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Compare two financial options

Compare two loans at a common exit date, or two savings plans with the same deposits and horizon. See the costs, balances and assumptions side by side.

Your numbers / A transparent comparison

A common basis for a better comparison.

Match the amount and the timeline before interpreting the difference.

Same borrowing need
Same deposit schedule
Option A
Option B

Editable hypothetical example.

The calculated scenario

Compare the payment and the exit cost

At month 12, cash payments plus the upfront fee and outstanding principal total USD 21,628.01 for Option A and USD 21,916.77 for Option B. A smaller monthly payment can leave more principal unpaid.

The entered rate is nominal annual interest, not a fee-inclusive APR. Fees are paid separately in cash. Taxes, insurance, escrow, penalties and discounting of cash dates are excluded.

Option A monthly payment
626.73USD
Option B monthly payment
474.30USD
Common exit checkpoint
12months
Same starting principal
20,000.00USD
Debt remaining · USDSame scale · zero included · exact values below
010k20kOption AOption BMonth 048
  • Option A
  • Option B
Comparison figures
Comparison figures · hypothetical scenario; units shown in column headings
OptionRegular payment (USD/month)Term (months)Lifetime interest + fee (USD)All payments + fee (USD)Payments + fee + payoff at month 12 (USD)Payment in final scheduled month (USD)
Option A626.73362,812.1522,812.1521,628.01626.60
Option B474.30483,516.3623,516.3621,916.77474.26
Month-by-month figures
Monthly scenario data
Monthly scenario data · hypothetical scenario; units shown in column headings
MonthOption A debt remaining (USD)Option B debt remaining (USD)
020,000.0020,000.00
119,506.6019,634.03
219,009.9119,266.08
318,509.9118,896.14
418,006.5818,524.19
517,499.8918,150.23
616,989.8317,774.24
716,476.3717,396.22
815,959.4817,016.15
915,439.1516,634.02
1014,915.3516,249.82
1114,388.0615,863.54
1213,857.2515,475.17
1313,322.9015,084.69
1412,784.9914,692.10
1512,243.4914,297.38
1611,698.3813,900.52
1711,149.6413,501.51
1810,597.2413,100.34
1910,041.1612,697.00
209,481.3712,291.48
218,917.8511,883.76
228,350.5711,473.83
237,779.5111,061.68
247,204.6410,647.30
256,625.9410,230.67
266,043.389,811.79
275,456.949,390.64
284,866.598,967.21
294,272.308,541.48
303,674.058,113.45
313,071.817,683.10
322,465.567,250.42
331,855.276,815.39
341,240.916,378.01
35622.455,938.26
360.005,496.13
370.005,051.60
380.004,604.66
390.004,155.30
400.003,703.51
410.003,249.27
420.002,792.57
430.002,333.40
440.001,871.74
450.001,407.58
460.00940.90
470.00471.70
480.000.00

Read the assumptions

Loan payments use a fixed nominal annual rate divided by 12. Monthly interest and regular payments are rounded to cents, with the final payment adjusted to clear the remaining principal. The same loan amount is used for both options. Fees are separate cash outlays, not financed. At the common exit month, payments, fees and remaining principal are added without discounting cash dates. Savings plans use the same starting balance, month-end deposits and horizon; growth and recurring cost assumptions remain fixed.

Concept references: CFPB loan comparisons and Investor.gov compound interest. These resources explain the concepts and do not endorse the tool.

Amounts are in USD. These are educational scenarios, not lender offers, guaranteed returns or personal advice. Submitted values are used to calculate a result and are not saved to a user profile. The calculation also works with the form submit button.

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