• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

FinanceJar

FinanceJar

Take the next step on your journey

  • Credit Scores
    • Get Free Credit Score
    • Get Your Free FICO Score
    • Credit Score Range
  • Credit Repair
  • Credit Reports
    • Credit Inquiries
  • Debt
    • List of Collection Agencies
  • Loans
  • About Us

Home Credit Scores FICO vs. VantageScore: What’s the Difference?

FICO vs. VantageScore: What’s the Difference?

Scale representing FICO vs. VantageScore

At a glance

FICO and VantageScore are both companies that produce your credit score based on the information in your credit reports. Read on to find out the key differences between FICO and VantageScore and what they mean for your credit score.

Instantly access your report and discover your credit score from all three credit bureaus.

Checking your score won't hurt your credit.

Written by Samuel Osbourne

Reviewed by Victoria Scanlon and Robert Jellison

Oct 5, 2021

Fresh advice you can trust

We promise to always deliver the best financial advice that we can. Our writers and editors follow strict editorial standards and operate independently from our advertisers and affiliates. Learn more about how we make money.

While most lenders continue to use FICO, it’s important to know that your FICO score isn’t your only credit score. Many online credit score checking services now partner with VantageScore, a different credit-scoring company from FICO. But is there really a big difference?

Table of Contents

  1. What’s the difference between FICO and VantageScore?
  2. Why is my VantageScore lower than my FICO score?
  3. VantageScore-to-FICO score conversion calculator

What’s the difference between FICO and VantageScore?

The differences between FICO and VantageScore are fairly small because their scoring models are similar. By and large, they consider the same factors when calculating your credit score. They weigh these factors slightly differently, but their models both reward and penalize the same behaviors.

There are four major differences between FICO and VantageScore:

1. Minimum credit scoring requirements

FICO and VantageScore differ in terms of the length of credit history that you need to have before they’ll generate a credit score for you.

In order to get a FICO score, you need to have a credit account that’s at least six months old, and you need to have at least one account that’s been reported to one of the credit bureaus in the past six months.1

By contrast, VantageScore generates your score more quickly after you open your first account (as quickly as one month afterwards, according to some sources).2 3

Moreover, as long as one of your lenders has reported your account information to one of the credit bureaus at least once in the past two years, VantageScore will continue to produce a credit score for you.

2. Score ranges and classifications

The early VantageScore models had a range of 501 to 990, but the newer models (VantageScore 3.0 and VantageScore 4.0) have the same scoring range as FICO (300 to 850). 1 4

However, it’s still hard to compare credit scores from FICO and VantageScore because the two companies use different thresholds between score classifications. For example, a FICO score of 790 is classed as “very good,” whereas the same score is classed as “excellent” by VantageScore. We’ve listed the ranges for FICO and VantageScore below:

FICO/VantageScore RatingFICO Score RangeVantageScore Range
Exceptional/Excellent800–850781–850
Very Good/Good740–799661–780
Good/Fair670–739601–660
Fair/Poor580–669500–600
Poor/Very Poor300–579300–499

3. How scores differ between bureaus

FICO produces separate scoring models for each of the three credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion), whereas all three bureaus use the same VantageScore model. 5 6

This means that if all three of your credit reports (produced by the three credit bureaus) are identical, then you’ll have the same VantageScore for each, but not necessarily the same FICO score.

However, your credit reports may not be identical because many lenders don’t report to all three bureaus. In reality, all of your FICO and VantageScore credit scores will likely vary to a small degree.

4. Scoring factors and weightings

FICO and VantageScore weight the factors that affect your credit score differently, as shown in the tables below:

Payment HistoryAmounts Owed (Credit Utilization)Length of Credit HistoryCredit MixNew Credit
FICO35%30%15%10%10%
Payment HistoryCredit UtilizationDepth of CreditRecent CreditBalancesAvailable Credit
VantageScore 3.040%20%21%5%11%3%
VantageScore 4.041%20%20%11%6%2%

Moreover, FICO and VantageScore treat the data points that influence these categories in different ways. For example, there are significant differences in how they treat hard inquiries and collection accounts, which is why you are likely to have different credit scores in each model.

Collection accounts

A collection account is a severely overdue debt that your creditor has charged off and sent to a debt collection agency. FICO and VantageScore both ignore small collection accounts, but larger ones can severely damage your credit score.

