What loan calculators answer
Every loan boils down to three numbers: principal, rate, and term. The calculators here turn those into the things you actually want to know — monthly payment, total interest paid, payoff date, and what an extra payment shaves off. The Amortization Schedule shows the full month-by-month split between principal and interest for any loan, which is the most revealing view of how much of each payment is actually retiring debt versus paying interest.
Auto, personal, and student loans
The Auto Loan Calculator handles the specifics of car financing, including trade-in value and down payment effects on the financed amount. The Personal Loan Calculator covers unsecured installment loans — debt consolidation, home improvement, medical expenses — where rate is driven primarily by credit score. The Student Loan Calculator handles federal and private student loans, with extra-payment scenarios and refinance comparisons that show how much an interest rate change actually saves.
Comparing offers and refinancing
The Loan Comparison Calculator puts two offers side-by-side — useful for refinance decisions, choosing between term lengths, or evaluating buy-down points. A shorter term almost always lowers total interest paid but raises the monthly payment; the comparison view makes the trade-off explicit. For credit-card debt, the Balance Transfer Calculator answers a different question: whether a 0% promotional period actually saves you money once the transfer fee and post-promo APR are factored in.
Paying off debt strategically
For multiple debts at once — credit cards, personal loans, medical bills — the Debt Payoff Calculator handles the two main strategies. Avalanche targets the highest-rate debt first (mathematically optimal). Snowball targets the smallest balance first (psychologically motivating because of faster wins). The calculator shows total interest and payoff date under each strategy so you can pick the one that fits your situation.
Related categories
Mortgages have their own dedicated tools that include taxes, insurance, and PMI — see Mortgage Calculators. For wealth-building tools where you're the creditor (CDs, savings, compound interest), see Savings & Investing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Snowball or avalanche — which debt payoff method is better?
Avalanche is mathematically optimal: paying the highest-rate debt first always minimizes total interest. Snowball targets the smallest balance first, which costs more in interest but produces a paid-off account sooner, and the research behind it suggests that visible early wins meaningfully improve the odds people stick with the plan. If the interest difference between your debts is small, snowball costs almost nothing and may be the better bet behaviorally. If one debt carries a much higher rate, avalanche is worth the discipline.
Does a shorter loan term always cost less?
Less total interest, yes — a shorter term means fewer months of interest accruing and usually a lower rate. But the monthly payment is higher, and that is a real constraint, not a footnote. A longer term with extra principal payments gets you much of the interest savings while keeping the required payment low, which is the safer structure if your income is variable.
Is a 0% balance transfer actually worth it?
Usually, but the transfer fee decides it. Most cards charge 3% to 5% up front, so moving $10,000 costs $300 to $500 immediately. That is worth paying if your current APR is high and you will clear the balance during the promotional window. If you will not, the post-promo rate applies to whatever remains and can erase the benefit. The deciding question is whether your realistic monthly payment clears the balance before the promo ends.
How does my credit score affect the rate I am offered?
Substantially on unsecured debt, less on secured. Personal loan rates commonly span from single digits for excellent credit to well over 30% for poor credit — on the same loan amount and term. Auto loans vary less because the car itself is collateral. Federal student loans are the exception: the rate is set by Congress annually and does not depend on credit at all, which is one reason federal loans are generally exhausted before private ones.
Should I pay off debt or invest?
Compare the interest rate to a realistic after-tax investment return. Paying off a 22% credit card is a guaranteed 22% return and almost always wins. A 4% subsidized loan is a much closer call. Two things usually come before either: an emergency fund, because carrying no cash buffer tends to push you back onto high-rate credit, and any employer 401(k) match, which is an immediate return no loan rate matches.