Compare avalanche vs snowball debt payoff. List each debt with its balance, interest rate, and minimum payment, add any extra you can pay each month, and see payoff time and total interest for both strategies.
The calculator simulates your debts month by month. Each month, interest is added to every balance at its APR divided by 12, then every debt gets its minimum payment.
Your extra payment goes to one target debt. Avalanche targets the highest interest rate; snowball targets the smallest balance. When a debt is paid off, its minimum rolls into the extra, so the payment toward the next target grows over time.
The results show how many months each strategy takes, the total interest paid, and the order your debts are cleared, so you can see the real cost of choosing one method over the other.
Both pay every minimum and send any extra money to one debt at a time. Avalanche targets the highest interest rate first, which usually costs the least interest. Snowball targets the smallest balance first, which clears individual debts sooner and can help motivation.
Avalanche is cheaper on paper. Snowball can be easier to stick with. The best method is the one you will actually follow, and this calculator shows how big the difference is for your numbers.
It depends on your rates and balances, but even a modest extra amount usually cuts months or years off the timeline because it reduces the balance that interest is charged on. Try a few extra amounts in the calculator to see the difference.
Then the balance grows instead of shrinking. The calculator will flag it. Raising the payment or lowering the rate (for example with a balance transfer) is usually the first thing to look at.
Related reading: Which debt to pay first, Student loans on the timeline. More free calculators at theflan.app/tools.