Mortgage Amortization & Loan Comparison Calculator

Shopping for a mortgage, not checking one you already have? Compare two real offers side by side — full amortization schedule for each — and see exactly when the trailing loan catches up, not just which one looks better on day one.

Saves your inputs, results, and chart above.
Both loans
Home price
The two offers
Down payment
Interest rate
Term
Points% of loan amount, paid upfront for a lower rate
Closing costs% of loan amount, excluding points
Lender creditOptional, reduces upfront cash
Down payment
Interest rate
Term
Points% of loan amount, paid upfront for a lower rate
Closing costs% of loan amount, excluding points
Lender creditOptional, reduces upfront cash
Extra payments
?

Applied identically to both loans, not a separate strategy per offer — this is asking 'if I pay extra regardless of which loan I pick, does the verdict change,' not modeling two different payoff plans. A dollar of extra principal saves more future interest on whichever loan has the higher rate, so paying extra actually works somewhat against the case for buying points on a lower rate.

Extra fixed amount, every month
One-time lump sum
Recurring annual lump sumE.g. a tax refund, applied every year

Which loan wins

Over the life of both loans
Loan B wins by $25,287
The trailing loan catches up and overtakes after about 2 yr 8 mo.

Where Loan A's and Loan B's payments go

Loan A
Loan B

Each bar is one year's total payments, split between principal (equity) and interest (cost). The shorter or lower-rate loan crosses over to mostly-principal earlier.

Net position over time

Loan facts

Loan A
Loan amount$320,000
Monthly payment$2,076
Upfront cash$86,400
Interest over full term$427,185
Loan B
Loan amount$320,000
Monthly payment$1,996
Upfront cash$89,600
Interest over full term$398,698

Full amortization schedule

MonthLoan A balanceLoan B balance
1$319,724$319,704
Year 1$316,590$316,338
Year 2$312,942$312,435
Year 3$309,040$308,276
Year 4$304,866$303,844
Year 5$300,402$299,121
Year 6$295,627$294,088
Year 7$290,520$288,724
Year 8$285,057$283,009
Year 9$279,213$276,918
Year 10$272,963$270,428
Year 11$266,278$263,511
Year 12$259,127$256,140
Year 13$251,478$248,286
Year 14$243,296$239,916
Year 15$234,545$230,996
Year 16$225,185$221,491
Year 17$215,173$211,362
Year 18$204,463$200,568
Year 19$193,008$189,065
Year 20$180,756$176,807
Year 21$167,650$163,745
Year 22$153,632$149,825
Year 23$138,638$134,991
Year 24$122,600$119,184
Year 25$105,445$102,338
Year 26$87,095$84,387
Year 27$67,468$65,258
Year 28$46,474$44,873
Year 29$24,019$23,149
Year 30$0$0

Showing year-end balances. Export the Excel file above for the full month-by-month schedule for both loans.

What this doesn't account for

  • • Adjustable-rate mortgages — fixed-rate only for now.
  • • Property tax, homeowners insurance, or HOA fees — identical regardless of which loan you pick, so left out of the comparison on purpose.
  • • Mortgage interest tax deductibility, or market rates moving before you actually close.
  • • PMI, if either offer has less than 20% down — check the payment against your own lender's quote if that applies to you.

Questions

What does "Crossover" mean?

The point where the loan that started behind overtakes the other. Points and closing costs are upfront costs recovered gradually through a lower monthly payment, so a loan with more points paid upfront can look worse in the first few years and still end up ahead later. Crossover tells you exactly when that happens, so you know how long you'd need to keep the loan for the lower rate to actually pay off.

How does paying points affect the comparison?

Paying points raises your upfront cash and lowers your rate — exactly the tradeoff this calculator measures. Whichever loan needs less cash upfront banks that difference; whichever loan costs less per month banks that difference too, at plain dollar value. A loan with a lower rate bought with points typically starts behind on cash and catches up over time; Crossover shows exactly when.

How can two loans with different upfront costs be compared fairly?

By tracking what the difference in upfront cash is actually worth in plain dollars. Whichever loan needs less cash to start gets that leftover amount credited to it in the comparison; whichever loan costs less per month gets that savings credited too. Everything is compared dollar for dollar, at face value, so a loan that costs more upfront isn't unfairly penalized or flattered by a guess about what you'd otherwise do with the extra cash.

Does home value or appreciation affect which loan wins?

No. Both loans finance the exact same home, so whatever it's worth later is identical either way and cancels out of the comparison completely. What actually differs between the two loans is the upfront cash and the payment schedule, so that's what this measures.

Does this include property tax, homeowners insurance, or HOA fees?

No — they cost the same regardless of which loan you pick, since it's the same home either way, so they wouldn't change which loan wins. They're left out to keep the comparison focused on what actually differs between the two offers; add them on your own if you want to see your full expected monthly payment.

Does this work for adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs)?

Not yet — this compares fixed-rate offers only. ARMs need their own rate-reset modeling (index, margin, adjustment caps) to model accurately, and that's a real candidate for a future update.

Can I use different extra payments for each loan?

No — the same extra-payment plan (extra monthly amount, lump sums, biweekly) applies to both loans, on purpose, so the comparison stays about the loan structures themselves rather than two different payoff strategies. It also surfaces something useful: a dollar of extra principal saves more future interest on whichever loan has the higher rate, so paying extra regardless of which loan you pick actually works somewhat against the case for buying points on a lower rate.

Is this financial advice?

No. This doesn't model ARMs, property tax/insurance/HOA, mortgage interest tax deductibility, or the possibility that market rates change before you close. It isn't personalized financial, tax, or legal advice. See our Terms of Use.

Already have this loan, or still deciding whether to buy?

Once you've chosen a loan and closed, our Mortgage Equity & Payoff Calculator picks up from here — real equity, PMI, and whether paying it down faster or refinancing pays off. Still weighing renting vs. buying at all? Try our Rent vs. Buy Net Worth Calculator first.

Track Your Net Worth →