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Avalanche vs. Snowball Calculator

Same debts, same budget, two strategies. The avalanche targets your highest interest rate first (cheapest). The snowball targets your smallest balance first (most motivating). See exactly what each costs you.

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The head-to-head

How to read this: Both plans pay every minimum, then funnel whatever's left to the priority debt. As each debt clears, its old payment "rolls" onto the next — that's the snowball effect, and both strategies use it. Avalanche almost always pays the least interest; snowball almost always gives you a faster first win. The gap between them is usually small, so the real question is: which one will you actually stick with?

New to this? Start with Avalanche vs. snowball, explained.