Best Apps to Help Pay Off Student Loans Faster

For many Americans, borrowing money to pay for higher education is just part of life—42.5 million Americans have student loans, with an average balance of $42,673. That includes federal student loans and private ones. For several years during and after the COVID pandemic, federal student loans were mostly on pause. The government offered forbearance, so borrowers did not have to make payments. 

But federal student loan payments are coming back. In May 2025, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it is restarting collections on delinquent federal student loans. That could affect 5 million borrowers whose loans are in default, and another 4 million borrowers in delinquency. In July 2025, the Department of Education announced that it will start charging interest to more than 8 million federal student loan borrowers who had been enrolled in the SAVE Plan; this group of people could see their loan payments go up by an average of about $300 per month.

If you’re a federal student loan borrower, big changes could be coming soon to your bank account. That makes it even more important to take action now to get control of student loans and other debts. Student loans don’t have to last forever, and there are apps that could help you pay off those loans once and for all. 

There are many options for dealing with student loans and other debt, including debt relief. You don’t always need to make big budgeting changes or try aggressive new moves. Sometimes you can make progress on paying off student loans by starting small, with a mobile app. A wide range of student loan apps are available. They include calculators, round-up apps, and payment trackers, and they can help you understand your monthly budget and make progress toward getting rid of debt.

Let’s look at a few of the best apps for paying off student loan debt. 

How Student Loan Apps Can Transform Your Debt Repayment Journey

Why should you use student loan apps? 

They’re not required to get out of debt. You could just pay off student loans by keeping track of loan account statements and sending payments on your own. But many people find that student loan apps help pay off debt faster. 

That’s because debt payoff apps for your student loans could help you automate your payments and simplify repayment tracking. Student loan apps could help you get a clearer picture of how much you owe, and how soon you might be able to pay off your student loans.

Using technology for financial management can feel empowering. It can making paying off debt feel less like a chore, and more like a fun game. 

Here are a few key features to look for in the best student loan apps: 

Connecting multiple accounts in one app: Many student loan borrowers have more than one student loan, or multiple credit accounts. The best student loan apps show you all your debts in one place, so you can keep track of multiple loan payments each month and make clear plans about how to get rid of each debt.

Automatic budgeting: No more spreadsheets and entering numbers and writing lists of purchases—the best student loan apps will quickly show you a clear picture of your finances. That includes where your money is going, and how you might find more cash in your monthly budget. 

Automatic payments: Some of the best student loan apps don’t just show you your spending and budget, they actually help you make payments on your loans. Whether you need help to make your monthly payments on time or want to make extra payments, the best apps do this for you automatically.

Debt payoff plans: Some student loan apps show you options for how to pay off debt faster, like the debt snowball or debt avalanche methods. Others give you estimated dates for how soon you could be debt-free, based on your choice of monthly payment amount. 

Insights and alerts: The best student loan apps have the ability to give you alerts when a loan payment due date is coming up. Other insights and alerts might include upcoming bills or expected loan payoff dates. 

Student loan apps could help you make important decisions about which debts to pay off first. But if you’re having financial trouble and are struggling to stay on top of your bills, you also might want to use debt calculators or other apps to help decide which loans and credit card accounts to pay off first. If you’re delinquent on student loans or other debts, some of your credit card debts or other personal loans might be a good fit for debt relief or a debt settlement program.

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Changed

If you want an easy way to find extra cash to pay more on your student loans each month, sign up for Changed. The Changed app made our list of best apps to pay off student loan debt. It automates extra loan payments automatically, based on your everyday spending. 

If you only make the minimum payment on your student loan every month, you end up paying the maximum amount of interest, which adds up over the life of the loan. The Changed app explains that an average student loan balance of $39,400 could cost you more than $60,000 if you only pay the minimum due.

With the Changed app—and without having to actively save extra money yourself—paying more than the minimum is nearly effortless. Plus, Changed sends the money to your loan provider automatically, so you don’t have one more thing to stress about. 

