Snowball vs Avalanche

Compare two payoff strategies across multiple debts. Add your balances, APRs, minimums, and any extra monthly payment.

Inputs

Loaded your last inputs
How the extra payment is applied

Snowball: Extra goes to the smallest balance first (quick wins).

Avalanche: Extra goes to the highest APR first (usually least interest).

As debts are paid off, their minimum payments are rolled into the remaining debts (your total monthly budget stays constant).

Start with one row and add as many debts as you need.

This is on top of all minimum payments.
Uses standard amortization math. Estimates only.

Results

Snowball payoff time
Snowball total interest
Sum of interest across all debts.
Avalanche payoff time
Avalanche total interest
Sum of interest across all debts.
Scenario loaded from shared link.

  • Interest accrues monthly using APR ÷ 12.
  • Minimum payments are treated as fixed dollar amounts (not percent-of-balance rules).
  • Your monthly budget stays constant: all minimums + extra monthly payment.
  • When a debt is paid off, its minimum payment is rolled into the remaining debts automatically.
  • Snowball: extra targets the smallest remaining balance first (ties break by higher APR).
  • Avalanche: extra targets the highest APR first (ties break by smaller balance).
  • No fees, promo APRs, penalty APR changes, late fees, or lender-specific minimum formulas are modeled.