Debt Snowball vs Avalanche Calculator
Compare the debt snowball and avalanche methods to see which clears your debts sooner and costs less in interest.
Your debts
Log in or create an account to save your debts and reuse them in any calculator.
Add up to 20 debts.
Your spare money
Total monthly budget
Enter your debts above
List your debts and any extra you can pay, then compare snowball and avalanche against paying only the minimums.
How the Debt Snowball vs Avalanche Calculator works
When you owe several accounts, a payoff strategy decides which debt receives your spare money first. This calculator runs the two best-known approaches over the same debts and budget, then compares them with a Minimum-payment baseline.
Snowball and avalanche both keep every minimum going. When a debt clears, its freed minimum and any same-month overflow move immediately to the next debt in the order, so the monthly budget keeps working.
The baseline and two strategies
- Minimum-payment baseline: Pays no extra and never moves money between debts. Each debt receives its own entered minimum until it clears, so the total you pay falls as debts drop away. This is the path where you carry on paying the minimums and keep the money a cleared debt frees up. A debt whose minimum does not cover its interest never clears on this baseline.
- Snowball: Directs spare money to the smallest current balance first. Balance ties go to the higher effective monthly rate, then input order.
- Avalanche: Directs spare money to the highest effective monthly rate first. Rate ties go to the smaller current balance, then input order.
Calculator Inputs
- Your debts: For each debt, enter its type, current balance, minimum monthly payment, and APR. You can compare up to 20 debts.
- Extra monthly payment: Money available on top of every minimum. It is added to both snowball and avalanche, but not to the baseline.
Snowball and avalanche use the same total monthly budget: all entered minimums plus the extra payment. Only their target order differs.
How each month is calculated
Each month adds interest first, then pays every minimum up to the amount owed. Snowball and avalanche then send the extra and any freed payments to their target debt, capping final payments at the remaining balance and cascading the overflow in the same month. The baseline stops at the minimums.
Understanding Your Results
The comparison shows payoff time, first debt cleared, total interest, total repayment, and each strategy’s payoff order. The balance chart uses one shared horizon so all three paths line up month by month.
A scenario that still owes money after the 1,200-month (100-year) calculation horizon is shown as not clearing. Calculations also stop safely if a balance grows beyond the supported range.
Assumptions & Limitations
Rates and entered minimum payments stay fixed. Real card minimums and variable rates can change. The model does not include promotional periods, fees, missed payments, new borrowing, or credit-score effects.
Results are estimates for comparing strategies, not a quote or a guarantee. The strategy you can consistently follow may matter more than a small projected difference.
The results provided by this online calculator are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial advice. The actual rates, terms and amounts that apply to you may vary based on your provider, your credit profile and the specifics of your situation. This calculator may not account for every factor that affects the total cost, such as fees, taxes, changing rates or other charges. Please consult a qualified financial professional before making a decision.