Every time you make a purchase, the app rounds up the total to the nearest dollar and sets that spare change aside. For example, if you buy a coffee for $5.25, Changed rounds up to $6 and sets aside the $0.75 difference. When you reach $50 of saved spare change, the money goes toward your student loans. This could help you pay off your student loans faster—without a big effort or any complex decision-making. All you pay is a fee that starts at $4 per month (annual plan).

Sallie Mae App 

Sallie Mae is a leading provider of private student loans for a wide range of degree programs. If you have student loans with Sallie Mae, the Sallie Mae app could be helpful in paying off your debt faster.

Here’s what you can do with the Sallie Mae student loan app: 

• Check loan balances and make payments

• Pay current amount due or make custom payments

• Set up and manage automatic loan payments from your bank account

• View the status of loan applications

• Get notifications when student loan payments are due, overdue, or have posted to your account

• Track your credit with a free quarterly FICO® credit score. 

The Sallie Mae app is a good choice for Sallie Mae student loan borrowers, but it only works for Sallie Mae accounts—it’s not a more general third-party app that can connect to multiple accounts and help with other student loans. Don’t expect this app to do everything that some of the other best student loan apps on this list offer. 

The Sallie Mae app is available for iOS and Android, with high ratings on the App Store (4.5 out of 5 stars) and Google Play (4.2 out of 5 stars). Keep in mind that the same features might not be available for iOS and Android versions of the app.

Undebt.it

Undebt.it is a popular free debt planning and debt payoff tool that could help you take control of your debts—including student loans. This is not specifically a student loan app, but you could use it for student loans and other debts. Undebt.it has powerful features, and offers an interesting range of debt payoff plans so you can get out of debt faster, in whatever way works best for you. 

Here are a few key features of Undebt.it for paying off student loans and other debts: 

• Unlimited debt accounts: You can add and manage as many debts as you need, including student loans, credit card debt, or other accounts.

• Eight debt payoff plans: These include the well-known debt snowball and debt avalanche, or you can choose other options, like prioritizing your highest monthly payment, or the debts causing the biggest increase in your credit utilization ratio.   

• Easy to use: Just enter your debt amounts and budget info, and Undebt.it does the rest. 

• Visualize your debt-free future: You can use Undebt.it to get a debt payoff date and see your total interest—and your debt payoff date automatically updates as you make extra payments. 

• Premium membership with bonus features: Undebt.it is free, but if you want extra power to wipe out your debts, Undebt.it+ is the premium option. Undebt.it offers custom debt plans, yearly savings goals, and extra tracking and reporting tools. These bonus features cost $12 per year ($1 per month).  

Undebt.it does not offer a mobile app, so you won’t find it on the App Store or Google Play. But you can use it by going to the website Undebt.it on your desktop or mobile browser. 

Debt Payoff Planner 

Debt Payoff Planner is a popular app with more than 1 million downloads and excellent reviews on the App Store (4.7 stars) and Google Play (4.5 stars). This app lets you track all your debts in one place, including student loans and other debts. With the Debt Payoff Planner app, you’re not limited to a single payoff method. You can choose the debt snowball or debt avalanche, or try a custom strategy to pay extra toward your debts. 

This app offers in-app purchases (for Android) or a choice of subscriptions for iOS starting at $6 per month, with discounts for annual subscriptions. A free version is also available. 

Achieve GOOD App

Want to get out of debt faster? Achieve has a good app for that—it’s literally called the Achieve GOOD (Get Out Of Debt) App. With the Achieve GOOD app, you can quickly see where your money is going and create a custom plan to pay off debt faster, including student loans. 

Here are a few of the things you could do with the Achieve GOOD app: 

• Connect all your accounts: Achieve GOOD is not just for debts. It lets you connect any of your bank accounts, credit cards, student loan accounts, or any other debt or income you want to track.

• Visualize all your money: Achieve GOOD helps you automatically track your costs and spending in one place. No math, no lists, no budget spreadsheets, no effort required. This could help you free up more cash each month and make more confident choices about your spending and saving. 

• Get insights: The Achieve GOOD app gives you notifications and insights, like debt payoff dates, to help keep you on track. 

• Get free referrals for debt solutions: Achieve GOOD is not just a debt payoff app; it could help you get rid of some debts faster. If you qualify for debt relief, debt settlement, or other options like a personal loan for debt consolidation, Achieve GOOD can connect you with offers that could help. 

