Debt Avalanche vs Debt Snowball: I Built a Calculator to Settle the Debate

Every personal finance argument eventually comes down to this: should you pay off your highest-interest debt first or your smallest balance first? I have watched this debate play out in comment sections for years, and I finally got tired of seeing people argue with feelings instead of numbers. So I sat down and built a calculator that models both strategies side by side. What I found surprised me. Not because one strategy is obviously better, but because the answer depends on something most financial advice completely ignores. Let me walk you through it. Two Strategies, Same Goal The debt avalanche method tells you to make minimum payments on everything, then throw every extra dollar at the debt with the highest interest rate. Once that one is gone, you roll that payment into the next highest rate. Pure math. Maximum efficiency. The debt snowball method, popularized by Dave Ramsey, says forget the interest rates. Pay off the smallest balance first. Get a quick win. Build momentum. Then