Debt payoff software from ZilchWorks
After 35 years, the trusted Zilch program continues as Debt Blaster, the debt payoff software that helps you choose a debt-free date, compare payoff strategies, and build a clear plan to get out of debt faster.
Same trusted program. Same mission. New name.
Why the Name Change?
Zilch began as a clever name from the bulletin board era. It served the software well for 35 years, but the marketplace changed and the name no longer clearly explained what the program did.
In the early bulletin board days, software files were listed alphabetically and scrolled across the screen from A to Z. I wanted my program to remain visible when the scrolling stopped, so I needed a name beginning with Z.
"Z. I need a name that begins with Z. Ah, Zilch. That's clever."
The name also fit the mission. The goal was to help people reduce their debt until the amount they owed became zilch.
By 2018, my Zilch debt reduction software was sharing its name with a growing UK buy now, pay later company. Search results and public recognition increasingly associated the word Zilch with their company instead of my software.
The truth is, I became complacent. I had used the Zilch name for decades, but I had not done enough to protect it. A name that once helped the program stand out was now creating confusion.
Debt Blaster actually began about ten years ago as an A/B test. It was the same product with a different name. I created the test, but I never fully developed it.
In July 2026, Zilch officially became Debt Blaster. The new name clearly says what the software helps people do: build a plan, attack their debt, and get out of debt faster.
Same trusted product. Same mission. New name.
Same foundation. Clearer direction.
The name changed, but the company, mission, and practical approach remain intact.
Continuity
A clearer path forward
What's new
Dial-A-Date has long been one of Zilch's most useful features, but it was often hidden among the rest of the program.
With Debt Blaster, Dial-A-Date moves to center stage. Instead of simply asking how long it will take to pay off your debt, you choose the date you want to be debt-free. Debt Blaster then shows you what it will take to reach that goal.
It is the same hidden gem that has been there for years, now presented as one of the clearest reasons to use Debt Blaster.
Watch Dial-A-Date in Action
Same mission. Updated experience. Clearer name.
The interface changed over time, but the mission remained the same: give people a clear plan to get out of debt faster.
The original Zilch Standard ran in a fixed 640 x 480 window. It gave customers a practical way to enter their debts, compare minimum payments, and create a personalized debt repayment plan.
Zilch Standard was later rebuilt with a modern, resizable interface. Customers could use more of their available screen while keeping the same familiar debt payoff principles.
Debt Blaster carries that flexible interface forward under a clearer name and brings Dial-A-Date to the front. Customers can choose when they want to be debt-free and see the plan required to reach that date.
ZilchWorks is still the company. Debt Blaster is the current product moving forward.
A practical debt payoff plan
Enter your debts once. Compare payoff strategies, choose when you want to be debt-free, and let Debt Blaster build a month-by-month plan from your numbers.
Add your debts, balances, interest rates, payments, due dates, and any extra money you can put toward the plan.
Compare Snowball, Avalanche, and Custom strategies. Use Dial-A-Date to choose your target. Debt Blaster does the math and shows what it will take.
Know what to pay next, where extra money goes, and how each payment moves you closer to zero.
Built over decades, not overnight
Debt Blaster is not a new idea wrapped in a new name. It is the latest chapter of one independently developed commercial software product that has continued to evolve for 35 years.
Michael J. Riley has remained the original developer throughout the product's history.
The software progressed from DOS and Turbo Pascal to Windows and Delphi FMX.
A 1994 magazine feature and archived software releases provide a visible record of the journey.
Thousands of people have used Zilch and Debt Blaster to build structured debt payoff plans.
Users have reported eliminating more than $114 million in debt with the help of the software.
Zilch became Debt Blaster in 2026, while the core mission remained the same: helping people build a clear debt payoff plan.
From the founder
Michael Riley built the original Zilch program after facing debt himself. His goal was simple: replace confusion with a plan a person could understand and follow.
ZilchWorks is still here, and the mission that started the company continues through Debt Blaster.
National recognition
ZilchWorks was featured for helping people build a clear debt payoff plan and get out of debt faster.
"The numbers blow my mind. Thanks for giving folks the pathway to freedom. This is doable. I visually see it!"
Same trusted product. Same mission. New name.
Continue to Debt Blaster, the current debt payoff software from ZilchWorks.
Explore Debt Blaster