Comparison

Extra vs Build

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Extra

Build credit history without a traditional credit card. This debit card helps you track spending, earn rewards, and report payments to credit bureaus. Apply quickly with no credit check required.

Highlights
  • Build credit without a credit card
  • Earn reward points on purchases
  • No credit check required for application
  • Track purchases and spending
  • Exclusive app content and giveaways
  • Easy card management
Features
Read full description

Your best life starts with better credit. Swipe the Extra Debit Card daily to help track your purchases, build credit*, and earn reward points* on every purchase. • Less than 15 minute to apply ▪ No credit check required ▪ Earn up to 1% back in reward points* ▪ Get the best looking debit card ever ▪ Check out our plans and apply online on our website. HOW IT WORKS ▪ Sign up by connecting your bank account* and get a spending limit based on your bank balance* with no credit check. ▪ When you swipe your Extra Debit Card, we spot you for that purchase and automatically pay ourselves back. ▪ At the end of the month, we total up all of your transactions and report them to credit bureaus as credit-worthy payments. DOWNLOAD THE NEW AND IMPROVED APP You'll unlock: ▪ Exclusive content to help you make sense of credit ▪ Access to the Rewards Store ▪ Giveaways for MacBooks, PS5s, gas cards, and more. ▪ Easy card management ▪ More FOMO-inducing features coming soon BETTER CREDIT CAN HELP YOU ▪ Qualify for an apartment ▪ Buy a home ▪ Get a better interest rate on a car **Pricing and rewards availability will vary depending on plan and term selected. *Impact on your credit score may vary depending on your use. Extra is required to report both on time and late payments, which may negatively impact your credit score. Advertised credit claims are typical results for customers who use Extra as recommended and are based on a study using data from Experian. To learn more, visit extra.app/study. ¹The Aligned Company d/b/a Extra ("Extra") is a technology company, not a bank. The Extra Debit Card is issued by Evolve Bank & Trust or Patriot Bank N.A. (Member FDIC), pursuant to a license by Mastercard International. Line of credit provided by Lead Bank. This Card can be used everywhere Debit Mastercard is accepted. Rewards points only available with rewards plan. Membership fees apply. Please refer to our Terms of Service and Cardholder Agreement for additional details. ²Increases or specific changes to your credit score are not guaranteed. Extra is responsible for credit reporting and reports on time and late payments, which may impact a credit bureau's determination of your credit score either positively or negatively. Credit scores are independently determined by credit bureaus based on a number of factors, including your other financial transactions. Extra reports to Experian® and Equifax®. Extra and related services will not remove negative credit history from your credit report. ³To transact with your Extra Debit Card, you must have an active, Plaid-compatible bank account linked to Extra's services ("Partner Account"). If your Partner Account is disconnected from Extra services for any reason, you will not be able to use your Extra Debit Card. Within 30 days of the date of each transaction made using your Extra Debit Card, Extra will initiate one or more ACH debits to deduct equivalent funds from your Partner Account. These ACH debits typically deduct funds from your Partner Account within 2 to 3 business days after initiation by Extra or 14 days after your transaction depending on repayment program selected. This communication is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. THIS IS A LOAN SOLICITATION ONLY. THE ALIGNED COMPANY IS NOT THE LENDER. INFORMATION RECEIVED WILL BE SHARED WITH ONE OR MORE THIRD PARTIES IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR LOAN INQUIRY. THE LENDER MAY NOT BE SUBJECT TO ALL VERMONT LENDING LAWS. THE LENDER MAY BE SUBJECT TO FEDERAL LENDING LAWS.

About

Build

This app helps you build your credit history by reporting your payment activity to major credit bureaus. You can manage your account and monitor savings progress with no hard credit pull required. Start improving your financial health with flexible payment options.

Highlights
  • Build credit history
  • Reported to major credit bureaus
  • Credit builder account
  • Monitor savings progress
  • No hard credit pull
  • Flexible payment options
Features
Read full description

Build believes everyone should have the opportunity to improve their financial health. We’ve worked hard to provide access to credit-building products like the Build Credit Builder Account. Your payments will help you build accumulated savings¹ and your payment history will be reported to Equifax and Transunion. Download the Build app today to apply, manage your account, and monitor your savings progress. There is no hard credit pull and no credit needed. Build your credit history with Equifax and Transunion for as little as $25/mo². Get started today! Please visit www.getbuild.com for more information. Disclosures: All customer accumulated principal payments are deposited into a locked savings account controlled by Build and are not FDIC insured. Access to loan products is subject to approval by PRGB, Inc., who determines qualifications for any terms of credit. Individual borrowers must be U.S. Citizens or permanent residents and at least 18 years old. Not available in all states. Valid bank account and Social Security Number are required. All loans are subject to ID verification. Results are not guaranteed. Improvement in your credit score is dependent on your specific situation and financial behavior. This product will not remove negative credit history from your credit report. PRGB, Inc. dba "Build", NMLS No. 2410706 ¹The locked savings account does not earn interest. The funds in your locked savings account will not be accessible until your loan is paid in full or closed. You build savings by having funds available to you at the end of the loan in your locked savings account. Note that interest and a one-time, prepaid administration fee apply to the loan product. Customers who complete the full terms of the Credit Builder Loan can receive approximately 85% of the loan funds once the loan is repaid in full. ²For example: (1) Starter Loan: Your loan amount is $520. You make $25 monthly loan payments for 24 months and there is a $9 administration fee. 15.92% Annual Percentage Rate.  By the end of your loan term, you will have paid $609 ($89 cost).

Screenshots

Extra4 screens
Build4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Extra at 62% against Build's 17%. Extra also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.2) and ratings volume (9.5K vs 15). Build's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Extra holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Extra has 9.5K ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Extra's written reviews are positive against 17% of Build's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Extra ships an update monthly, Build weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Extra versus Build: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExtraBuild
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (9.5K ratings) — better3.2 (15 ratings)
Positive reviews62.4% of reviews — better16.7% of reviews
Number of ratings9.5K — better15
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size90 MB96 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperThe Aligned CompanyPRG Ventures, Inc.

Customer experience

Extra

All ratings9,490 ratings
Positive91.5%
Neutral1.6%
Negative7.0%
Written reviews157 reviews
Positive62.4%
Neutral3.2%
Negative34.4%

Build

All ratings15 ratings
Positive53.3%
Neutral6.7%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive16.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative83.3%

Bugs and requests

Extra

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Rewards page bugs and issues
  • Inconsistent spend power limits and increases

Requested features

3 requests
  • Reporting to all three major credit bureaus
  • Ability to cash out reward points
  • Faster bank account syncing and balance updates

Build

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Extra

No in-app purchases

None

Build

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Extra free?
Extra is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Build free?
Build is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Extra or Build?
Extra is rated higher. Extra averages 4.6 out of 5 from 9.5K ratings, while Build averages 3.2 from 15 ratings.
Do Extra or Build have ads?
Extra shows ads; Build does not.
Which is updated more often, Extra or Build?
Extra ships an update monthly, and Build weekly. Most recently, Extra was updated on September 22, 2026 and Build on September 24, 2026.

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