On this page
Dealing with credit card debt can often be overwhelming. The choice to use an app or service to help you manage your debt is an entirely unique and personal decision, dependent on your own balances, habits, and what kind of help actually works for you. To help you choose, we’ve researched some of the strongest options available in the UK. This guide provides an honest evaluation of debt consolidation apps and services so you can work out which is the right fit for you.
This article is for general educational purposes only and shouldn’t be taken as financial advice. Every product listed is described to the best of our knowledge at the time of publishing. While we do our best to ensure information is up to date, check current terms directly with the provider before deciding.
Money-saving and budgeting services can help you take control of your debts in various ways. This can include enabling you to track spending habits or organising payoff plans. They may also consolidate your bank accounts via open banking, which allows you to securely link your bank accounts and credit cards to analyse financial behaviour and build a plan to pay it off.
Read more about open banking here.
Best for: combining several card and overdraft balances into one payment
Platform: iOS, Android, Web
Cost: Free to check your eligibility. Carries interest if you take out a loan (see representative example below)
Debt strategy used: Consolidation
Pros
Cons
Why we included it: A consolidation loan doesn’t suit everyone, and we’d rather say that plainly than pretend otherwise. Checking your eligibility is a soft search and won’t affect your credit score, but if you go ahead and formally apply, a hard search will be carried out at that stage, which may affect your score.
Updraft is well-suited for people who are juggling several balances and want one clear payment rather than several, at a genuinely better rate. A fixed instalment over a set term also gives you a date the debt ends, which minimum payments on a card don’t. If that’s not your situation, one of the free tools below might suit you better.
Check your eligibility · See how consolidation affects your credit score
Best for: planning your payoff order without taking on any new credit
Platform: iOS, Android, Web
Cost: Free for up to 6 debts. £20/year for unlimited debts
Debt strategy used: Snowball and avalanche
Pros
Cons
Why we included it: If you’d rather not take out any new borrowing at all and just want a clear, honest plan for the debts you already have, this is a solid free option.
Visit TrySnowball · Compare this to consolidating your balances instead
Best for: finding money you didn’t know you were losing to bills and subscriptions
Platform: iOS, Android
Cost: Free. Snoop Plus is £5.99/month for extras
Debt strategy used: None. Snoop is a spend-finder, not a payoff planner
Pros
Cons
Why we included it: Every pound this finds is a pound you could put toward whichever payoff method you’re using, ours or someone else’s. Worth pairing with a plan, not using instead of one.
Visit Snoop · Put what you save toward a budget that actually sticks
Best for: checking your credit score and report before you apply for anything
Platform: iOS, Android, Web
Cost: Free
Debt strategy used: None. Credit monitoring only
Pros
Cons
Why we included it: Knowing your starting position matters whichever route you take. Check it before you apply for a consolidation loan, a balance transfer card, or anything else.
Visit ClearScore · See how a consolidation loan affects your score
Best for: free, independent advice when debt feels unmanageable
Platform: Web, phone
Cost: Free
Debt strategy used: Debt Management Plans, IVAs, and other formal solutions where appropriate
Pros
Cons
Why we included it: If a loan or a DIY tracker doesn’t feel like enough, or if the options feel too overwhelming, this is where to go before, not after, taking on anything new.
Visit StepChange · Read about your options before consolidating
Best for: the same kind of independent advice as StepChange, if you’d rather use a different service
Platform: Web, phone
Cost: Free
Debt strategy used: Advice and signposting to formal solutions
Pros
Cons
Why we included it: Charities aren’t identical, and having a genuine alternative to StepChange matters. Use whichever one you feel more comfortable talking to.
Money Dashboard, a UK budgeting app, closed its Neon and Classic apps on 31 October 2023 after its owner, ClearScore, said it could not find a sustainable business model for them (Source: Money Dashboard’s own closure announcement, November 2023). Money Dashboard’s own closure FAQ pointed former users toward Snoop as the closest equivalent still operating.
Looking to pay off credit card debt? If you’re looking to consolidate credit card debt and cut down on high interest, check your eligibility for Updraft, or download our app today.
Loans from 15.3% APR (25.9% APR Representative)
25.9% APR Representative based on a £10,000 loan over 60 months at 20.40% fixed interest p.a. Monthly repayment: £283.20. Total repayable: £16,992 (inc. £600 fee). Subject to status and affordability. Consolidating debt may increase the term and total amount repaid. All figures are representative and based upon an assessment of credit and affordability. Terms and conditions apply.
From 15.3% to 41.2% APR, £1,000–£25,000, over 2–5 years available.
Updraft helps people pay off credit card debt. The app connects to your accounts, shows you what your borrowing costs, and where it makes sense replaces card and overdraft balances with a single Updraft loan. We’re rated 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot by the people using it to do exactly that. More about Updraft
What's the difference between a consolidation loan and a debt tracker app?
A consolidation loan combines existing balances into one new loan, usually at a lower interest rate. A tracker app like TrySnowball doesn't lend anything, it plans the order and timeline for paying off the debts you already have.
Do I need to pay for any of these?
No. TrySnowball, ClearScore, StepChange, and National Debtline are all free to use. Only a consolidation loan carries a cost, and only if you actually take one out. The rate you're offered will depend on a full application, including a hard credit search, and may not turn out to be lower than your current rates.
Should I get free advice before consolidating?
If your debt feels unmanageable rather than just inconvenient, yes, speaking to StepChange or National Debtline first is a good idea. If it's more about simplifying several balances into one payment, an eligibility check with a lender is a reasonable first step.
Facebook-f Instagram Tiktok Linkedin
Updraft is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under firm reference number 810923.
Fairscore Ltd (trading as “Updraft”) is registered in England. Our registered company number is 10868865 and our registered office is at 20-22 Wenlock Road, London, N1 7GU. Updraft is acting as an agent of TrueLayer, who is providing the regulated Account Information Service and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Payment Services Regulations 2017 and Electronic Money Regulations 2011 (firm reference number 901096).
© 2026 Fairscore Ltd