CIBIL vs Experian vs Equifax vs CRIF: Why Your Scores Differ

India has four RBI-licensed credit bureaus: TransUnion CIBIL, Experian, Equifax and CRIF High Mark. Each one collects repayment data from banks and NBFCs and builds its own score, which is why your CIBIL score might be 762 while Experian shows 741. Lenders can check any of them, so a clean CIBIL report alone is not enough. Check all four once a year and fix errors wherever they appear.

The four credit bureaus at a glance

Credit bureaus are formally called credit information companies (CICs) and are regulated by RBI under the Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act, 2005 (CICRA). RBI's list of registered CICs (as updated in 2026) names the same four companies.

CIBIL is the oldest and best known, so "CIBIL score" is often used to mean any credit score. All four, however, have the same legal standing. Each must give you one free full report with score every calendar year, which our guide on how to check your CIBIL score for free walks through. Each also runs a business (commercial) credit report, and CIBIL additionally ranks small businesses through the CIBIL MSME Rank.

Why your scores differ between bureaus

1. Different scoring models

Each bureau builds its own algorithm. They all weigh the same broad factors (repayment history, credit utilisation, credit mix, length of history and recent enquiries), but the exact weights and thresholds are proprietary. One model may punish a recent hard enquiry slightly more; another may reward a long-held card more. A 10 to 40 point gap is normal even with identical data.

2. Data arrives at different times

RBI requires lenders to report to all four bureaus. From 1 July 2026, under RBI's amended reporting directions, lenders submit data four times a month. Even so, one bureau may have processed a payment that another has not yet loaded, so a fresh repayment or a cleared overdue can show at one bureau a few days before another.

3. Errors are bureau-specific

A data mismatch, such as a wrong PAN, a misspelt name or a duplicate account, can occur in one bureau's records and not another's. That single error can pull one score far below the rest. This is the most common reason for a gap of 50 points or more.

4. Different depth in some segments

Historically, some bureaus have had stronger data in particular segments; microfinance and small-ticket loans, for example, have long been reported heavily to CRIF High Mark and Equifax. If you have such loans, those bureaus may hold a fuller picture of you.

Which bureau do lenders use?

There is no RBI rule saying which bureau a lender must pull. Each bank or NBFC decides under its credit policy, and many check more than one, especially for large loans. In broad terms:

• Many banks use CIBIL as their primary report for retail loans and cards.
• Many NBFCs and digital lenders also pull Experian or CRIF High Mark.
• Microfinance lenders rely heavily on CRIF High Mark and Equifax.

These are tendencies, not rules. You usually cannot choose the bureau, and the hard enquiry shows up only at the bureau the lender pulled. A good way to find out is to check your enquiry section after applying, or ask the lender.

Worked example: four scores, one person

Priya downloads her free reports in the same month:

The 762, 741 and 778 are within normal model variation. The 684 is not: the Equifax entry is a reporting error. If Priya applies to a lender that pulls Equifax, she may be rejected or offered a higher rate despite a 762 CIBIL score.

How much can that cost? On a ₹10 lakh personal loan over five years, an offer at 12.5% instead of 11% raises the EMI from about ₹21,742 to about ₹22,498, roughly ₹756 a month or around ₹45,000 over the tenure. You can check the effect of a rate change on what you can borrow with our loan eligibility calculator.

Priya should raise a dispute at Equifax with her card closure letter and also write to the card issuer, which will send corrected data to all bureaus. Our CIBIL report error dispute guide covers the steps; the same process applies to all four bureaus.

Your rights apply at every bureau

RBI's consumer protections are the same for all four bureaus:

• One free full report with score per calendar year from each bureau.
• Alerts by SMS or email when a lender accesses your report.
• Disputes resolved within 30 days, split as 21 days for the lender and 9 days for the bureau. If a complaint stays unresolved beyond 30 days, you get ₹100 for every calendar day of delay, under RBI's compensation framework in force since April 2024.
• Internal ombudsman at each bureau, and the RBI Integrated Ombudsman (cms.rbi.org.in) if the issue is still not resolved.

How to use all four reports well

1. Stagger your free reports. Download one bureau's report each quarter so you see a fresh report roughly every three months at no cost.
2. Compare accounts, not just scores. Make sure every loan and card appears with the same status and balance at each bureau.
3. Look at enquiries. An enquiry you do not recognise at any bureau is a warning sign of identity misuse. See fake loan in my name on CIBIL.
4. Read the codes. DPD numbers and labels such as SMA, SUB or Settled mean the same thing across bureaus; our CIBIL report codes guide decodes them.
5. Fix the source. The lender is the source of the data, so a correction from the lender flows to all four bureaus.

Myths about the four bureaus

• "Only CIBIL matters." Lenders may use any bureau, so all four matter.
• "Paying for a premium report raises my score." No. Paid subscriptions only give more frequent access.
• "A credit repair company can clean all four reports." No one can remove accurate negative data. Paid "CIBIL repair" offers are often scams; disputes over genuine errors are free.
• "Different scores mean something is wrong." Small differences are normal; only large gaps call for a closer look.

For the habits that lift all four scores together, follow our guide on how to improve your CIBIL score.

Key takeaways

• India has four RBI-licensed credit bureaus: TransUnion CIBIL, Experian, Equifax and CRIF High Mark.
• Scores differ because of different models, data timing and bureau-specific errors.
• A gap of a few dozen points is normal; a big gap usually means an error at one bureau.
• Lenders choose which bureau to pull, so check all four reports, one free report from each per year.
• Fix errors with both the bureau and the lender; RBI's 30-day limit and ₹100-a-day compensation apply to all four.