CIBIL vs Experian vs Equifax vs CRIF: Which

Start with Experian, not CIBIL. That is the uncomfortable answer. It follows from one rule: RBI makes every lender a member of all four bureaus. So all four hold your data. Your lender picks which one to pull, and it need not tell you. Experian is the only bureau giving unlimited free reports. That makes it the cheapest way to see what a lender sees. Then claim your free report from the other three too.

Free full credit reports the law guarantees	1 per bureau, per calendar year
What it means	Four bureaus, so four free reports a year. Experian gives unlimited.
RBI-licensed bureaus	4 — CIBIL, Experian, Equifax, CRIF High Mark
Data refresh	Four times a month — As on the 9th, 16th, 23rd and last day of each month
If a fix is late	₹100 a day — Payable to you after 30 days

as of 2026-09-06 · RBI (Credit Information Reporting) Directions, 2025, cl. 9(1)(i) · verified

The four RBI-licensed credit bureaus, side by side

Bureau	Score range	Free full report	What it says about a good score
TransUnion CIBIL	300–900	Once a year, then paid	Above 700 is generally considered good
Experian India	300–900	Unlimited, free	Higher score, better approval odds
Equifax India	300–900	Once a calendar year	Range only; no band published
CRIF High Mark	300–900	Once a year	300 is the lowest, 900 the highest

Ranges and free-report terms taken from each bureau’s own FAQ, read 6 September 2026. The one-a-year floor is set by RBI, not by the bureaus.

CIBIL vs Experian: where they actually differ

Dimension	CIBIL	Experian	Which wins	Why
Score scale	300–900	300–900	Tie	Same scale, so a gap is never the scale
Free reports a year	One	Unlimited	Experian	You can recheck after a fix, at no cost
Age in India	Operating longest	Licensed 2010	CIBIL	Longer history means deeper old records
Data it receives	From all lenders	From all lenders	Tie	RBI makes every lender a member of both
Cost to monitor	Paid subscription	Free	Experian	Nothing to pay to watch a dispute close

Sourced from cibil.com and experian.in FAQs plus RBI circular RBI/2014-2015/405. “Which wins” is our judgement, not a bureau claim.

Which credit bureau do banks actually use?

All of them hold your file. RBI is explicit: every credit institution must join all four bureaus. So the same loan and the same missed payment reach all four. CIBIL, Experian, Equifax and CRIF High Mark each get the lot.

What RBI does not fix is which report a lender buys. That is a commercial choice. A bank may pull one bureau, or two, or a different one for cards than for home loans. Nothing obliges it to name the bureau it used.

So the honest answer is that no single bureau “is the one banks use”. Anyone who tells you otherwise is guessing.

How to find out which bureau your lender pulled

Check your phone. RBI requires bureaus to alert you by SMS or email when a lender accesses your report. The alert names the bureau.

Look at messages from the week you applied. That tells you which file the decision was made on. Start your reading there.

Why is my CIBIL score different from my Experian score?

Three reasons, and none of them is that one bureau is stricter.

First, timing. Lenders report four times a month, as on the 9th, 16th, 23rd and the last day of the month. Two bureaus pulled on different days can hold different balances.

Second, the model. Each bureau scores your file with its own formula. The formulas are not published. Same data, different arithmetic, different number — though the inputs are the same everywhere, and we set out the factors affecting a credit score separately.

Third, errors. A closed loan may still show as live. An account may not be yours at all. Either one drags a single file, not all four, and each is fixed by raising a dispute with that bureau.

Does a gap mean one bureau is wrong?

Not by itself. A small gap is normal and expected.

A large gap is a flag. Pull both reports and compare the account lists line by line. If an account appears on one and not the other, that is the thing to fix. Do not argue about the score. Argue about the entry that produced it.

How do I get all four credit reports for free?

RBI gives you one free full credit report from each bureau, once in each calendar year. It must include your score. It must match the most detailed version lenders receive.

That is four free reports a year in total. Most people claim one and stop.

Experian goes further and offers unlimited free reports. That matters while you are fixing an error. You can check the fix landed without paying again.

Go to each bureau directly. Free-score apps show a score, not the full report. The wrong entry hides in the full report.

My loan was refused. What does that do to my report?

The refusal itself is not recorded. RBI bars lenders from reporting declined applications to the bureaus. No bureau holds a rejection list.

The enquiry is recorded. Every time you apply, the lender reads your report, and that read is logged in the Enquiries section of your file.

So the damage from a refusal is not the refusal. It is the pattern of applying repeatedly afterwards, in a hurry, at several lenders. Each one adds an enquiry to a file that is already being questioned — and the reasons a lender says no are usually visible on the report before you apply again, which is what our page on personal loan rejection reasons covers.

Read the report first. Apply second. If the file is accurate and simply thin or damaged, the work is improving the score rather than shopping for a lender — and if you need to borrow before that is done, a personal loan on a low CIBIL score is priced accordingly.

What if the report is wrong? What you are owed

You have a paid remedy, and few people use it.

