Debt Payoff Planner

Debt Payoff Planner

List your debts and compare the snowball and avalanche methods side by side — payoff time, total interest, and which debt to clear first.

Your debts

cheaper option
Avalanche — time
Avalanche — interest
Snowball — time
Snowball — interest

Order to clear them in

Avalanche (highest rate first)
Snowball (smallest balance first)
Both methods pay every minimum every month; the difference is where the extra goes. When a debt clears, its payment rolls into the next one — that rolling effect is what makes either method beat paying minimums alone.

Last updated 28 August 2026

The difference between the two methods

Both approaches pay the minimum on everything and put whatever is spare against one target debt. The avalanche sends that spare money to the highest interest rate first, which is mathematically the cheapest route and always clears the debt for the least total interest. The snowball sends it to the smallest balance first, which costs a little more but produces a cleared debt sooner — and for a lot of people that visible win is what keeps the plan alive long enough to work. This planner runs both on your actual numbers so the trade-off is a real figure rather than a matter of opinion. If the gap between them is small, the method you'll stick with is the better one.

Common questions

Which method should I choose?

The avalanche always costs less in interest, so if the gap shown is large it's the rational pick. If the gap is small, the snowball's early wins can be worth more in practice than the difference — a plan you abandon saves nothing at all.

What is the rolling payment effect?

When one debt clears, its monthly payment doesn't disappear — it gets added to the payment on the next debt. That's why both methods accelerate over time, and why either beats simply paying every minimum forever.

What if a minimum payment doesn't cover the interest?

Then that debt grows rather than shrinks and can never clear on the minimum alone. The planner flags this instead of showing a misleading timeline, because it means the minimum itself needs raising.

Is my information stored anywhere?

No. Everything is worked out in your browser and nothing about your debts is uploaded or saved.

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