APR (Annual Percentage Rate) and APY (Annual Percentage Yield) are both measures used to describe the annual interest rate earned on a financial investment or loan. However, they differ in their calculation and the way they represent the rate of return.

APR is the simple interest rate that a borrower or investor would pay on a loan or investment in a year. It is calculated by dividing the total amount of interest paid over a year by the total amount borrowed or invested. APR does not take into account compounding, which means that it assumes that the interest is not reinvested.

APY, on the other hand, is the effective annual rate of return that a borrower or investor would earn on a loan or investment, taking into account the effect of compounding. APY is always higher than APR because it takes into account the interest earned on the interest that is reinvested.

In summary, APR and APY are both measures of the interest rate on a financial product or loan. APR is the simple interest rate, while APY is the effective annual rate of return that takes into account the effect of compounding. APY is always higher than APR, and the difference between the two depends on the compounding frequency.

APR refers to the simple interest rate, which is the percentage of interest earned on an investment or loan in a year, without accounting for compounding. For example, if you have a loan with an APR of 5%, you will pay $5 of interest for every $100 borrowed each year.

On the other hand, APY takes into account the effect of compounding interest on the rate of return. Compounding is the process of adding interest earned back to the principal amount, resulting in an increasing rate of return over time. APY calculates the effective annual rate of return, taking into account compounding. For example, if you have an investment with an APY of 5%, you will earn more than $5 in interest for every $100 invested each year, due to the compounding effect.

In summary, APR represents the nominal interest rate, while APY represents the effective annual rate of return, taking into account compounding. Therefore, APY is typically a higher figure than APR for the same investment or loan.