List your debts, add anything extra you can pay each month, and see your debt-free date and total interest — with the snowball (smallest balance first) and avalanche (highest rate first) methods compared side by side. Nothing is sent to a server.
Clearing high-interest debt is the highest guaranteed return there is, and the doorway to financial independence: the payment you were sending to lenders becomes the money that buys your freedom. The full FIRE Calculator shows exactly when you can stop working once the debt's gone — with real tax brackets in 43 countries, pensions, Monte Carlo stress-testing, and your whole life plan. Free and private.
Open the full FIRE planner →Both methods pay the minimum on every debt and throw everything extra at one target debt until it's gone — then roll that whole payment onto the next target (the "snowball" that gives the method its name). They differ only in which debt is the target:
❄️ Snowball attacks your smallest balance first. You clear whole debts quickly, which feels great and keeps you going — the reason it's the most popular method despite not being the cheapest.
🏔️ Avalanche attacks your highest interest rate first. This always pays the least total interest and is usually fastest — it's the mathematically optimal route, but the first win can take longer.
The honest answer: avalanche saves the most money, snowball keeps the most people motivated. The gap between them is often small — switch the toggle above to see it in your numbers, then pick the one you'll actually stick with.
Every extra amount goes straight at the principal, so it stops accruing interest for the entire remaining life of the loan. And once a debt is cleared, its whole minimum payment rolls onto the next debt — so your payoff accelerates the further you go. A modest extra each month can take years off your debt-free date and save a large multiple of itself in interest.
See also: mortgage payoff · savings rate & years to FI · compound interest · all calculators.
Estimates only, not financial advice. Assumes fixed rates and that you keep paying at least the minimums; ignores fees, promotional/teaser rates and minimums that change with the balance. Check exact figures with your lenders. Your inputs stay in your browser — nothing is sent to a server. · Full planner · All calculators · Mortgage payoff · Español · Português · Deutsch · Français · Italiano · Nederlands · Svenska · Norsk · Dansk · Polski · Čeština · Suomi · Ελληνικά · Türkçe · Bahasa Indonesia · Bahasa Melayu · 日本語 · 한국어 · 中文 · ไทย · עברית · العربية · How it works · Feedback