The Achieve GOOD app is available for iOS and Android devices. It gets high ratings on the App Store (4.8 out of 5 stars) and Google Play (4.4 out of 5 stars). 

Additional Student Loan Management Apps Worth Considering

In case these student loan apps aren’t the right fit for your needs, there are a few other personal finance apps that could help with student loan management. These apps aren’t specifically designed for student loans, but you could use them to understand your budget and free up more cash to pay off student loans or other debts. 

Here are two of the best apps for overall budgeting and money management.  

YNAB (You Need a Budget)

YNAB (You Need a Budget) is a popular budgeting app based on the idea that you should “give every dollar a job.” This app lets you see where your money is going so you can take control of your spending and saving. This could help you free up more cash to pay off debt faster. YNAB says that its average user saves $6,000 in their first year—about $500 per month! 

Here are a few key capabilities and features of YNAB: 

• Connect your accounts: YNAB connects (with your permission) to your bank account, credit cards, and other financial accounts. This makes it easy to quickly see your student loans and other loan balances. 

• Powerful goal-setting and tracking tools: Want to save more money or pay off debt faster? YNAB can show you how to automatically put more money into savings, or what happens to your debt if you pay an extra $50 or $100 per month.

• Debt payoff plans: YNAB offers a range of tools for managing debt, like personalized debt payoff plans and debt calculators that show you how much money and time you could save with different choices. 

• Free for 34 days: YNAB requires paying a subscription of $14.99 per month, or $109 ($9.08 per month) if paid annually. But you can try it for free for 34 days, and YNAB says the average user saves $600 in the first month. 

YNAB is available for iOS and Android. It gets high ratings on the App Store (4.8 out of 5 stars) and Google Play (4.7 out of 5 stars).

EveryDollar: Budget Management (from Ramsey Solutions)

If you’re a fan of Dave Ramsey for budgeting and paying off debt, you might have heard of EveryDollar, his company’s budget management app. EveryDollar is a powerful zero-based budgeting app that, with a similar approach to that of YNAB, helps you give every dollar a job. 

Here are a few key things you could do the EveryDollar app: 

• See all financial accounts in one place: The EveryDollar app lets you literally track “every dollar,” by connecting your bank accounts, credit cards and other loan accounts in one place. See the full picture of your personal finances at once. 

• Find more money to pay off debt: EveryDollar says that in the first month of using the app, most of its users uncover $395 of extra money to put toward paying off debt, and cut their monthly expenses by 9%. Finding that extra cash in your budget could help you make big progress on paying off student loans.

• Plan spending based on paydays: EveryDollar can help you visualize and understand your monthly cash flow, so you don’t run out of money between paychecks. This could help you know when it’s safe to save extra cash or make an extra payment on student loans or other debts.

• Use powerful tools with a premium subscription: EveryDollar has a free version that gives you some helpful budgeting features. But if you want the full power of the app with all the advanced budgeting tools and automatic tracking, sign up for the EveryDollar Premium subscription for $17.99 per month or $79.99 per year. Sometimes good budgeting help is worth paying for. 

EveryDollar is available for iOS and Android and gets high ratings on the App Store (4.7 out of 5 stars) and Google Play (4.3 out of 5 stars).

Smart Strategies Beyond Apps: Accelerating Your Student Loan Payoff

Using these apps to help pay off student loans could help you better manage your debt (and manage your money in general), paying it down faster and with less stress. Choose an app to try today—the sooner you get started, the sooner you could get rid of your debt. 

A lot of people, understandably, want more than apps to get out of student loan debt. If you’re ready to make strong moves to pay off student loan debt faster, here are a few ideas: 

Combine budgeting apps with repayment strategies

Think about how and when you want to pay off student loan debt. Do you want to use the debt avalanche method (also called debt stacking), which pays off your highest interest debt first? Or do you want faster momentum with the debt snowball method (paying off the smallest debt first)? 

