Loan Calculators to Help Manage Your Money

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Quick Answer

You can use a loan APR calculator to understand the total cost you’re paying to borrow. That can help you better manage your current debts, or compare the costs of various borrowing options to find the best loan for your needs.

Woman managing home finances using smart phone calculator app and laptop to calculate loan amounts.

When it comes to making financial decisions, there's no substitute for crunching the numbers. Loan calculators can help you better weigh your borrowing options and choose the best repayment strategy for your budget.

Here's a guide to loan calculators that can help you understand loan costs and manage your debt, plus a guide to loan terms and additional resources you can use to improve your finances.

Loan APR Calculator

A loan's annual percentage rate, or APR, shows the true cost to take out a loan. It includes interest and other financing charges, such as origination fees. You can use Experian's APR calculator to compare the cost of different loan options. By looking at APR, rather than just the interest rate, you can get an apples-to-apples comparison of how much you'll really pay for each loan to pick the more affordable option.

APR calculator

Calculators for Different Loan Types

These calculators can help you crunch the numbers when evaluating the costs of specific loan types.

Personal Loan Calculator

When you're considering borrowing a personal loan, you should understand how the terms you choose impact what the loan will cost you in total by the time you pay it off.

Use the Experian personal loan calculator to compare how your loan term and interest rate impact your monthly payments and the total interest you'll pay. This can help you decide whether a shorter term will fit into your budget, or whether it makes more sense to opt for a longer term even if that means a higher interest rate.

Learn more: How Do Personal Loan Interest Rates Work?

Mortgage Loan Calculator

Whether you're getting ready to buy a home now or are simply planning for homeownership down the road, use the Experian mortgage calculator to see the potential cost of a home loan. You can use this calculator to find out how the size of your mortgage, your down payment and your loan's interest rate all impact your monthly payments and the total cost of your home loan.

This information can help you decide whether to start home shopping now, save so you can put more down, work on improving your credit before you seek a mortgage or opt for a more affordable home to keep monthly payments down.

Learn more: How Much Is a Down Payment on a House?

Auto Loan Calculator

An auto loan can help you finance a new car when it's time to buy, but the terms you pick will have a big impact on affordability. When you apply for an auto loan, you'll typically have options for your auto loan's term length. The longest term will lower your monthly payments, but you'll also have a higher interest rate and pay more over the life of the loan.

Use Experian's auto loan calculator to compare your options and pick the best car payment for you. As you choose the best car loan for your budget, it's important to balance what you can afford for a monthly payment with the total cost of borrowing. Choosing a lengthy loan term with a high interest rate can cause you to pay a lot more in interest over the life of your loan.

You can also use the calculator to see how saving for a larger down payment or improving your credit before you borrow can help you save on interest.

Learn more: How Can I Pay Off My Car Loan Faster?

Credit Card Payoff Calculator

Credit card debt can be costly, with rates hovering above 20% as of May 2025. And, if you're carrying a large balance, charting a way out of credit card debt can be daunting.

Crunching the numbers can help you see how much carrying the debt is costing you over time and chart a plan to pay it off. You can use Experian's credit card payoff calculator to get started.

Input your current credit card balance, interest rate and monthly payment for a clear view of how long it will take you to pay off your credit card debt, and how much you'll pay in interest. Then, try tweaking your monthly amount to see how upping your payments can help you get out of debt faster and save money.

Learn more: How to Pay Off Credit Card Debt

Loan Basics to Know

Here's a refresher on loan basics to know before you borrow, or to help you better understand your current loans.

  • Interest rate: The interest rate on a loan is the price a borrower pays in exchange for borrowing money from a lender. It's expressed as a percentage of the amount borrowed, and it can be fixed or variable.
  • APR: A loan's annual percentage rate (APR) is a truer reflection of the actual cost to borrow than the interest rate alone. That's because it factors in not only interest, but also the fees you'll pay to borrow. Note that in the case of credit cards, the APR and the interest rate are the same.
  • Loan term: A loan term is the period of time that you'll spend repaying an installment loan. Broadly speaking, a longer loan term can mean lower monthly payments, but a shorter loan term can help you save money on interest overall.
  • Collateral: Collateral is an asset used to secure a loan. In the case of an auto loan or home loan, the car or home you're financing is used to secure the loan. There are also secured personal loans that are backed by collateral, such as a car or savings account. For any collateralized or secured loan, if you don't repay the debt, the lender can seize the asset used to secure the loan.
  • Principal: The principal on a loan is typically the original amount that you borrow. In some cases, the loan's principal may be more than you actually receive, such as when the lender deducts origination fees from the approved loan amount.

Learn more: What Is Credit?

The Bottom Line

In addition to the loan and debt calculators above, you can access free financial resources from Experian to support your goals in all areas of your financial life, from debt management to retirement planning. For example, you can:

Last, you can monitor your credit for free through Experian for a glimpse of how your credit management habits are impacting your scores. You'll also have access to personalized insights on steps you may be able to take to improve your credit.

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About the author

Evelyn Waugh is a personal finance writer covering credit, budgeting, saving and debt at Experian. She has reported on finance, real estate and consumer trends for a range of online and print publications.

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