling assets, and often includes lawyer fees. Fortunately, debt resolution avoids the bankruptcy process by negotiating your debt lower and making it easier to pay off.

The debt resolution process begins with a free consultation. At the free consultation, a company representative will review your financial situation and answer your questions about the debt settlement process.

If you decide to use the company’s services, you will stop making payments on your bills. Instead, you’ll set money aside into a separate account to be used as a lump sum payment when a payment agreement is reached. Because you are no longer making payments, you credit score drops.

The debt resolution company will start negotiating with creditors. When a successful resolution is reached and paid, you will be debt-free. However, your credit report will say that all of these debts were “settled” instead of “paid in full.”

Unfortunately, because of the complexity of the debt management process and the different methods, it can be difficult for customers to measure the quality of one debt company against others.

Luckly, we’ve done the heavy lifting for you.

Here are the top 3 debt companies (includes more strategies than just debt consolidation):

Pros

• $7,500 Minimum Debt Req.
• Excellent Customer Service
• Great Customer Reviews
• Proven Track Record

Score

9.8

Price

15-25%

Cons

• Limited Availability
• Costly

Visit Site See Review

Expert Take

Freedom Debt has proven to be the top debt resolution company in the entire industry. For customers who are hounded by creditors and deep in debt, there is alternative to bankruptcy: Freedom Debt. The company's price lock guarantee, the $0 upfront cost, and the lifetime warranty all qualify Freedom for the #1 spot.

Key Details

• Debt Resolution Expertise
• Excellent Customer Reviews
• Online Usability
• No Fees Until After Debt Is Resolved

Overview

Freedom DR is a debt management and consolidation company that can help customers resolve issues with debt in a variety of different ways.

Freedom is ranked #1 on BestDebtCompanys.com for three reasons:

1. Track Record
2. Customer Reviews
3. No Upfront Fees

Freedom DR only makes money after you’ve cut your debt down (and even then, Freedom charges you a portion of the debt, so you’ll always save money).

Additionally, many debt management companies can mislead customers and take advantage of an already frustrating situation — that’s why looking at customer reviews is so important. We’ve given Freedom DR the #1 ranking because it has the highest customer rating in the industry (rating to review number ratio).

We highly recommend customers contact Freedom for a free consultation to identify the debt strategy that will work best for your unique financial situation.

Freedom DR Reviews

Freedom has a 4.7 out of 5 star rating with over 17,000 total customer reviews on Best Company; be sure to read real Freedom DR customer reviews before making a final decision.

For now, it’s notable that 81% of all customer reviews Freedom receives through Best Company are perfect 5-star reviews, while just 2% are 1-star reviews.

Of course, every company has difficulties keeping up with customer feedback and ensuring a seamless service experience. But Freedom DR has made resolving customer complaints a priority — this is how we know when a company cares about its customers.

Many companies will ignore negative customer feedback or even hide it to avoid addressing service issues. Freedom DR seeks to resolve the issues that every customer faces, improving the customer experience overall, leading to highly satisfied customers and positive reviews.

Some of the most mentioned positive aspects of Freedom’s service are:

• Reasonable fees
• Support customer reps
• Ability to stop creditor calls
• Sense of financial burden lifted

We hear heartbreaking stories about debt all the time. We love Freedom DR’s service because they are actively helping their customers regain control of their lives through financial independence and responsible debt management.

Freedom DR Cost

As an alternative to declaring bankruptcy, most customers approach Freedom DR to manage all of their debt, allowing the company to tackle each creditor one by one in order to cut debt (sometimes in half).

The debt company does not charge a setup fee. In fact, you won’t have to pay a dime until after your debt is resolved.

Freedom DR’s cost is 22% of the original debt amount on average. This means that if Freedom can help you cut a $50,000 debt in half, you’d end up paying $11,000 on top of the remaining debt (total of $36,000 instead of $50,000), saving you $14,000 in the process.

Of course, the end price will depend on the customer, so we encourage would-be customers to contact Freedom for a free consultation to see how much you could save.

