Freedom Debt Relief Review
The industry's largest and oldest settler ($20B+ resolved since 2002), with a 2019 CFPB settlement it must live down.
About Freedom Debt Relief
The industry's largest and oldest settler ($20B+ resolved since 2002), with a 2019 CFPB settlement it must live down. Freedom Debt Relief is offered by Freedom Debt Relief, LLC (an Achieve company) and currently holds an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 across 50,400 user reviews. It falls into the Debt Relief category and tends to be the strongest fit for borrowers who want maximum scale and negotiating history and accept the record.
Editorial grade: B- (composite score 68/100).
Highlights
- Operating since 2002; self-described largest US debt settlement company
- Average completer: 8 accounts, $438/mo deposits, 39 months
- Achieve ecosystem can pivot qualifying clients into consolidation loans
What we like
- Longest operating history and largest resolved-debt total in the industry
- Detailed outcome disclosures and a 50,000+ Trustpilot review base
- Founding member of the AADR trade association
Where it falls short
- 2019 CFPB settlement: $20M consumer restitution + $5M penalty over fee and disclosure practices (the industry's landmark enforcement case)
- Discloses a 15-25% fee range but not the average actually charged
- Not available directly in roughly 9-10 states
Fees, minimums, and rates
Monthly fee: 15-25% of enrolled debt + $9.95 setup and $9.95/mo dedicated-account fees. Minimum to open: Not stated on provider site. Rates and promotional offers change often, so we re-verify every listed number on a rolling schedule and stamp the review with the date of the most recent check.
How we reviewed it
Our money-app reviews weight cost (25%), accuracy and reliability (25%), data security (20%), usefulness (20%), and customer support (10%). We install the app on a personal device, link real bank accounts, and track whether it measurably improves behavior over a 30-day window. For this review of Freedom Debt Relief, our editors funded an account, walked through the full onboarding flow, and compared the experience to the other products in the Debt Relief shortlist. Scores are not influenced by affiliate relationships — partners cannot pay for better rankings, and our rubric is the same for every brand.
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Read our full editorial methodology and advertiser disclosure for more on how we fund our testing and why that matters for the reviews you read here.