Splitwise, Tricount, Settle Up, and Splid are the four apps most groups end up choosing between. They solve the same problem, and they charge for it in four completely different ways, which is where most of the confusion comes from.
This is a comparison of all four on the things that actually decide it: what the free tier lets you do, what the paid tier costs, and where each app stops. Everything below was checked against each company's own store listing, help center, or feature pages in 2026. Where a company doesn't publish a number, that's noted rather than guessed at.
Quick Verdict
The short version, before the detail:
- Group trip and nobody wants to pay: Tricount. It's free with no subscription tier at all, no expense cap, and multi-currency conversion is included.
- Your friends already use Splitwise: Splitwise. The network effect is real, and its ledger is the most mature of the four. Just expect a daily cap on the free tier.
- Roommates who want recurring bills: Splitwise. Its free tier repeats a bill weekly, every two weeks, monthly, or yearly, and a household rarely hits the daily cap. Settle Up has recurring transactions too, but only on Premium.
- One trip, and you want everyone on the paid version: Settle Up. Its Group Premium is a one-time purchase for the whole group, and you can add it to the group as an expense and split it.
- You split restaurant bills item by item: Splitwise, but only on Pro. Itemization is a paid feature, and none of Tricount, Settle Up, or Splid advertises line-item extraction from a receipt.
- You want the app with no account at all: Splid. No sign-up to create or join a group, no ads, and no daily cap — the tradeoff is a thinner feature set than the other three.
If you want the wider field rather than these four, our roundup of the best expense splitting apps covers more options.
Splitwise
Splitwise is the default. It's the app that most people mean when they say "the splitting app," and its long-running shared ledger is still the thing it does best.
Where Splitwise Is Strong
- Everyone already has it: Adding someone to a group usually doesn't require convincing them to install anything.
- Balance accuracy over long periods: Splitwise handles a ledger that runs for years without drifting, which matters for friend groups that never fully settle.
- Debt simplification: It reduces the number of payments needed to clear a group, so five people don't end up making twelve transfers.
- Full platform coverage: iOS, Android, and a web app that's genuinely usable rather than an afterthought.
Where Splitwise Falls Short
The free tier caps how many expenses you can add per day. Splitwise doesn't publish the exact number, and it appears to have changed over time; it's commonly reported as 3 or 4 expenses per day, with some sources reporting a range of 3 to 5. Once you hit it, you can't add another expense until the next day unless you upgrade. The free version also shows ads.
The feature list behind the paywall is long. According to Splitwise's own Pro page, upgrading unlocks unlimited expenses, transaction import (listed as US only), currency conversion, charts and graphs, receipt scanning with itemization, expense search, default split settings, early access to new features, and an ad-free experience. Currency conversion being a paid feature is the one that surprises people planning a trip abroad.
Splitwise doesn't list a price on its Pro page; the tiers appear on the upgrade screen. As of August 2026 they are $59.99 per year for an individual plan billed annually (advertised as $4.99 per month), $89.99 per year for a Duo plan covering two people, and $7.99 per month if you pay monthly. The annual plans include a 7-day free trial; the monthly plan doesn't. Note that many third-party roundups still cite an older $49.99 annual figure (pricing varies by region). We go deeper on the free tier and on whether the upgrade is worth it in our Splitwise free vs Pro breakdown.
Who Splitwise Is Best For
Groups that already use it, and anyone whose splitting is steady and low-volume. Roommates rarely see the daily cap, because rent, utilities, and a few grocery runs are spread across a month rather than stacked into one day. Travelers see it constantly.
Tricount
Tricount is the European entry, owned by the bank bunq since 2022. It's the only one of the three with no paid tier to compare, because there isn't one anymore.
Where Tricount Is Strong
- Genuinely free: Tricount's help center states that Tricount Premium has been deprecated, and its App Store listing describes the app as free and unlimited with no subscription, no hidden fees, and no limit on tricounts or expenses.
- No ads: Reviewers consistently report an ad-free interface, which is unusual for a free app in this category.
