The avalanche method pays minimums on everything and throws every spare dollar at the highest-interest debt first. The snowball method targets the smallest balance first, regardless of rate. Avalanche always wins on paper: interest accrues fastest on the highest APR, so killing it first minimizes total cost.
But research on debt repayment behavior consistently finds that people who see early wins are more likely to stick with a plan. If your smallest debt is also a high-APR card, the two strategies agree. When they diverge, run both in the calculator above — if avalanche only saves you a few dollars, the motivational boost of snowball may be worth more than the math.
The honest answer: the best strategy is the one you'll actually follow for the full payoff period. The calculator shows you the exact price difference between the two, so the choice is informed instead of a guess.
Updated July 2026