Pros

• Positive/No Impact on Credit Score
• Reduced Monthly Payments
• Excellent Customer Score
• Great Price: $40/mo avg

Score

9.6

Price

$40/mo (avg)

Cons

• Upfront Fees
• No Guarantees

Visit Site See Review

Expert Take

Every customer has a different level of debt urgency. Some customers need to file brankruptcy (although debt resolution may be a valid alternative). Many customers can still save their credit score AND get debt free by going with a debt consolidation or debt management company — Consolidated Credit is the #1 debt consolidation company. I highly recommend Consolidated Credit for customers who don't want to damage their credit score for years to come.

Key Details:

• Best for Debt Consolidation
• Affordable Enrollment

Overview

Debt consolidation is taking out a new loan with a lower interest rate to pay off high-interest debt. Because debt consolidation reduces the interest rate, it makes it easier to pay off your debt. Many debt consolidation companies offer debt management programs. These programs manage your debt for you for a monthly fee. They also help lower interest rates.

Clients make one monthly payment to the debt consolidation company, that will then ensure that it is distributed to each of your lenders. Before potential clients sign up, most debt consolidation companies offer free consultations.

Debt consolidation companies typically charge an enrollment fee. Some companies waive this fee. However, the enrollment fee can be as high as $100. The monthly fee for services ranges between $10 and $79. Some companies determine their fees by what their clients can afford based on their financial situation.

For more specific cost information for your situation, take advantage of the free consultation offered by most debt consolidation and credit counseling companies.

Some debt consolidation companies have a minimum debt requirement. Some consolidation companies do not have a minimum debt requirement. Others have a lower threshold than debt settlement companies, like Consumers Alliance with a $3,000 minimum. Others have a higher requirement, like Debt Guru with a $10,000 minimum.

Consolidated Credit Reviews

Consolidated Credit has excellent customer reviews. The debt consolidation company has over 850 customer reviews on BestCompany.com, and has received an average customer rating of 4.7 out of 5.

The company has received excellent ratings in each of the following sentiment criteria:

• Value
• Quality
• Service
• Trustworthiness

We've also been impressed by the company's effort to respond to customer reviews and resolve any issues that might come forth. It is because of their impressive customer service that we recommend Consolidated Credit as the #1 debt consolidation company and the #2 debt company overall.

Consolidated Credit Cost

Consolidated Credit has a monthly fee and an enrollment fee. Luckily, both are extremely affordable and will vary based on what each client can afford.

The average monthly fee for Consolidated Credit is $49. The enrollment fee can cost anywhere from $0 to $49.

Pros

• $7,500 Min. Debt Requirement
• Accredited, Trusted
• Money-Back Guarantee
• Works w/ Some Secured Debt Types

Score

9.2

Price

18-25%

Cons

• No Dedicated Representative
• No Credit Repair or Consolidation Services

Visit Site See Review

Expert Take

In just a short amount of time (founded in 2009), National Debt is one of the largest debt companies in the industry. As with all debt resolution companies — a highly regulated industry — we rely heavily on customer reviews to tell the majority of the story; and customers seem to love National Debt. Customers appreciate the quick debt resolution services that the company provides. I recommend National Debt for one reason — the customers recommend it.

Key Details:

• Great Debt Resolution Program
• Money-Back Guarantee
• Great Reviews
• Good Customer Reviews

Overview

National Debt is a very close competitor to Freedom Debt, in that both of the company's customers are highly satisfied with the service they've received. Founded in 2009, National Debt has skyrocketed to the top of the debt resolution industry and remains there as one of the best debt companies overall. NDR has an A+ rating with the BBB and has earned a 4.4 out of 5 star rating from customers on BestCompany.com.

We love National Debt's money-back guarantee, which states that the company is so confident in their ability to get you a debt resolution, that you don't have to pay them at all until after your debt is resolved. This means that you can cancel anytime without any penalties or fees. If National Debt is unable to resolve your debt, you won't have to pay them a single penny.

National Debt Reviews

National Debt Relief is rated 4.4/5 by consumers on Best Company. Positive National Debt Relief reviews include comments about the company’s quality of customer service, ability to achieve debt resolutions, and professionalism:

• Excellent customer service.
• Quality debt negotiation results.
• Lengthy process but worth the results.

Common complaints among National Debt reviews include:

• No dedicated account/customer representative.
• Being treated well during enrollment and then the quality dropping once the debt settlement process actually starts.

The company provides an online dashboard to help clients keep track of their debt management program, but customers have still said they feel disconnected from the debt resolution process.