If you’re deep in debt, it might feel like you keep sending in payments each month without seeing much progress. That can make it tough to stay motivated.

As a financial expert and a former NFCC credit counselor, I’ve learned that most people don’t know there are better ways to become debt-free. For example, if you use either the “debt snowball” or “debt avalanche” strategy to prioritize certain payments, you can save money and get out of debt faster.

Both methods give you a structured plan for tackling what can feel like an overwhelming mountain of bills, but they work in very different ways. One focuses on small wins to build momentum, while the other zeroes in on minimizing interest costs. The big question is: Which approach is right for you?

The debt snowball method is a debt payoff strategy where you focus on paying off the account with the smallest balance first and work your way up to the largest balance.

To follow this method, you make the minimum payments due on all of your debts, but you pay extra toward the account with the lowest balance. Once that account is paid off, you roll your spare cash to the account with the next-biggest balance, creating a snowball effect. You continue this pattern until all of your debt is eliminated.

• Motivation: Paying off the smallest balance first means you’ll see an account reach $0 sooner, which can help you stay motivated to keep going.

• Success rates: Studies show that debtors who use this method versus the debt avalanche are more likely to stick with it and pay off all of their debt.

• Less savings: Compared to the debt avalanche method, this option will not save as much money on interest charges.

• Slower: Though you may knock out smaller balances sooner, the debt snowball method typically takes longer to pay off all your debt than the debt avalanche method.

Read more: How to pay off credit card debt when your budget’s tight

The debt avalanche method is a debt payoff strategy where you prioritize paying off the account with the highest interest rate first.

Like the debt snowball method, you make the minimum payments due on all your accounts. However, you send extra cash toward the account with the highest rate. Once that account is paid off, you roll your money over to the account with the next-highest rate and continue that pattern until all of your debt is paid off.

The main benefit of following this method is that by eliminating high-interest debt first, you save more money on interest charges. In fact, according to one study, the average U.S. household could save up to 4.3% in interest by choosing this method over the debt snowball method. However, that study was based on Federal Reserve figures from 2016, and average credit card rates have nearly doubled since then — from around 12% to 21% — so your savings could be much higher today.

• Save money: Paying off debt with the highest interest rate first will save you money on interest charges.

• Pay off debt faster: Interest charges add to the length of your debt repayment, so eliminating high-interest debt first helps you pay off the debt sooner.

Read more: 4 ways to increase cash flow and pay off debt faster

Both of these debt payoff methods can be great for helping you pay off debt. However, they’re each useful for different purposes. Before you choose one, make sure you understand how they’re uniquely suited to help you achieve your goals.

I typically recommend using the debt avalanche method, since it can save you more money on interest charges than the debt snowball method. Given how high interest rates are on credit cards, this method presents a significant opportunity for people with credit card debt to save money.

The debt avalanche method is also best for people who want to shorten their timeline to becoming debt-free.

If you’ve struggled with getting motivated to reduce debt, or you’ve tried to pay off debt in the past but failed to stick with it, the debt snowball method is likely the better choice.

Even if it will cost you more in interest charges than the debt avalanche method, going this route is more likely to keep you on track and lead to the outcome you want: becoming debt-free.

With that said, you may also want to look into getting outside help.

For example, if you reach out to an NFCC-certified credit counseling agency, their counselors can review your financial situation and help you come up with strategies for eliminating your debt. This may include enrolling in a Debt Management Plan (DMP) and having the counseling agency work with your creditors to reduce your rates and consolidate your accounts into one monthly payment.

Read more: What’s more important: Saving money or paying off debt?