VantageScore 3.0 vs 4.0: what changed and which one lenders use
VantageScore 3.0 is the version many free apps show. VantageScore 4.0, released in 2017, adds 24 months of trended balance data and machine learning for thin files. Both run 300 to 850, ignore paid collections and, since January 2023, skip medical collections. Only 4.0 is accepted for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA mortgages.
Key takeaways
- Both versions use the 300 to 850 scale, ignore paid collections and skip medical collections.
- 4.0 adds trended data, reading how your balances have moved over 24 months.
- Many free apps show 3.0. Mortgage lenders that use VantageScore pull 4.0 from all three bureaus.
- A 3.0 score and a 4.0 score from the same bureau on the same day can differ, and both are real scores.
On this page8 sections
You check your score in an app, see a VantageScore, and assume that's what a mortgage lender will see too. It usually isn't, even when the lender uses VantageScore. Many apps show version 3.0. A mortgage lender that uses VantageScore pulls version 4.0, and the two versions don't always agree.
The app is showing a real score. A mortgage lender using VantageScore reads the same file with a newer edition of the formula.
Which one is in your app?
Often 3.0. Many free score services still run it, and the fine print usually says so: something like "VantageScore 3.0, TransUnion." TransUnion says plainly that its own free score "is based on the VantageScore 3.0 model."
Some services have moved to 4.0. The only way to know is to read the label next to the number. If an app doesn't name its model, treat the number as a trend line, not a preview of your loan.
Side by side
| Item | VantageScore 3.0 | VantageScore 4.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2013 | 2017 |
| Scale | 300 to 850 | 300 to 850 |
| Paid collections | Ignored | Ignored |
| Card balance history | This month's picture | 24 months of trended data |
| Thin files | Scores many | Adds machine learning to score more |
| Medical collections | Not used since January 2023 | Not used since January 2023 |
| Rent and utilities | Used when reported | Used when reported |
| Accepted for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA loans | No | Yes (FHA from January 1, 2027) |
Because both use 300 to 850, a 668 on each looks interchangeable, but each formula ranks people its own way.
What 4.0 added
Trended data. This is the biggest change. VantageScore 4.0 reads how your balances have moved over the last 24 months. Version 3.0 mostly sees where they stand right now. Trended data covers how the bureaus supply it.
Machine learning for thin files. Both versions can score people FICO can't yet. 4.0 adds machine learning to score more of them. VantageScore says 4.0 scores about 33 million more consumers than other commercial models.
Not a difference: medical collections. You'll read that 4.0 dropped medical debt. It did, but so did 3.0. VantageScore announced in August 2022 that neither version would use medical collection data, and the change took effect at the end of January 2023.
What is VantageScore 4.0 goes through each of these in detail.
Why your two VantageScores can land apart
Two people at 20% utilization look the same to 3.0. If one has been paying down and the other running up, 4.0 can tell them apart. Neither company publishes the point value of a trend, and the gap can run either direction. What is VantageScore 4.0 walks through that example with numbers.
The machine learning can split them too. On a thin file, 4.0 may produce a score where 3.0 produced a different one, or none.
What about VantageScore 4plus?
VantageScore announced a third option, 4plus, on May 15, 2024. It's a pilot model that adds bank account data the consumer agrees to share, on the same 300 to 850 scale. It isn't the version mortgage rules name. When someone compares "3.0 vs 4.0," they mean the two versions in wide use, and for a mortgage, 4.0 is the one that counts.
What counts as a good score on each
Both versions share the 300 to 850 scale, and VantageScore's labels vary depending on who displays them. Experian's chart for VantageScore 3.0 uses lender-style tiers:
| VantageScore 3.0 range | Experian's label |
|---|---|
| 300 to 600 | Subprime |
| 601 to 660 | Near prime |
| 661 to 780 | Prime |
| 781 to 850 | Super prime |
Experian doesn't publish separate 4.0 tiers. It just notes that 3.0 and 4.0 both fall within 300 to 850. An app may call your 650 "Fair" while another calls it "Near prime," and neither label changes a loan decision.
For a mortgage, the lines that matter are the loan program's, not an app's color bands. FHA allows 3.5% down from a 580 middle score and 10% down from 500 to 579, and HUD says those thresholds hold whether the lender uses Classic FICO or VantageScore 4.0. Fannie Mae prices Conventional loans in 20-point rows, starting with 639 or lower, then 640 to 659, 660 to 679 and on up. A score just under one of those lines deserves more attention than its label. Credit score ranges covers every scale in use.
Which one matters for a mortgage?
Only 4.0. FHFA approved VantageScore 4.0, not 3.0, for loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and HUD's FHA letter does the same for case numbers assigned on or after January 1, 2027. A mortgage lender using VantageScore pulls 4.0 from all three bureaus and uses your middle score. Many lenders still use Classic FICO instead. VantageScore 4.0 mortgages explains how the lender's choice can change the price of your loan.
So a mortgage lender may see a different number from your app for two separate reasons: a different model company, or a different version of the same one. Why your free score doesn't match your lender's covers the first.
What to do
- Read the label next to your app score so you know which version you're watching.
- Watch the trend over the number. If your 3.0 is climbing because balances are falling, 4.0 sees that paydown too.
- Pull all three reports before a mortgage application. Both versions are built from them, and an error hurts both.
- Ask your lender which model it uses before anyone pulls credit.
Common questions
Is VantageScore 3.0 or 4.0 better?
VantageScore says 4.0 predicts default better, which is why it was built. For you, the better one is whichever your lender uses. For a mortgage, that's 4.0, because 3.0 isn't accepted by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or FHA.
Why is my VantageScore 3.0 different from my VantageScore 4.0?
The formulas weigh your file differently. 4.0 reads 24 months of balance trends and uses machine learning that 3.0 doesn't, so the same report can produce two different numbers.
Do mortgage lenders use VantageScore 3.0?
No. FHFA approved VantageScore 4.0, not 3.0, for loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and HUD's FHA letter names 4.0 as well.
How do I know which VantageScore my app shows?
Read the fine print next to the number. Most apps name the model and the bureau, such as VantageScore 3.0 from TransUnion. If no model is named, ask the app before you rely on the number.
Sources
- Free Credit ScoreTransUniontransunion.com
- VantageScore removes medical debt collection records from latest scoring modelsVantageScorevantagescore.com
- Mortgage FAQsVantageScorevantagescore.com
- VantageScore 4.0 for mortgageExperianexperian.com
- What are the different credit score ranges?Experianexperian.com
- VantageScore 4plus is hereVantageScorevantagescore.com
- Credit Scores (policy page, updated October 2, 2026)FHFAfhfa.gov
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