If you're tired of owing money on credit cards , auto loans or other lines of credit, it's time to get serious about paying off debt. The first step to tackling debt is to total up how much you owe on each account and the interest charged by each creditor.

The challenge for many people is what to do with those numbers once they have them, says H. Adam Holt, founder and CEO of Asset-Map, a visual tool financial advisors can use to show a client's overall financial picture. "People don't know what to do with it," he says, noting that it can be hard to find professional help. "Most financial advisors focus on the investment side, not debt reduction."

Fortunately, there are a wealth of digital tools to help. If you're looking to pay off debt once and for all, consider these payoff planning tools and resources:

Free credit reports and scores.

Vertex42.

Undebt.it.

Unbury.me.

Tally.

LoanBuddy.

PayforEd.

Read on to learn more about each debt payoff tool and tips for selecting the right resource, based on your financial situation.

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Free Credit Reports and Scores

Before you start a debt payoff plan, it helps to have a baseline from which you can track your progress. "A good first step to managing your debt is knowing the balance details of all of your accounts, which is reported in your credit report," says Chris Gatz, the head of CreditWise, a credit score tracker offered by the financial firm Capital One.

The government requires all three major credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion – to provide consumers with one free credit report each year. These can be requested through AnnualCreditReport.com. Additional free credit reports may be available through CreditWise and credit websites, such as Credit Karma and Credit Sesame.

Many of these same services provide free credit scores . You can also get a free credit score through many credit card issuers such as Discover and Barclays. As you eliminate debt, your score will likely rise, giving you added motivation to stick to your payoff plan.

Vertex42

If you want to use a spreadsheet for debt repayment, Vertex42 offers free business, budgeting and financial templates. The website's debt snowball calculator is ideal for those working to pay down balances, says Kelsa Dickey, a financial coach with money management firm Fiscal Fitness Phoenix in Arizona.

"I love how customizable it is," she says. "I can add one-time payments and monthly additional payments (or) any combination of the two. I can add $10 here and $10 there and see how even the smallest of amounts have a big impact on a client's debt payoff timeline."

Other debt spreadsheets on Vertex42 include ones for credit repair, credit card payoffs and mortgage payoffs. What's more, all are free to download.

Undebt.it

If you loathe tracking your finances on spreadsheets, Dickey suggests Undebt.it. "It is much more powerful and a good option for those who want to see as much detail as the Vertex42 Excel (spreadsheet), but in an online format," she explains. Undebt.it offers a robust set of tools including the ability to choose from six different payoff plans as well as the option to create a customized plan. While the basic service is free, the website charges $12 a year for premium services with Undebt.it+, such as bill management, account reports and the ability to sync with the budgeting software YNAB.

Dickey says all the extras offered by Undebt.it are helpful. However, she cautions the website might be overwhelming for someone who wants a simple way to pinpoint the best debt payoff method.

Unbury.me

When it comes to simplicity, Unbury.me is hard to beat. The website has a streamlined interface without any bells and whistles. Anyone can use the service to create a payment plan, and there is no need to create an account or login. "Unbury is not the most powerful tool out there, and it only compares two approaches of debt payoff … which I think is a downfall," Dickey says. "But it's very user-friendly and easy (to navigate)." Plus, there is no cost to use Unbury.me.

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Tally

If you'd rather put your debt repayment on autopilot, the app Tally might be right for you. Users register their cards with Tally, and the app makes automatic payments based on what it deems to be the most beneficial repayment schedule. Those using Tally make a single payment to the service each month to cover all their cards. Even better, this basic service is offered for free.

Tally also extends a line of credit to qualified users, and interest on this money could range from 7.9% to 19.9%. If a person's credit card has a higher interest rate, the app will transfer as much as possible from the line of credit to pay off the credit card. The monthly minimum payment for the line of credit is then rolled into the statement sent each month.

While Tally can make debt repayment easy, it's not for everyone. The app can only be used in 28 states and the District of Columbia. You'll also need a credit score of at least 660 to receive a line of credit, though Tally can be used without that feature. There is also the risk that Tally could dig someone deeper into debt if he or she maxes out the line of credit and continues to run up a credit card balance.

LoanBuddy

Marketed to financial professionals, LoanBuddy offers a convenient way to analyze student loan debt . "They are one of the first services that show all your options and what your costs are going to be," Holt says. LoanBuddy includes a federal repayment calculator and can be customized with private loan data. Its system is intended to make it easy to organize information from the National Student Loan Data System.

Financial planners pay $60 a month to use LoanBuddy with their clients. If your advisor doesn't already offer the service, the company offers a free one-month trial.

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PayForEd

PayForEd is another debt payoff tool specifically for those with student loans. The website offers solutions for those planning to go to college, those who are in college and graduates who are trying to pay off debt . Holt likes PayForEd because it breaks down the cost of college into what a student can expect to pay in the months and years after graduation.

Students with loans can track their debt, compare repayment plans and identify possible refinancing or debt forgiveness programs. PayForEd also provides educational videos to help families understand student loan topics better. A one-year subscription to PayForEd costs $59.95; the company also has an app that allows users to compare up to 10 colleges and review financial aid information for $6 per year.

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