Your student loan payoff needs to fit into your overall financial goals. If you have a federal student loan at a lower interest rate than your auto loan, it might make more sense to pay off your auto loan first. The best budgeting apps can help you see your overall financial picture and understand your options. But apps can’t do everything for you. It’s up to you to make choices, move money, and decide which debts to pay off first. 

Try income-driven repayment (IDR) plans 

Many people borrow money for college without a clear sense of how much they’re likely to earn during their careers. For many people, student loans are a good investment that pays off over the long future of their working lives. But sometimes people struggle in their careers, or don’t earn a high-enough income to comfortably afford their student loan payments. 

Good news: if you want a student loan payment that’s a better fit for your income, the federal government offers income-driven repayment (IDR) plans. The details depend on which plan you choose, but in general, federal student loan IDR plans require you to pay 10%, 15% or 20% of your discretionary income. And discretionary income is less than your total income. These student loan payments are based on what you can afford, not just what you earn. Some borrowers even qualify for a student loan payment of $0 per month. 

There have been some big changes in 2025 with student loan forgiveness, but income-driven repayment (IDR) plans are still available as of this writing. These plans could be a big help for federal student loan borrowers. 

Next steps: Learn more about IDR plans and apply at https://studentaid.gov/idr/. 

Student loan refinancing and consolidation 

Some student loan borrowers might want to refinance or consolidate student loan debts. These could be good choices if you want a lower interest rate, a lower monthly payment, or to simplify your student loans by combining multiple loans into one payment. 

However, student loan refinancing and consolidation is not always available—and is not always the best choice. It all depends on the type of federal or private student loans you have. Federal student loan consolidation could give you access to some repayment plans, but might also cause you to lose some other benefits. Read the fine print and understand the rules for your type of federal loans before you consolidate. Signing up for income-driven repayment (IDR) could be a better choice than consolidation for many federal student loan borrowers. 

If you have private student loans, you could find a private lender like a bank, credit union, or online lender that offers refinancing or debt consolidation. Just like credit card debt or other personal loans, refinancing or consolidation could be a strategy for reducing your student loan payments or paying off student loans faster. But deciding to refinance or consolidate your private student loans depends on your current loan’s APR, what new APR you qualify for, and how long it would take to pay off the debts. Try to refinance (or consolidate) at a lower fixed interest rate, and pay attention to fees.

If you can get a lower interest rate and a lower payment, consolidating your private student loans could be a good choice—but as always, read the fine print. And make a plan for how to pay off your student loans faster, not just commit to a longer repayment term that could cost you more money in the long run.  

Next steps: For federal student loans, learn more about your options for federal student loan consolidation at https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/consolidation. For private student loans, check with banks, credit unions, and online lenders to see what options are available for lower-cost student loan refinancing or student loan consolidation.

Debt settlement for other loans 

If you’re struggling to pay your bills and falling behind on credit card debts, and you’re already trying ideas to reduce your student loan payments, it might be time to think about debt relief. One of the most effective ways to get rid of debt faster is through a debt settlement program. 

Doing a debt settlement program could help you get rid of credit card debt, private student loans, and other unsecured personal debts. This could free up more cash to put toward your federal student loans or other financial goals. 

There are potential consequences for your credit score if you use debt settlement as a strategy. But many people find that debt settlement lets them get rid of debt faster, move forward in life, and rebuild their credit faster than bankruptcy or other options. 

Next steps: If you want debt relief, debt settlement, or other ideas to get rid of debt faster, get a free consultation from Freedom Debt Relief. Our certified debt consultants can help you see what types of debt relief you might qualify for, and understand your options based on your personal situation. 

Freedom Debt Relief: Solutions for Private Student Loan Debt

If you’re having a lot of trouble paying off private student loan debt or other debts like credit card debt, talk to a debt expert. Some private student loans can be included in a debt settlement program. 

Here are a few more insights on how debt settlement and other debt relief solutions could help you with private student loans. 

Which types of loans are covered by debt settlement? 

Debt settlement can’t be used for federal student loans or for secured debts like a mortgage or auto loan. But if you have private student loan debt, or other personal debts like credit card debt or medical debt, these debts could be negotiated and settled. Using a professional debt settlement program could help you get rid of private student loans and other qualifying debts by negotiating with your lenders to let you pay less than you owe. 

