Debt snowball vs avalanche
The answer
On these numbers avalanche costs $1,182.01 less in interest, and finishes 2 months sooner.
Paying the highest rate first (avalanche), 3 debts totalling $15,350.00 are paid off in 3 yr — around Oct 2029 — with $5,233.82 in interest.
Of the first $575.00, $255.89 is interest and $319.11 comes off what you owe.
- Total interest
- $5,233.82
- Total paid
- $20,583.82
An estimate from the inputs shown, not a promise of a particular date. How we calculate this.
Avalanche attacks your highest interest rate. Snowball attacks your smallest balance. Everything else about them is identical — same total paid each month, same minimums, same arithmetic.
The conclusion above and the table below are computed from the debts in the fields. Neither asserts a difference that is not there: when the orders come out equal, they say so.
Assumptions
- Interest accrues once a month, before that month's payment.
- The APR stays at the rates entered for the whole term.
- No new spending, fees, penalty rate or promotional rate.
- You pay every minimum, plus the extra in full, on time, every month.
Method comparison
| Method | Term | Debt-free | Total interest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avalanche | 3 yr | Oct 2029 | $5,233.82 |
| Snowball | 3 yr 2 mo | Dec 2029 | $6,415.83 |
On these numbers avalanche costs $1,182.01 less in interest, and finishes 2 months sooner.
Month by month
What is left at the end of each month, after that month's payment — from the same engine run as the answer above.
| Month | Date | Medical bill | Credit card | Personal loan | Total owed | Paid off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | Oct 2026 | $1,150.00 | $9,800.00 | $4,400.00 | $15,350.00 | |
| 1 | Nov 2026 | $1,120.00 | $9,617.25 | $4,293.63 | $15,030.88 | |
| 2 | Dec 2026 | $1,090.00 | $9,430.55 | $4,186.21 | $14,706.76 | |
| 3 | Jan 2027 | $1,060.00 | $9,239.80 | $4,077.73 | $14,377.53 | |
| 4 | Feb 2027 | $1,030.00 | $9,044.91 | $3,968.16 | $14,043.07 | |
| 5 | Mar 2027 | $1,000.00 | $8,845.81 | $3,857.51 | $13,703.32 | |
| 6 | Apr 2027 | $970.00 | $8,642.40 | $3,745.77 | $13,358.17 | |
| 7 | May 2027 | $940.00 | $8,434.58 | $3,632.91 | $13,007.49 | |
| 8 | Jun 2027 | $910.00 | $8,222.26 | $3,518.94 | $12,651.20 | |
| 9 | Jul 2027 | $880.00 | $8,005.34 | $3,403.84 | $12,289.18 | |
| 10 | Aug 2027 | $850.00 | $7,783.72 | $3,287.59 | $11,921.31 | |
| 11 | Sep 2027 | $820.00 | $7,557.30 | $3,170.19 | $11,547.49 | |
| 12 | Oct 2027 | $790.00 | $7,325.98 | $3,051.63 | $11,167.61 |
Show the full schedule — all 3 years
| Month | Date | Medical bill | Credit card | Personal loan | Total owed | Paid off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | Oct 2026 | $1,150.00 | $9,800.00 | $4,400.00 | $15,350.00 | |
| 1 | Nov 2026 | $1,120.00 | $9,617.25 | $4,293.63 | $15,030.88 | |
| 2 | Dec 2026 | $1,090.00 | $9,430.55 | $4,186.21 | $14,706.76 | |
| 3 | Jan 2027 | $1,060.00 | $9,239.80 | $4,077.73 | $14,377.53 | |
| 4 | Feb 2027 | $1,030.00 | $9,044.91 | $3,968.16 | $14,043.07 | |
| 5 | Mar 2027 | $1,000.00 | $8,845.81 | $3,857.51 | $13,703.32 | |
| 6 | Apr 2027 | $970.00 | $8,642.40 | $3,745.77 | $13,358.17 | |
| 7 | May 2027 | $940.00 | $8,434.58 | $3,632.91 | $13,007.49 | |
| 8 | Jun 2027 | $910.00 | $8,222.26 | $3,518.94 | $12,651.20 | |
| 9 | Jul 2027 | $880.00 | $8,005.34 | $3,403.84 | $12,289.18 | |
| 10 | Aug 2027 | $850.00 | $7,783.72 | $3,287.59 | $11,921.31 | |
| 11 | Sep 2027 | $820.00 | $7,557.30 | $3,170.19 | $11,547.49 | |
| 12 | Oct 2027 | $790.00 | $7,325.98 | $3,051.63 | $11,167.61 | |
| 13 | Nov 2027 | $760.00 | $7,089.65 | $2,931.89 | $10,781.54 | |
| 14 | Dec 2027 | $730.00 | $6,848.20 | $2,810.97 | $10,389.17 | |
| 15 | Jan 2028 | $700.00 | $6,601.52 | $2,688.84 | $9,990.36 | |
| 16 | Feb 2028 | $670.00 | $6,349.50 | $2,565.51 | $9,585.01 | |
| 17 | Mar 2028 | $640.00 | $6,092.02 | $2,440.95 | $9,172.97 | |
