The cheapest way to check a business credit score is Nav's free tier, which costs $0 as of 2026-10-06 and shows business credit summaries from all three bureaus. Going to the bureaus directly makes sense when a full report from one of them is needed, and Dun & Bradstreet also lists a free D&B Credit Insights tier at $0. Anyone who has not yet formed the business, obtained an EIN or opened a business bank account should do those first, because the SBA places them ahead of any credit file.

How do I check my business credit score for free?

Start with a free tier, not a paid report. Nav's free tier shows business credit summaries from all three bureaus at no cost, and Dun & Bradstreet lists a free D&B Credit Insights tier as well. Together they cover the question for most businesses that only want to see what is on file.

What a free tier shows is a summary. The full reports, with detailed trade account histories, are the paid products described below. Which fields appear in a free summary is decided by each provider.

One caution about the word "score." Each bureau owns its own scoring, and the formulas are not published by any government body. The SBA's five-step sequence is about building the file the scores are calculated from, not about any particular score.

Where do the entity and bookkeeping steps fit?

There is nothing to check until a business file exists, and the SBA's sequence says how one starts. Choose a business structure so the business is a distinct legal entity, such as an LLC, LLP or corporation. Then obtain an EIN, which the SBA says can be applied for free through the IRS assistance tool, and open a business bank account.

ZenBusiness handles formation and offers a free accounting consultation to customers who form with it, and its accounting page covers the recordkeeping side. It does not sell credit monitoring, a credit score or any credit-building service, so it is not part of the comparison below.

The SBA puts the purpose in one line: "To keep your business and personal finances separate, the first step is to start building credit in your company's name." Credit checked before that separation exists will mostly show nothing.

How do Nav and the bureaus compare?

The options below are listed alphabetically, and the order is not a ranking. All prices were verified on each provider's own pricing page on 2026-10-06 and are stated as of that date, since they change.

Dun & Bradstreet. D&B sells its own credit products under the current name D&B Credit Insights, which replaced the older CreditSignal name. As of 2026-10-06 the tiers are Free at $0, Basic at $49 per month or $499 per year, Plus at $149 per month or $1,499 per year, and Premium at $199 per month or $1,999 per year. Best for a business that wants a free look at its D&B file before deciding on a paid tier.

Equifax. Equifax does not sell business credit reports directly. They are sold through approved resellers: eCredable for the one-time report and Nav for monitoring. As of 2026-10-06 the one-time report is $49.99 and monitoring starts from $39.99 per month. Best for a business that wants a full Equifax report and is comfortable buying through a reseller.

Experian. Experian sells its own reports and subscriptions. As of 2026-10-06 the CreditScore Report is $59.95 as a one-off, the ProfilePlus Report is $69.95 as a one-off, Business Credit Advantage is $199 per year, and Business CreditScore Pro is $1,995 per year. Best for a business that wants a one-time Experian report without a subscription.

Nav. As of 2026-10-06 the tiers are Free at $0, Track at $39.99 per month, Build at $49.99 per month and Expand at $74.99 per month. The free tier shows business credit summaries from all three bureaus. Best for a first look across all three before paying any bureau.

Which is better, Nav or going to the bureaus directly?

For a first check, Nav's free tier is the more efficient route, because one account shows all three bureaus. For a detailed look at a single bureau's file, going to that bureau is the more direct route, and for Equifax that route runs through a reseller in any case.

A reasonable order is to look at the free summaries first, see which bureaus hold anything, and buy a full report only from the bureau that does. Buying a full Experian report for a business whose file sits at Dun & Bradstreet pays for an empty result.

Paid monitoring is a separate decision. Nav's paid tiers and the bureaus' subscriptions are ongoing costs, and no official source says that paying for monitoring improves a file. A report shows what has been reported, and buying one adds nothing to a score.

Why does the DUNS number confuse so many guides?

Many guides still treat the D-U-N-S number as the federal business identifier. That ended on Monday, April 4, 2022, when SAM.gov and all other General Services Administration systems switched to the Unique Entity ID, which is obtained at SAM.gov.

A D-U-N-S number still exists as Dun & Bradstreet's own commercial identifier, and it still matters for D&B credit files. The accurate statement has two halves: the government no longer uses it, and D&B still does.

For checking credit, that means a D&B file is tied to the D-U-N-S number, while federal contracting systems use the Unique Entity ID. Mixing the two sends people to the wrong place.

What should a business credit check never cost?

Offers to check, repair or "boost" a business score for a fee are a common false shortcut. The FTC's guidance on advance-fee loans offers a usable test. Banks and other legitimate lenders will not promise or guarantee a loan or credit before an application.

The same guidance says any up-front fee collected before a loan is granted is a cue to walk away, especially when it is described as "insurance," "processing," or "paperwork." It also lists phrases common in scam ads, including "Bad credit? No problem," "No hassle, guaranteed," and "We don't care about your past. You deserve a loan!"

The published prices above are the benchmark. A free tier costs $0, the one-time reports from the providers listed range from $49.99 to $69.95, and subscriptions run up to $199 a month or $1,999 a year, depending on the product. A service that charges first and promises a score or an approval in return is selling something no legitimate lender or bureau promises.

What should a business look for once it has a free summary?

Check which bureaus show the business at all, and whether the trade accounts that should appear do appear. The SBA's fourth step is establishing credit with vendors and suppliers who report, and its fifth is monitoring the business credit reports. The free summary is the quickest way to do the fifth step on the fourth.

If a net-30 vendor's account does not appear after several billing cycles, the vendor can be asked which bureau it reports to and whether reporting has to be requested. Which vendors report to which bureau is set by each vendor and bureau.

Sources

This is general information, not legal, tax or accounting advice, and requirements vary and change.