- Multi-currency included: Expenses in different currencies are converted automatically into a single currency for the group, at no cost.
- Offline entry: You can add expenses without a connection, which is the realistic condition on a trip abroad. Syncing and currency conversion need a connection.
- Link-based sharing: Groups are shared by link, which lowers the friction of getting everyone in.
Where Tricount Falls Short
Since bunq acquired it, account creation is tied to bunq's onboarding, and the app's recent updates note changes to when and why login is required. Some people are fine with this and some aren't, and it's worth knowing before you commit a group to it.
Feature depth is the other tradeoff. Tricount lets you attach photos to an expense, but it doesn't advertise line-item receipt scanning, recurring expenses, or spending charts. Several third-party reviews report that a major version update removed data export and some advanced split options; Tricount doesn't document that change publicly, so treat it as reported rather than confirmed and check the current app if export matters to you.
Who Tricount Is Best For
Trips, and any group where the cost of the app is the deciding factor. If your requirement is "track a shared trip in multiple currencies without anyone paying anything," Tricount is the best answer of these three, and it isn't close. Our guide to splitting travel expenses covers what to track on a trip regardless of which app you use.
Settle Up
Settle Up, built by Step Up Labs, is the most feature-dense of the three and the one with the most flexible pricing.
Where Settle Up Is Strong
- Group Premium: You can buy Premium for the entire group as a one-time purchase and add it to the group as an expense so the cost gets split. No other app here does this, and for a one-week trip it's the cheapest way to get everyone onto a paid tier.
- Recurring and future expenses: Premium supports recurring transactions, which is the single most useful feature for households with monthly bills.
- Real-time currency conversion: Its App Store listing states support for all currencies with real-time exchange rates.
- Broad Apple support: The listing covers iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision, alongside Android and a web app.
- Transaction minimization: Like Splitwise, it reduces the number of payments needed to settle a group.
Where Settle Up Falls Short
The free version is ad-supported, and the ads are the most common complaint in reviews. Ad frequency is commonly reported as appearing after roughly every third expense. There's no published daily expense cap, so the free tier limits your experience rather than your record-keeping.
Several features that feel basic sit behind Premium: receipt photos, custom categories, recurring transactions, spreadsheet export, and spending statistics. As listed on the US App Store, the individual plan is around $3.99 per month or $19.99 per year, with group plans running from roughly $5.99 for one week up to $39.99 for a year and $149.99 for lifetime group access (pricing varies by plan and region, and third-party sources cite slightly different monthly figures).
Who Settle Up Is Best For
Households that want recurring bills handled automatically, and one-off trips where the group is willing to split a single Premium purchase. It's also the strongest pick if you want your data out as a spreadsheet, since export is an advertised Premium feature rather than something to hope for.
Splid
Splid is an independent app built by a single developer, Nico Jersch, out of Münster, Germany, since 2015. It's the simplest of the four, and that simplicity is the entire pitch: no account, no ads, and no subscription.
Where Splid Is Strong
- No account, ever: Create a group and share it by link or code. Nobody signs up for anything, on either side.
- No ads and no daily cap: The free tier isn't limited by a per-day expense count or interrupted by advertising, unlike Splitwise and Settle Up's free tiers.
- Multi-currency included free: Splid converts more than 150 currencies automatically at no cost, the same as Tricount and unlike Splitwise, which paywalls it.
- Works offline: Expenses can be entered without a connection, syncing once you're back online.
- Settlement optimization: Like Splitwise and Settle Up, it works out the minimum number of payments needed to clear the group.
Where Splid Falls Short
The free tier caps you at one group; a small in-app purchase unlocks additional groups and Excel export (PDF export is free on every tier). There's no subscription, just a single in-app purchase, but it's still a paywall for anyone splitting with more than one circle of people at a time.
Feature depth is the real tradeoff. Splid doesn't advertise receipt scanning, recurring expenses, or spending charts, and it has no web app — group management is iOS and Android only. If your group needs any of that, look at the other three.