However, FICO and VantageScore have different minimum thresholds required for collection accounts to be factored into your score. VantageScore 3.0 and 4.0 exclude collection accounts that are worth less than $250, whereas FICO 8 and FICO 9 only ignore collections worth less than $100. 7 8

Hard inquiries

When you apply for a loan or credit card, your lender will usually conduct a credit check called a hard inquiry, which will lower your credit score by around five points. 9

Fortunately, the credit scoring models count multiple hard inquiries as a single inquiry if they appear on your credit report within a certain time period. FICO offers a 45-day grace period in their newer models, whereas VantageScore only offers a 14-day grace period. 3

Be aware that this grace period only applies to hard inquiries from loan applications of the same type. This means that three car loan inquiries will count as one, but one auto loan inquiry and one mortgage inquiry will be treated as two separate inquiries.

Moreover, FICO only applies this grace period to mortgages, auto loans, and student loans, whereas VantageScore applies it to other types of credit, including credit cards. 10  11

Why is my VantageScore lower than my FICO score?

It’s normal for your VantageScore and FICO credit scores to be different because they’re calculated using different scoring algorithms.

For example, your payment history accounts for 5%–6% more of your credit score in the VantageScore models than in the FICO models, so your VantageScore will likely take a harder hit if you fall behind on payments.

On the other hand, if you have a debt worth more than $100 but less than $250 that’s been sent to collections, your credit will take a major hit in FICO’s models but not in the VantageScore models.

FICO score vs. Credit Karma: why your scores are different

Credit monitoring services like Credit Karma monitor your credit scores, but they don’t create them. Your FICO score will be different from the score Credit Karma gives you because Credit Karma only provides you with your VantageScore.

VantageScore-to-FICO score conversion calculator

Unfortunately, there isn’t a reliable VantageScore-to-FICO score conversion calculator because the companies use different algorithms to calculate your credit score, and those algorithms are proprietary (which means they’re kept secret).

However, you can check your FICO score for free from your lender or credit card issuer if they’re enrolled in the FICO Score Open Access program. You can also go to VantageScore’s website to see if you can get your credit score from one of their partners. Alternatively, you can sign up for credit monitoring services with each of the main credit bureaus to monitor your credit scores.

Takeaway: FICO and VantageScore produce credit scoring models based on similar factors, with some small differences.

  • FICO and VantageScore models calculate your credit score based on similar factors, and they use the same credit scoring range of 300 to 850. However, they have different weightings for these factors.
  • To generate a credit score, FICO requires you to have an open credit account for six months, whereas VantageScore only requires you to have an account for one month.
  • VantageScore ignores collection accounts worth less than $250, and FICO ignores collection accounts worth less than $100.
  • FICO has a 45-day grace period in which multiple hard inquiries for loan applications are treated as one. By contrast, VantageScore only offers a 14-day grace period, but they also treat multiple hard inquiries for credit card applications as a single hard inquiry.
  • You can’t convert your VantageScore into a FICO score because they’re based on different scoring algorithms, and the details of those algorithms are proprietary (private).

Article Sources

  1. FICO. "To Score or Not to Score?" Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  2. VantageScore. "VantageScore turns 10: What it is, why it matters" Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  3. Coventry University. "Scaling Up Affordable Lending: Inclusive Credit Scoring" Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  4. VantageScore. "VantageScore 1.0 Validation" Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  5. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. "Analysis of Differences between Consumer- and Creditor-Purchased Credit Scores" Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  6. VantageScore. "Ushering in a new standard for credit scoring" Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  7. VantageScore. "13 Ways Credit Scores Have Changed in the Past 20 Years" Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  8. South Carolina State Library. "Calculating Credit: How changes in the FICO formula will affect your score" Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  9. U.S. Small Business Administration. "Checking and Monitoring Your Credit" Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  10. VantageScore. "Myths: What impacts credit scores?" Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  11. Equifax. "Are FICO® Scores and VantageScore® Different?" Retrieved October 5, 2021.

Samuel Osbourne

Content Writer

View Author

Sam Osbourne is a content writer for FinanceJar. His writing covers credit scores, credit repair, and renters insurance. He’s worked across a mixture of genres, including blogs, essays, and fiction. Sam has a Master’s degree in Creative Writing.

Related Articles

Credit report showing SYNCB/PPC
Credit Inquiries

Nov 5, 2021

SYNCB/PPC: What Is It and Why Is It on My Credit Report?

SYNCB/PPC stands for Synchrony Bank/PayPal Credit. There are a few...

FinanceJar Team
Polar bear guarding credit report in ice, representing how to freeze your credit
Credit Reports

Sep 22, 2021

How to Freeze Your Credit

A credit freeze prevents prospective lenders and creditors from...

