D&B vs Experian vs Equifax Business Credit: Full Comparison

Three Bureaus, Three Different Scores

Business credit is not tracked by a single universal bureau the way personal credit is consolidated across Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion using the standardized FICO model. Instead, three distinct business credit bureaus — Dun & Bradstreet, Experian Business, and Equifax Business — each operate independently with different scoring models, different data inputs, and different primary customers. The scores they generate are not equivalent or directly comparable to one another. Dun & Bradstreet is the oldest and largest business credit bureau, with a database covering more than 500 million business entities globally and approximately 33 million U.S. businesses. D&B is particularly dominant in trade credit — supplier and vendor payment decisions — and remains the most commonly checked bureau for business-to-business credit extension. Experian Business is the business credit arm of the consumer credit bureau Experian and is heavily used by financial institutions, particularly for small business lending decisions. Equifax Business operates similarly, with significant use among commercial lenders and equipment financing companies. For a business owner, the practical implication is that you need to actively manage your credit profile at all three bureaus, not just one. A lender may pull any combination of the three, and a strong score at D&B does not guarantee a strong score at Experian Business if the underlying payment data on each report differs.

Dun & Bradstreet: The Paydex Score and DUNS System

D&B's primary business credit score is the Paydex score, which ranges from 0 to 100 and measures payment timeliness relative to agreed terms. A Paydex of 80 indicates that a business pays exactly on the due date. Scores above 80 indicate early payment — a Paydex of 100 means payments are consistently made 30 or more days before due. Scores below 80 indicate progressively later payment. This scoring structure is unique among credit bureaus in explicitly rewarding early payment. D&B also produces the D&B Rating, a composite assessment of financial strength and risk that includes letter grades (5A through HH) based on estimated annual sales, and a composite risk rating (1 through 4, with 1 being best). The D&B DUNS number — the nine-digit identifier that anchors your D&B file — is required for many government contracts and is increasingly requested by suppliers and lenders as a standard business identifier. D&B's data comes primarily from direct trade reference reporting by suppliers and lenders, court records, and self-reported business information. Their database is the most comprehensive for trade credit history, which is why they remain dominant in supplier-facing credit decisions. One limitation: D&B charges for access to full credit reports and business profile updates, which creates a pay-to-play dynamic that some critics note can disadvantage smaller businesses.

Experian Business: Intelliscore Plus and Financial Stability Risk Rating

Experian Business produces the Intelliscore Plus score, which ranges from 1 to 100 (with higher being better) and is designed specifically for lenders evaluating small business loan applications. The Intelliscore Plus model incorporates both business credit data — trade payment history, inquiries, public records — and personal credit data from the business owner when the two are linked through a personal guarantee or sole proprietorship structure. This blended approach makes Intelliscore Plus particularly predictive for small business lending decisions. Experian Business also produces the Financial Stability Risk (FSR) Rating, which assesses the likelihood of a business becoming severely delinquent in the next 12 months. The FSR uses a percentile score from 1 to 100, with lower scores indicating higher risk. Lenders use the FSR as a forward-looking indicator of business financial stress, complementing the Intelliscore Plus's backward-looking payment history analysis. Experian Business is strongly connected to the consumer lending industry because of Experian's expertise in consumer credit. Banks, credit unions, and online lenders that already use Experian for personal credit checks often also pull Experian Business for the business side of their underwriting. Building your Experian Business profile is particularly important if you are targeting traditional financial institutions for your business financing.

Equifax Business: Business Risk Score and Credit Risk Score

Equifax Business produces the Business Risk Score, which ranges from 101 to 992 (higher is better), and the Business Credit Risk Score, which predicts the likelihood of delinquency in the next 12 months on a scale of 1 to 100. Equifax also produces the Business Failure Risk Score, which assesses the risk of business closure over the same horizon. Equifax Business has a particularly strong relationship with the equipment financing and commercial vehicle lending sectors. Many equipment finance companies default to Equifax Business as their primary business credit source, making Equifax Business score strength especially important for businesses that regularly finance equipment. Equifax also has significant relationships with commercial insurance underwriters — your Equifax Business score may influence your commercial liability and property insurance pricing in ways you would not expect. Equifax Business data comes from financial institution reporting, public records, and a substantial proprietary database of business financial information. Their model incorporates more financial data from linked business financial accounts than either D&B or Experian Business, which means businesses that maintain strong banking relationships and good account standing with financial institutions tend to perform particularly well on Equifax Business scores.

Which Bureau Matters Most for Your Financing Goals

The answer depends on who you are trying to borrow from. For trade credit — net-30 accounts with suppliers, vendor payment terms, B2B credit extensions — D&B Paydex is the dominant score. The majority of trade credit decisions, particularly those made by wholesale distributors and industrial suppliers, are based primarily on D&B data. Maintaining a strong Paydex score is essential for businesses that rely on supplier credit to manage working capital. For traditional bank loans and bank lines of credit, Experian Business is heavily weighted. Banks with existing Experian relationships for consumer credit often extend those relationships to business credit evaluation. If your primary financing goals involve bank lending, prioritize your Experian Business profile alongside your D&B profile. For equipment financing and commercial vehicle loans, Equifax Business is frequently the primary pull. If you regularly finance equipment, monitor and actively build your Equifax Business score. SBA loans typically trigger pulls from multiple bureaus. SBA lenders are required to conduct a thorough credit review, which often includes personal FICO from all three personal bureaus and business credit from at least one, and frequently two or three, business bureaus. For SBA borrowers, all three business credit profiles matter.

Building Your Score Across All Three Bureaus

Because each bureau collects data independently, a trade line that reports to D&B may not appear on Experian Business or Equifax Business. Building a comprehensive business credit profile means ensuring that your payment history reaches all three bureaus, not just one. When opening new vendor or supplier accounts, ask explicitly which bureaus the vendor reports to. Some vendors report to all three; others report to only one or none. Business credit cards from major banks typically report to Experian Business and Equifax Business, adding revolving credit history that trade lines alone do not provide. This is one reason why a business credit card is a valuable complement to vendor trade accounts — it diversifies the bureaus receiving your positive payment history. Some bank cards also report to D&B, but this is less consistent. For D&B specifically, the most reliable path to Paydex improvement is vendors who explicitly participate in D&B's Trade Reference program. Uline, Quill, Grainger, and other B2B suppliers that market to the "build business credit" audience report directly to D&B. For Experian Business and Equifax Business, financial institution accounts — business loans, lines of credit, and business credit cards from banks — are the strongest data sources.

Frequently asked questions

Do all lenders check all three business credit bureaus?

No. Most lenders check one or two bureaus based on their established data relationships and the loan product type. Traditional banks tend to pull Experian Business or Equifax Business. Equipment finance companies frequently use Equifax Business. SBA lenders are most likely to pull multiple bureaus. Trade creditors (suppliers, vendors) predominantly use D&B. Knowing which bureau your target lender uses allows you to prioritize building the right score.

Is my D&B Paydex score the same as my business credit score?

Your Paydex score is one of your business credit scores — specifically D&B's payment-timeliness score. It is not the same as your Experian Intelliscore Plus or your Equifax Business Risk Score. Each bureau calculates a separate score using different models and data. A business can have a high Paydex at D&B and a lower score at Experian if the underlying payment data or public records differ between the two reports.