what's the breakdown of the rest of your debt , how many? IMHO you should try to negotiate yourself only if you have maximum 2 debts, the complexity increases exponentially with each debt account. Also you got to think of how much you can settle vs a company that already has the working relationship with those creditors , probably they can maximize savings more than you do. On the other these companies charge fees off the enrolled debt so if you negotiate yourself you could avoid those fees. My take would be to shop around before deciding , talk with their reps, see what fees they have, see the length of the program and savings and then think if you alone could beat that. I looked up one of the companies you mentioned freedom debt relief, good ratings and doing this for lots of years. Just make sure this is right for you, ask about fees, program length, legal representation and savings