Compare avalanche and snowball strategies across all your debts and see which wins.
The avalanche strategy minimises total interest paid by targeting the highest-rate debt first. The snowball strategy maximises psychological wins by clearing the smallest balance first — you see debts disappear faster, which many people find motivating. Mathematically, avalanche always wins on total cost; the snowball's only edge is behavioural. This calculator runs month-by-month simulations for both so you can see the exact trade-off for your specific debts.
Monthly interest per debt
Monthly interest = Balance × (APR / 12)
Avalanche priority
Extra budget → debt with highest APR
Snowball priority
Extra budget → debt with smallest remaining balance
Avalanche minimises total interest — if your debts have very different APRs, the difference can be thousands of dollars. Snowball gives you quicker wins: paying off your smallest debt in a few months keeps you motivated. Research suggests people who use the snowball approach are more likely to stick with it and actually become debt-free.
One line per debt: balance, APR%, minimum monthly payment, and an optional name, separated by commas. For example: 4500, 23.99, 90, Chase Sapphire. You can enter up to 5 debts.
After paying the minimums on all debts, any money left over is your extra budget. This is the amount you can direct strategically — toward the highest-APR or smallest-balance debt depending on your strategy.
If all your debts have the same APR, or if your balances happen to already be ordered from smallest to highest APR, both strategies produce the same result. The avalanche advantage grows with APR spread between debts.