Raise a dispute with the bureau or the lender. The lender has 21 days to send the corrected data. The whole complaint must be resolved within 30 calendar days.

If it is not, you are owed ₹100 for every calendar day of delay. That is an RBI framework, in force since April 2024, and now written into the 2025 Directions. The money is credited to you within five working days of resolution.

File in writing and keep the date. The clock runs from your first complaint, and the date is what you will need.

Frequently asked questions

Which credit score do banks use in India?

There is no single answer, and that is the point. RBI clause 4(1) makes every lender a member of all four bureaus, so CIBIL, Experian, Equifax and CRIF High Mark all receive your data. Which report a lender buys is its own commercial choice, and it is not required to tell you. The practical route is the SMS or email alert the bureaus must send you when your report is accessed. It names the bureau your lender used.

Why is my CIBIL score different in different apps?

Usually because the apps are showing different bureaus. Many free-score apps display an Experian or CRIF score, not CIBIL. Even where the bureau is the same, the pull dates differ, and lenders update the bureaus four times a month, as on the 9th, 16th, 23rd and the last day of the month. On top of that each bureau uses its own unpublished scoring model. Same underlying data, different arithmetic, different number.

Is CIBIL better than Experian?

For getting a loan, neither is better; your lender decides which it reads. For managing your own credit, Experian wins on one clear fact. Experian India states you can get unlimited free credit reports in a year, while CIBIL gives one free report and then charges for a subscription. When you are chasing an error, being able to recheck for free is worth more than brand recognition.

How often is my credit score updated?

Your data is refreshed four times a month. Since 1 July 2026, the RBI (Credit Information Reporting) Directions, 2025, as amended on 4 December 2025, require lenders and bureaus to update credit information as on the 9th, 16th, 23rd and the last day of each month, or more often if they agree to. Your score then changes when that new data is scored. So a payment made on the 20th typically will not show until after the 23rd cycle.

Does checking my own credit report lower my score?

No. An enquiry, as the bureaus define it, is a lender reading your report because you applied for credit. That is what gets logged in the Enquiries section of your file. Reading your own report is not a credit application and is not that. Claim your free report as often as you are entitled to.

Can I get a free credit report more than once a year?

From most bureaus, no. RBI guarantees one free full credit report, including your score, once during each January to December year, from each bureau. Because there are four bureaus, that is four free reports a year in total. Experian is the exception and offers unlimited free reports on its own site.

My loan was rejected. Will that show on my credit report?

The rejection will not. RBI prohibits lenders from reporting declined applications to the bureaus, so there is no defaulters list and no rejection list. The application itself does show, as an enquiry, because the lender read your report. That is why applying at five lenders in one week after a refusal is the wrong move.

What is a good credit score in India?

All four bureaus score on the same 300 to 900 scale, so the number means roughly the same thing everywhere. CIBIL states that a score above 700 is generally considered good. CRIF describes 300 as the lowest and 900 as the highest. No bureau publishes the cut-off a given bank uses, because the bank sets that itself and does not disclose it.

Sources

Reserve Bank of India — Master Direction – RBI (Credit Information Reporting) Directions, 2025 (DoR.FIN.REC.No.55/20.16.056/2024-25) — cl. 4(1) membership, 9(1)(f) declined applications, 9(1)(i) free full credit report, 16(1)(a) access alerts, 17 compensation (primary source) — as of 2026-09-06
Reserve Bank of India, Reserve Bank of India (Commercial Banks – Credit Information Reporting) Amendment Directions, 2025, RBI/DOR/2025-26/110, 4 December 2025, in force from 1 July 2026 — reporting as on the 9th, 16th, 23rd and last day of each month.
Reserve Bank of India — Free Annual Credit Report to Individuals (DBR.CID.BC.No.11/20.16.042/2016-17), 1 September 2016, effective 1 January 2017 (primary source) — as of 2016-09-01
Reserve Bank of India — Membership of Credit Information Companies (RBI/2014-2015/405), 15 January 2015 — names the four registered CICs (primary source) — as of 2015-01-15
Reserve Bank of India — Framework for compensation to customers for delayed updation/rectification of credit information (RBI/2023-24/72), 26 October 2023, effective 26 April 2024 (primary source) — as of 2023-10-26
TransUnion CIBIL — FAQs — Credit Score and Loan Basics: CIBIL Score ranges from 300 to 900 — as of 2026-09-06
TransUnion CIBIL — FAQs — Understand Your Credit Score and Report: a score above 700 is generally considered good — as of 2026-09-06
Experian India — Consumer FAQs: score range 300 to 900, and unlimited free credit reports through the year — as of 2026-09-06
Equifax India — Support FAQ: Equifax credit score ranges from 300 to 900; full free credit report once in a calendar year — as of 2026-09-06
CRIF High Mark — FAQs: CRIF credit score generally ranges between 300 and 900; one full free annual credit report — as of 2026-09-06

CIBIL vs Experian vs Equifax vs CRIF: Which Credit Bureau Do Banks Use?