Plan your way out of debt with snowball or avalanche
Add each debt with its balance, rate and minimum payment. Tavala shows the month you are debt-free under the snowball or avalanche method, and lets you test what an extra payment or a refinance would change.
Snowball
$1,456 of interest
First debt gone in 9 months
Store card, then Credit card, then Car loan
Avalanche
$1,370 of interest
First debt gone in 18 months
Credit card, then Store card, then Car loan
Three example debts: a store card of $900 at 12%, a credit card of $2,140 at 21.9% and a car loan of $7,900 at 6.4%, with minimums of $290 a month in all. Paying only the minimums takes 46 months and $2,266 of interest; the $80 extra saves 12 months and $896.
Snowball or avalanche, your choice
Snowball clears the smallest balance first for quick wins. Avalanche clears the highest rate first to pay the least interest. Switch between them and compare the debt-free month.
What-ifs before you decide
Add an extra monthly payment or a one-off lump sum and see how many months it saves. Compare a refinance or a consolidation against your current plan.
Promo rates and rate changes
Enter a dated rate change, such as a 0 percent card offer ending in March, and the schedule accounts for it.
Ahead or behind plan
As you record payments, Tavala tells you whether you are ahead of or behind the plan you set.
Bring your existing list
Import a debt list or a payment history from a CSV file instead of typing it in.
How the planner pays your debts
The planner takes every debt you track with a balance, its monthly payment as the minimum and its interest rate, including dated rate changes and interest-only or grace periods. Each month it pays every debt its minimum. All the extra money, plus the minimums freed by debts already cleared, goes to one priority debt at a time. That rollover is what turns a small extra payment into months saved.
Highest rate first (avalanche) is the default, because it pays the least interest. Smallest first (snowball) clears small balances sooner. The result shows the month you are debt-free, the order your debts clear in, the interest each one costs, and a line such as "Saves €120.00 interest vs snowball", so the choice is made on your own numbers rather than on a rule of thumb.
Debts in different currencies, in one plan
A student loan in euros and a credit card in dollars belong in the same plan, because the same income pays both. Tavala converts each debt into your main currency at today's rate, says "Converted at today's rate" on the plan, and names any debt it had to leave out because no rate exists yet. Each debt itself stays in its own currency on the Money tab.
What-ifs, and what is free
Under What if, an extra monthly payment (a slider up to three times your largest minimum), a one-off lump sum on a date, and a consolidation model show how the date and the interest move. Nothing you try changes your debts. Debts with overpayment terms, such as many mortgages, show how much of an overpayment goes over the yearly allowance and the early-repayment charge to expect.
The planner, the payoff order, the debt-free date and the choice of method are free with any number of debts. The what-ifs, payment schedules, rate changes and the debt CSV import are free for your first debt and part of Tavala Plus for every debt after it.
Three debts, both methods
The three example debts in the planner above, with $150 a month on top of the minimums. The figures come from the same engine the site's calculators run.
| Debt | Balance | APR | Minimum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Store card | $900 | 12% | $35 |
| Credit card | $2,140 | 21.9% | $65 |
| Car loan | $7,900 | 6.4% | $190 |
Debt payoff in other apps
The rows that decide whether a debt in a second currency, or a debt at a bank no aggregator reaches, can be part of the plan.
| What | Tavala | YNAB | Monarch | Copilot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Currencies | Every currency in one space155 currencies and 96 cryptocurrencies; 2 per space on the free plan | One per planIts advice for several: a separate plan for each | No conversionShows every amount as $; USD or CAD accounts advised | USD only"does not convert foreign currency transactions" |
| Bank connections | Optional add-onBanks in the United States and Canada, through Plaid, $3.99 a month per bank | IncludedSelect banks in the US, Canada and 18 European countries, UK included | Included, at the coreUS and Canada only, 13,000+ institutions | Included, at the coreUS-based accounts only, through Plaid and Finicity |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, webA native Mac app; the web at app.tavala.io | iPhone, iPad, Android, webApple Watch; its app list shows no desktop app | iPhone, iPad, Android, webNo Mac or Windows app | iPhone, iPad, Mac, webA native Mac app; no Android |
| Price | Free; Plus $39.99 a yearor $6.99 a month on the web | $109 a yearor $14.99 a month; 34-day trial | $99.99 a yearor $14.99 a month (Core); Plus $199.99 a year | $95 a year$13 a month in the App Store; 1-month trial |
Questions about debt payoff
- Which is better, snowball or avalanche?
- Avalanche costs less in interest. Snowball clears individual debts sooner, which some people find easier to stick with. Tavala shows the debt-free month for both so you can choose.
- Can I plan mortgage overpayments?
- Yes. Add the mortgage as a debt, test an overpayment, and Tavala warns about early-repayment charges where they apply.
- Do I need to connect my bank to use the planner?
- No. The planner works with debts you enter by hand. In the US and Canada, a connected loan or card can keep its balance up to date automatically.
- Can I set my own payoff order?
- Not in the app. The planner offers highest rate first (avalanche) and smallest first (snowball). The free debt payoff calculator on this site also takes a custom order. The debt payoff calculator.
- What if my payments do not cover the interest?
- The planner says so instead of showing a date: "Your payments don't cover the interest yet", and asks for an extra monthly amount. It looks up to 100 years ahead before calling a debt not cleared.
- Does the plan change my debts?
- No. What-ifs are not saved. Record real payments and the plan updates from them.
Go further
- Debt payoff calculatorYour own debts, by snowball, avalanche or your own order.
- Credit card payoff calculatorWhat the minimum payment really costs.
- Debt snowball calculatorSmallest balance first, with a link to share the plan.
- Net worthDebts as liabilities beside everything you own.
- Plan to pay off your debtsSee your debt-free date, the order your debts clear in and what extra payments save, using highest-rate-first or smallest-first.
- Track a loan or a credit lineAdd a loan, mortgage or credit card as a debt with its amount owed, monthly payment and rate, and watch it fall on the Money tab.
Also in Tavala
- Ask Tavala AI AgentQuestions answered from your ledger, and changes you confirm.
- Multi-currencyThe rate from the day you paid, kept on every entry.
- Offline-first and privateEvery screen works with no connection and no account.
- Shared spacesOne ledger for up to six people, each on their own phone.
- Budgets, bills and forecastWhat is left, and what is safe to spend before pay day.
- Bank sync (US and Canada)Read-only import from US and Canadian banks, through Plaid.
- Trips and projectsA trip or a project kept apart from everyday spending.
Start with what you spent today.
There is no account to create and no card to enter. Pick your currency, add what you paid, and Home shows what is left.