Credit builder apps in the United States:Which are most popular?

Name: Credit builder apps in the United States: Which are searched most?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In October 2026, Kikoff was the most searched credit builder app in the United States, accounting for 49.5% of all searches among the five apps tracked by the Brandwave Brand Demand Index. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Kikoff was mentioned most often, in three of the five answers. Kikoff was recommended most often, coming first in one out of three responses that gave a list.

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Top credit builder apps in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Kikoff was mentioned most often, in three of the five answers. Kikoff was recommended most often, coming first in one out of three answers that gave a list. Self was second, and Chime was third. Credit Strong, which ranked second in searches, was not mentioned at all.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

How many AI answers named each brand
Brand	ChatGPT	Google	Answers that named it
Kikoff	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	3 of 5
Self	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
Chime	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
Grow Credit	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
Credit Strong	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5

Kikoff3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Self2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Chime1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Grow Credit1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Credit Strong0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about credit builder apps

5 answers

Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best way to build credit from scratch?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best credit builder app?”
1. 1Kikoff
2. 2Self
3. 3Grow Credit
Asked ChatGPT
“How can I raise my credit score quickly?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“credit builder”
1. 1Chime
2. 2Kikoff
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best credit builder”
1. 1Self
2. 2Kikoff

Not named in any answer:

Credit Strong

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 27, 2026.

Which credit builder apps do people search for most?

This chart shows how often people search Google for each credit builder app by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all five credit builder apps we track, month by month, from searches in United States.

Share of searches among credit builder apps in the United States, by month

Month	Kikoff	Credit Strong	Self	Chime	Grow Credit
Nov 2025	48.5%	32.5%	11.9%	5.3%	1.9%
Dec 2025	47.4%	31.7%	14.2%	5.2%	1.5%
Jan 2026	47.4%	31.7%	14.2%	5.2%	1.5%
Feb 2026	47.6%	31.8%	14.2%	5.2%	1.2%
Mar 2026	44.3%	36.2%	13.2%	4.8%	1.4%
Apr 2026	52.9%	28.9%	12.9%	3.8%	1.4%
May 2026	52.6%	28.8%	12.9%	4.7%	1.1%
Jun 2026	56.1%	25.1%	13.7%	4.1%	0.93%
Jul 2026	57.6%	25.8%	11.5%	4.2%	0.95%
Aug 2026	54.3%	29.7%	10.9%	3.9%	1.2%
Sep 2026	49.5%	33.1%	12.1%	4.4%	1%
Oct 2026	49.5%	33.1%	9.9%	6.6%	1%

Rank	Brand	Share of searches	Estimated monthly branded searches	vs prior month	Share change
1, held 1st	Kikoff	49.5%	49.5K	0%	0 points
2, held 2nd	Credit Strong	33.1%	33.1K	0%	0 points
3, held 3rd	Self	9.9%	9.9K	-18.2%	-2.2 points
4, held 4th	Chime	6.6%	6.6K	+50%	+2.2 points
5, held 5th	Grow Credit	1%	1K	0%	0 points

1.Kikoff
49.5%
Held 1st. 49.5K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
2.Credit Strong
33.1%
Held 2nd. 33.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
3.Self
9.9%
Held 3rd. 9.9K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -2.2 points.
4.Chime
6.6%
Held 4th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, +50% vs prior month. Share +2.2 points.
5.Grow Credit
1%
Held 5th. 1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Which brand is most popular in search among credit builder apps in the United States?

5 brands

In October 2026, Kikoff was the most searched among credit builder apps in the United States, with an estimated 49.5K branded searches, 49.5% of all searches for the five tracked by the Brandwave Brand Demand Index. Credit Strong is in 2nd place, 16.4 percentage points behind at 33.1%.

United States credit builder apps, last 12 months ending October 2026
Brand	Share of searches	Peak	Low	Rank
Kikoff	48.5% → 49.5%	57.6%Jul 2026	44.3%Mar 2026	1st
Credit Strong	32.5% → 33.1%	36.2%Mar 2026	25.1%Jun 2026	2nd
Self	11.9% → 9.9%	14.2%Feb 2026	9.9%Oct 2026	3rd
Chime	5.3% → 6.6%	6.6%Oct 2026	3.8%Apr 2026	4th
Grow Credit	1.9% → 1%	1.9%Nov 2025	0.93%Jun 2026	5th

Each finding as a sentence

Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Kikoff’s share of searches among credit builder apps in the United States increased from 48.5% to 49.5%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Credit Strong’s share of searches among credit builder apps in the United States increased from 32.5% to 33.1%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Self’s share of searches among credit builder apps in the United States decreased from 11.9% to 9.9%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Chime’s share of searches among credit builder apps in the United States increased from 5.3% to 6.6%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Grow Credit’s share of searches among credit builder apps in the United States decreased from 1.9% to 1%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Kikoff’s share of searches among credit builder apps in the United States peaked at 57.6% in July 2026 and was lowest at 44.3% in March 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Credit Strong’s share of searches among credit builder apps in the United States peaked at 36.2% in March 2026 and was lowest at 25.1% in June 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Self’s share of searches among credit builder apps in the United States peaked at 14.2% in February 2026 and was lowest at 9.9% in October 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Chime’s share of searches among credit builder apps in the United States peaked at 6.6% in October 2026 and was lowest at 3.8% in April 2026.

How did search popularity change for United States credit builder apps in October 2026?

3 changes

In October 2026, Chime gained share of searches among credit builder apps in the United States, from 4.4% to 6.6%.
In October 2026, Self lost share of searches among credit builder apps in the United States, from 12.1% to 9.9%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Grow Credit in the United States fell 47.4% over 12 measured months, from 1.9K to 1K in October 2026.

How are branded searches counted for credit builder apps?

5 search terms

Each brand's share of searches among credit builder apps comes from the terms listed under its name. When people mostly search for a brand because of something else it sells, only the searches that name this product count here.