| 18 | Apr 2028 | $610.00 | $5,828.96 | $2,315.15 | $8,754.11 | |
| 19 | May 2028 | $580.00 | $5,560.20 | $2,188.11 | $8,328.31 | |
| 20 | Jun 2028 | $550.00 | $5,285.63 | $2,059.81 | $7,895.44 | |
| 21 | Jul 2028 | $520.00 | $5,005.11 | $1,930.24 | $7,455.35 | |
| 22 | Aug 2028 | $490.00 | $4,718.51 | $1,799.38 | $7,007.89 | |
| 23 | Sep 2028 | $460.00 | $4,425.70 | $1,667.22 | $6,552.92 | |
| 24 | Oct 2028 | $430.00 | $4,126.56 | $1,533.76 | $6,090.32 | |
| 25 | Nov 2028 | $400.00 | $3,820.93 | $1,398.97 | $5,619.90 | |
| 26 | Dec 2028 | $370.00 | $3,508.69 | $1,262.84 | $5,141.53 | |
| 27 | Jan 2029 | $340.00 | $3,189.68 | $1,125.36 | $4,655.04 | |
| 28 | Feb 2029 | $310.00 | $2,863.76 | $986.52 | $4,160.28 | |
| 29 | Mar 2029 | $280.00 | $2,530.79 | $846.30 | $3,657.09 | |
| 30 | Apr 2029 | $250.00 | $2,190.60 | $704.70 | $3,145.30 | |
| 31 | May 2029 | $220.00 | $1,843.04 | $561.69 | $2,624.73 | |
| 32 | Jun 2029 | $190.00 | $1,487.96 | $417.26 | $2,095.22 | |
| 33 | Jul 2029 | $160.00 | $1,125.19 | $271.39 | $1,556.58 | |
| 34 | Aug 2029 | $130.00 | $754.56 | $124.08 | $1,008.64 | |
| 35 | Sep 2029 | $100.00 | $351.22 | $0.00 | $451.22 | Personal loan paid off |
| 36 | Oct 2029 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | Medical bill paid off · Credit card paid off |
When the difference is small — or nothing at all
If your smallest balance happens to carry your highest rate, both orders pick the same debt every month and come out exactly equal. That is not a rounding artefact; it is the same plan under both names. The sentence at the top of this page is computed from whatever is in the fields above, so it will say so when that is what your numbers do.
When it is not small
A large balance at a low rate sitting next to a small balance at a high rate is the case where the orders diverge most: avalanche clears the expensive debt, snowball clears the quick debt, and the interest gap can run to real money over a long plan.
The order you will actually keep
A cheaper plan you abandon early costs more than a slightly dearer plan you finish. That is not a reason to ignore the interest figure — it is a reason to look at both numbers before choosing, which is what this page is for.
Questions about this calculator
Do both methods pay the same amount each month?
Yes. Both pay every minimum plus the same extra; only the debt that receives the money left over differs. That is what lets the comparison isolate the cost of the order itself.
How do I read the comparison table?
Each row is a complete run of the payoff engine under that method: how long it takes, the estimated debt-free month and the total interest. A method that cannot clear the debts shows a dash and says so rather than printing a date.
Can I switch methods partway through?
In real life, yes. This calculator models a single method from start to finish, so a switch partway through is outside what it shows.
Is there research on how much the order usually costs?
Yes. Our original research runs both orders over a large synthetic set of debt portfolios and publishes the dataset; the studies are linked below.
From our research
Related
Reviewed 2026-09-19. Every figure on this page is produced by the same payoff engine the Dang! Payoff app runs, from the inputs shown, and is an estimate that holds only if the stated assumptions hold. The dates printed here were computed from a plan starting October 2026; the calculator re-anchors to the current month in your browser, so a date you read with JavaScript disabled is the one for that starting month rather than for today.
Dang! Payoff is a manual-entry debt payoff planner and tracker from Dang Apps LLC. It is not a lender, credit counselling agency, debt-relief, debt-management or debt-settlement service, and nothing here is financial, legal or tax advice or a recommendation about your situation. Your issuer’s or lender’s own terms govern your account.
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