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Compare Accredited Debt Relief vs. Freedom Debt Relief Debt Relief

What’s the difference between Accredited Debt Relief and Freedom Debt Relief? See how our editors compare the two companies below.
Accredited Debt Relief
4.2 / 5 - Excellent
#3 in Debt Relief
Freedom Debt Relief
4.8 / 5 - Excellent
#2 in Debt Relief
vs

Key Facts

Serving customers with $15,000 of debt and more

  • 100% free, no risk consultation
  • Significantly reduce your debt
  • No upfront enrollment fees
  • Get out of debt in 24-48 months!
  • Applying won’t affect your credit score
  • A+ Better Business Bureau rating

Free, personalized evaluation from certified debt consultants

  • Over 850,000 clients have enrolled in the Freedom Debt Relief program since 2002
  • American Fair Credit Council accredited
  • Settled over $15 billion in client debt since 2002
  • Recommended for people with $15,000 in unsecured debts and up
  • No upfront fees

ConsumersAdvocate.org Notice: Freedom Debt Relief was recently the target of a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau lawsuit. Please scroll down to the bottom of the review for more information.

OVERALL RATINGS

 Accredited Debt ReliefFreedom Debt Relief
Reputation4.4/54.9/5
Qualification4.2/55.0/5
Pricing & Fees4.0/55.0/5
Services4.2/54.5/5

Services Compared

 Accredited Debt ReliefFreedom Debt Relief
Services Offered
Debt Consolidation
Debt Settlement
Professional Consultation
Bankruptcy
Debt Settlement
Professional Consultation
Program Length
24-54 months
24-48 months
Additional Benefits
Personal Advisor
Online Management
Online Management

Qualification Differences

 Accredited Debt ReliefFreedom Debt Relief
Minimum Debt Amount
$7,500
$7,500
Debt Solutions For
Personal Loans
Medical Bills
Business Debt
Unsecured Loans
Credit Cards
Medical Bills
Unsecured Loans
Credit Cards
Excluded Debts: Payday loans and student loans may not be eligible.
Excluded Debts: No collateral-based loans (auto loans and mortgages) and no federal student loans.

Pricing Comparison

 Accredited Debt ReliefFreedom Debt Relief
Up-front Fees?
No
No
Fees Summary
Accredited Debt Relief will take 18%-25% of whatever debt they are able to settle in fees.
* The estimates above were obtained directly from the Freedom Debt Relief online quote tool. Estimates are for an individual living in California with $25,000 in debt. The estimated fees for the above sample program were quoted as: "No upfront fees"

Reputation

Company Details

 Accredited Debt ReliefFreedom Debt Relief
Year Founded
2008
2002

Compliance & Accreditations

 Accredited Debt ReliefFreedom Debt Relief
AFCC Membership
Accredited Member
Accredited Member
IAPDA Accredited
Yes
Yes
FTC Compliant
Yes
Yes

Online Reviews

 Accredited Debt ReliefFreedom Debt Relief
Trust Pilot Rating
9.4 out of 5
9.1 out of 5
BBB Rating
A+
A-
Number of BBB Positive Reviews
38
1,623
Number of BBB Negative Reviews
4
144
Date Collected
2018-01-03
2018-04-12

Contact & Additional Information

 Accredited Debt ReliefFreedom Debt Relief
Homepage URL
Headquarters Address
591 Camino De La Reina #818, San Diego, CA, 92108
1875 S Grant St., San Mateo, CA, 94402
The CFPB Enforcement Action

On July 9, 2019, Freedom Debt Relief agreed to pay $20 million in restitution and $5 million in penalties to settle a lawsuit that was brought against it by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

The settlement agreement as approved by the court can be found here: https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_freedom-debt-relief_stipulated-final-judgment-order_2019-07.pdf

Final Verdict

Freedom Debt Relief has a higher overall rating than Accredited Debt Relief. Freedom Debt Relief scores better than Accredited Debt Relief across: Reputation, Qualification, Pricing & Fees, and Services.


Customer Comments & Reviews

William D
3/19/2019
Freedom Debt Relief review
I have read the class action, I have read the customer reviews, they are incorrect at least frommy experience. I got the information and asked thousands of questions concerning the system, I knew very well that things happen, but so far I am proud to pick FDR!


S
Sherry R
9/5/2018
Accredited Debt Relief review
I am on the initial review of this company and planning to begin the program. I am a very credit conscious person and have no missed payments but high debt and recently divorced. I am cautiously doing this program to pay my credit debt quicker before I retire. I hate taking the risk to hurt my credit but hope that this resolves the debt ratio and debt as priority inturn will improve my overall credit rating. Lukas has been very informational, thorough and polite. I look forward to making this work and will certainly write a secondary review once I am in the middle of this process to follow up.


J
Joe
8/25/2018
Accredited Debt Relief review
answered all my question.Told them I needed more time and they did not pressure me. Plan to use this company just had to do my home work and I like what I see.


L
Lana
8/7/2018
Accredited Debt Relief review
From the first call, Omar was friendly, patient, and knowledgeable. He never judged me on my bad debts. I feel a burden has been lifted off of me. Financially I was drowning in debt. Finally because of this company, I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. Everything was easy and stress free. Highly recommend this company.


B
bill
7/12/2017
Freedom Debt Relief review
excellent experience and program will allow to make extra fund payments to quickly pay off credit card debts