Quick answer
Two free routes exist among the providers covered here. As of 2026-10-06, Nav's Free tier shows business credit summaries from all three bureaus, and Dun & Bradstreet's D&B Credit Insights has a Free tier at $0. Experian and Equifax publish prices for paid products only, so Nav's free summaries are the simplest way to glimpse those two files without paying. Start with those two, note anything wrong, and pay for a full report only if a lender or a problem makes it worthwhile.
Step 1: Confirm the business exists on paper
A credit file attaches to a business, so there has to be one. The SBA's five steps to build business credit begin with choosing a business structure so the business is a distinct legal entity, such as an LLC, LLP or corporation. The second step is getting an Employer Identification Number, which the IRS issues for free through its online assistance tool.
For a reader who has not yet formed an entity or opened a separate business account, a formation provider such as ZenBusiness sits at the start of that sequence, ahead of any monitoring tool. ZenBusiness does not sell credit monitoring or credit-building products, so it is not a way to check a score. The SBA also names separation as the foundation: the first step toward keeping business and personal finances apart is to start building credit in the company's name.
Step 2: Check the free views
There are two free options. The order below is alphabetical, not a ranking.
Dun & Bradstreet
Dun & Bradstreet sells its own credit products. The current product is D&B Credit Insights, which replaced the retired CreditSignal name. As of 2026-10-06, the Free tier is $0, Basic is $49 per month or $499 per year, Plus is $149 per month or $1,499 per year, and Premium is $199 per month or $1,999 per year.
The free tier shows what Dun & Bradstreet holds. Which fields it includes is set out on the product page, so confirm that there. A D-U-N-S number is still Dun & Bradstreet's commercial identifier and still matters for D&B files, even though the federal government moved SAM.gov and its other systems to the Unique Entity ID on April 4, 2022.
Nav
Nav is a monitoring service rather than a bureau. As of 2026-10-06, the Free tier is $0, Track is $39.99 per month, Build is $49.99 per month and Expand is $74.99 per month. The free tier shows business credit summaries from all three bureaus.
That is the widest free view available among these providers. One honest concession: for a first look across all three bureaus, Nav's free tier does the job more directly than any single bureau's product.
Step 3: Know what the paid bureau products cost
If a free summary raises a question, a fuller report is the next step. Alphabetical again, with prices as of 2026-10-06.
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. A one-time report is $49.99 and monitoring starts from $39.99 per month.
Experian
Experian sells its own reports. The CreditScore Report is $59.95 one-off and the ProfilePlus Report is $69.95 one-off. Business Credit Advantage is $199 per year, and Business CreditScore Pro is $1,995 per year. Its published pricing has no free option.
Step 4: Compare and correct
| Provider | Free option (as of 2026-10-06) | Paid entry point |
|---|---|---|
| Dun & Bradstreet | Yes, Free at $0 | Basic $49/mo or $499/yr |
| Equifax | None listed | $49.99 one-time report via eCredable |
| Experian | None listed | $59.95 CreditScore Report |
| Nav | Yes, Free at $0, summaries from all three bureaus | Track $39.99/mo |
Look at each summary for a file that is missing, a name or address that does not match, or details that are out of date. Business credit scores are not one universal number, so a clean file at one bureau does not guarantee the others match. The SBA's fifth step is to monitor business credit reports, which is where a paid monitoring plan can earn its price.
Step 5: Watch for fake "free" offers
Some offers borrow the word free. The Federal Trade Commission says banks and other legitimate lenders will not promise or guarantee a loan or credit before an application. It also says any up-front fee collected before a loan is granted is a cue to walk away, especially when it is labeled insurance, processing or paperwork.
The FTC lists advertising language that goes with these scams, including "Bad credit? No problem" and "We don't care about your past. You deserve a loan!" The agency has also published a consumer alert about fraudulent funders aimed at small businesses. A report at a published price is selling information, while a promise of an outcome is selling a story.
What is not published?
Some things readers want are not published by anyone with authority: lenders do not publish approval score thresholds, and no regulator publishes how many points any action moves a score, how long a given lender takes to decide, or the scoring formulas themselves. Each provider's own product page is the place to see what its free summary contains.
Anyone quoting a precise cutoff or a promised point gain is either citing one lender's own policy or guessing.
What if a lender is involved?
Ask which bureau's report it pulls, then look at that file first. That one question saves paying for reports that are never consulted. Paid monitoring makes sense when the file will be watched over time, not when a single look would do.
Sources
- U.S. Small Business Administration, “How to Build Business Credit Quickly: 5 Simple Steps”
- Internal Revenue Service, “Get an Employer Identification Number”
- U.S. General Services Administration, “GSA Systems Switch to Unique Entity ID (SAM) on April 4, 2022”
- Federal Trade Commission, “What To Know About Advance-Fee Loans”
- Federal Trade Commission, “Fraudulent Funders = Big Woes for Small Businesses”
This is general information, not legal, tax or accounting advice, and requirements vary and change.