Not every lender will negotiate or agree to accept less money. But depending on your situation, a professional debt settlement program like Freedom Debt Relief can usually help you make a plan and negotiate with lenders on your behalf. This could help you save time, reduce stress, and ultimately save money by settling your loans.

Debt relief for federal student loans vs. private student loans 

If your student loans are federal, your options for debt relief are different. Federal student loans can’t be included in a debt settlement program. Debt relief for federal student loans has to focus on working with the U.S. Department of Education. There are options for people who need help making their federal student loans more affordable. These include income-driven repayment (IDR) plans, and financial relief such as forbearance or deferment for people experiencing short-term financial hardship. The federal student loan system has gone through some big changes and uncertainty recently, but help should still be available if you qualify. 

Private student loans don’t qualify for income-driven repayment (IDR) or other federal relief programs. But you could try to get debt relief for private student loans in a few ways: 

• Refinancing or consolidating your private student loans: This involves getting a new loan at a lower interest rate, such as a home equity loan or personal loan). 

• Debt settlement programs: This means getting rid of your debts by asking your lenders to accept less than you owe. 

• Bankruptcy: In extreme cases, you might reach a point when filing bankruptcy is the best way to get out from under your debts and move on with your life. Private student loans could potentially be discharged in bankruptcy. Consult with an attorney if you want to understand your options for filing bankruptcy and how it affects student loans. 

How Freedom Debt Relief works for eligible private student loan debt

Freedom Debt Relief will give you a free debt evaluation and take a look at your personal financial situation. We’ll help you understand whether you’re a candidate for debt settlement. If you are, and you decide to enroll in our program, we’ll work through the following process: 

1. You’ll set aside money for making offers to your creditors. Most people stop paying their debts at this time (if you haven’t already). 

2. Stopping payments lets you put aside money that will eventually be offered to your creditors. It also sends a clear distress signal to your creditors and lets them know you have a financial hardship. The money you set aside goes into a dedicated account that you own and control.

3. Freedom Debt Relief works to negotiate with your private student loan creditors and other creditors on your behalf. We make them a settlement offer that’s a percentage of your overall debt. We make offers based on our understanding of what lenders are likely to accept. 

4. If your lender agrees with our settlement offer, they’re paid from your dedicated account. Some debts are settled with a one-time lump sum payment, and others agree to a payment plan. The idea is to get rid of the debt for less than the full amount you owe. 

5. Once your private student loans are settled, they are gone. You’re free to move on with your financial life, and save money for other financial goals. 

Why professional help with student loans is better than apps alone 

Budgeting apps and debt payoff calculators are awesome. It’s exciting that people have so many easy-to-use tech tools now to help with automatic budgeting and making better money decisions. But technology can’t do everything for you. 

Here are a few big benefits of getting professional help with your private student loans or other financial goals: 

• Get a clear understanding of your options: Talking with a certified Debt Consultant at Freedom Debt Relief could help you understand which path forward might be best for you. 

• Reduce stress: You don’t have to go it alone. Many people find that it’s therapeutic to talk to a professional who’s there to help with finances. Big financial choices are often easier when you have a professional in your corner. 

• Achieve your goals faster: Many financial moves, including debt settlement, can be done without professional help. But just like hiring a personal trainer can be more effective than going to the gym by yourself, getting professional help like a debt settlement program might help you reach your goals faster and easier than you would on your own. If you want to make sure your debt relief is done the right way, without having to keep track of all the details or have tough conversations by yourself, professional help like Freedom Debt Relief could be well worth it. 

Learning how to pay down your student loan debt, manage money, and plan for your future shouldn’t be stressful. As a debt relief company that’s been helping people for over 15 years, Freedom Debt Relief knows how to create a custom debt relief program that gets you the best possible results. We can help you get rid of private student loans, credit card debt, and other personal loans. Complete our simple online form to get started today. 

*Editor’s Note: The app recommendations in this post are meant as a research tool and guide to give you information on ways to manage student debt. Freedom Debt Relief was not compensated for mentioning any of the companies listed in this post.