Loan clarity tools
Understand what your loan really costs. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Every tool here answers a decision, not just a number. Every result shows its math. And the numbers you type stay on your device: there is no account, no upload, and the page is not allowed to send data anywhere. See how we prove that.
Tools
Educational calculators on numbers you enter. No eligibility checks, no offers, no lender recommendations.
- Where did my payments go?Live
- Which offer really costs less?Live
- Does refinancing help?Live
- Consolidate or pay faster?Live
- Drop a statement, skip the typingComing
A lower rate can still cost more
Say you need exactly $10,000.00 in hand and will repay over 36 months. Offer A charges 12% interest but deducts a 5% fee from the money you receive. Offer B charges 14% with no fee. Compared on the same cash in hand, B is cheaper by $282.53.
| A: 12% + 5% fee | B: 14%, no fee | |
|---|---|---|
| Amount on the note | $10,526.32 | $10,000.00 |
| Cash you receive | $10,000.00 | $10,000.00 |
| Monthly payment | $349.62 | $341.78 |
| Total of all payments | $12,586.48 | $12,303.95 |
| Estimated APR | 15.61% | 14.00% |
| Cost if you pay off at month 12 | $1,622.70 | $1,219.75 |
| Total cost of borrowing | $2,586.48 | $2,303.95 |
Computed by the same engine that powers the tools, from fictional offers. Estimated APR uses a regular-period cash-flow calculation and is not a legal disclosure. Run this comparison with your own offers.
How it works
The answer first
Every result starts with one plain sentence in your own numbers. Charts and tables come after.
Show the math
Under every result, the formula and every intermediate value, with a method page you can check.
Questions, not advice
Each tool ends with the questions to ask your lender, written from your numbers, ready to copy.
Who this is for
Anyone in the US with a personal, auto or other installment loan who wants a straight answer without creating an account or handing a statement to a website. We do not know your credit score, your income or your name, and we never ask.
Show Real Cost is an educational site. It is not a lender, broker or adviser, and it does not match you with offers. About the people behind it.