Samuel Osbourne
Black car being repossessed which has an impact on credit
Credit Repair

Aug 5, 2022

How Long Does a Repo Stay on Your Credit?

A repossession takes 7 years to come off your credit report,...

FinanceJar Team
Gauge representing credit utilization rate
Credit Scores

Oct 6, 2021

Credit Utilization: What It Is and How It Affects Your Credit Score

Your credit utilization is the amount of your revolving credit that...

FinanceJar Team
Man disputing an item on his credit report with the credit bureaus
Credit Repair

Sep 13, 2021

How to Dispute an Item on Your Credit Report

If you suspect you have inaccurate information on your credit...

Victoria Scanlon
erasing and removing late payment from credit report
Credit Repair

Sep 24, 2021

How to Remove Late Payments from Your Credit Report

You can get late payments removed from your credit report by...

FinanceJar Team
FinanceJar

Footer

Credit

  • Credit Scores
  • Credit Repair
  • Credit Reports
  • Debt

Company

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Legal

  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

How We Make Money

We make money from advertising. We place links on our website to our affiliates, and when you click those links, our affiliates compensate us for it. Our relationships with our affiliates may affect which products we feature on our site and where these products appear in our articles.

Facebook Twitter Instagram TikTok YouTube LinkedIn Pinterest

© 2023 – ONR Financial Networks LLC – All Rights Reserved.

  • Credit Scores
    • Get Free Credit Score
    • Get Your Free FICO Score
    • Credit Score Range
  • Credit Repair
  • Credit Reports
    • Credit Inquiries
  • Debt
    • List of Collection Agencies
  • Loans
  • About Us

We hope this template helps you achieve your goals.

Would you please review us?

A review would mean a lot to us — and takes less than 20 seconds. Let us know what you think. Thanks!

Leave My Review

What you’ll get

  • Assess

    Fill in your information and we will securely pull your TransUnion credit report.

  • Address

    We challenge inaccurate negative items with the bureaus and your creditors.

  • Advise

    We will give you advice for how you can improve your credit. Don’t want to wait? Call us now.

Don’t want to wait? Call us!

Monday to Friday, 10AM - 7PM EST

FinanceJar

Get a FREE 5-minute credit consultation.

Get a credit improvement plan that works for you with 1 phone call.

What you’ll get

1
Assess

Fill in your information and we will securely pull your TransUnion credit report.

2
Address

We challenge inaccurate negative items with the bureaus and your creditors.

3
Advise

We will give you advice for how you can improve your credit. Don’t want to wait? Call us now.

This is completely secure and won’t hurt your credit score.

By clicking "Submit" I agree by electronic signature to: (1) be contacted about credit repair or credit repair marketing by a live agent, artificial or prerecorded voice and SMS text at my residential or cellular number, dialed manually or by autodialer, and by email (consent to be contacted is not a condition to purchase services); and (2) the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Don’t want to wait? Call (888) 859-0871 now

FinanceJar

Advertising Disclosure

Some of our articles feature links to our partners, who compensate us when you click them. This may affect the products and services that we showcase in our articles and how we place and order them. It does not affect our evaluations of them, which our writers and editors create independently, without considering our relationships with our partners.

FinanceJar

Editorial Standards

We promise to always deliver the best financial advice that we can. That’s our first priority, and we take it seriously.

To ensure that our articles and reviews are objective and unbiased, our writers and editors operate independently from our advertisers and affiliates. Our writers do not take FinanceJar’s relationship with its affiliates into consideration when writing their reviews and articles.

Everything we publish is as accurate and as complete as we can make it. All of our articles undergo several rounds of fact-checking before we publish them, and we do our best to keep them as no-nonsense and jargon-free as possible while still delivering the information that you need.

We know that taking financial advice from us requires a lot of trust on your part. We’re grateful for that trust, and we won’t abuse it. Learn more about our editorial standards.

FinanceJar

How We Make Money

FinanceJar partners with other companies in the credit and finance industry, such as credit card issuers and credit repair companies.

We make money through advertising. Our pages feature links to our partners’ websites. If you click on one of those links, we get paid.

The links to our partners are always clearly marked. You’ll always be able to tell what you’re clicking. We’ll never try to trick you into clicking anything you’re not genuinely interested in.

That’s the only way that we make money. We don’t accept compensation in exchange for reviews or articles, and we don’t directly sell any products or services ourselves. Our editorial team operates independently (with no influence from our affiliates or our advertising team) so as to avoid compromising the objectivity of our reviews. Learn more about how we make money.