Who Splid Is Best For
One-off situations where getting everyone into an app with zero friction matters more than feature depth: a weekend trip, a dinner, a one-time group calculation. It's also the pick for anyone who specifically doesn't want to create an account for a splitting app.
Splid vs Splitwise
These solve different problems. Splitwise is the mature, feature-heavy ledger with the largest existing user base; Splid is the zero-friction, no-account alternative for groups that don't want to install anything permanent. Splid has no daily cap and no ads on its free tier, which Splitwise's free tier has both of — but Splitwise's Pro tier still outclasses Splid on receipt scanning and long-running balance tracking. Pick Splid for a fast one-off; pick Splitwise if your group already lives there or wants a ledger that lasts years.
Splid vs Tricount
The closest matchup on this page. Both are effectively free (Splid's paywall only bites past one group), both include multi-currency conversion at no cost, and both work offline. The difference is accounts: account creation on Tricount is tied to bunq's onboarding since the bank acquired it, while Splid never asks for one. Tricount's tradeoff is a slightly deeper feature set and a company behind it; Splid's is being a smaller, one-person project. For a trip where nobody wants to create any account, Splid is the more literal answer to that requirement.
Head-to-Head Comparison
Figures below reflect what each company publishes or lists in 2026. Where a number isn't published, the entry says so.
| Criteria | Splitwise | Tricount | Settle Up | Splid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Yes, with limits | Yes, no paid tier | Yes, ad-supported | Yes, one group free |
| Daily expense cap | Yes (commonly reported as 3–4/day) | None published | None published | None published |
| Ads in free version | Yes | No | Yes (reported ~every 3rd expense) | No |
| Paid tier price | $59.99/yr or $7.99/mo | None (Premium discontinued) | ~$3.99/mo or ~$19.99/yr | No subscription; a small in-app purchase (roughly $3–4) for extra groups and export |
| Group-wide paid plan | No | Not applicable | Yes, one-time purchase | Not applicable |
| Receipt handling | Scanning + itemization (Pro) | Photo attachments | Receipt photos (Premium) | Not advertised |
| Multi-currency conversion | Pro only | Included free | Included, real-time rates | Included free, 150+ currencies |
| Recurring expenses | Included free | Not advertised | Premium | Not advertised |
| Spending charts | Pro | Not advertised | Premium | Not advertised |
| Data export | Transaction import (Pro, US only) | Reported removed in recent version | Excel export (Premium) | PDF free; Excel export via in-app purchase |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, web | iOS, Android, web | iOS, Android, web, Mac, Watch | iOS, Android (no web app) |
| Account required | Yes | Yes (bunq sign-up) | Yes | No |
Which One Fits Your Situation
The right answer depends less on features than on the shape of your splitting.
- A two-week trip abroad: Tricount. Currency conversion is free, and there's no daily cap on the days when you're logging six things. Splitwise's free tier is the worst fit here, because its cap bites hardest on exactly the days that generate the most expenses.
- Rent and utilities with roommates: Splitwise free. Recurring bills are included, and a household's daily volume almost never reaches the cap. Settle Up works too, but its recurring bills need Premium. Our rent splitting guide covers the setup either way.
- A couple tracking shared costs: Any of the three works. Low volume means the caps and paywalls rarely come up, so pick the interface you like.
- One dinner with people you'll never split with again: Tricount, because a link-based group is the least you can ask of five people who don't want another app account.
- A long-running friend ledger: Splitwise. It's the most mature at holding an unsettled balance over years, and your friends are probably already on it.
- Restaurant bills split by what each person ordered: Splitwise Pro is the only paid option here that advertises itemization. If you do this weekly, that's the feature you're paying for.
- Zero interest in creating an account for a splitting app: Splid. Nobody in the group signs up for anything, and the free tier has no ads or daily cap — you just trade away receipt scanning, recurring bills, and spending charts to get it.
One thing worth saying plainly: switching apps has a social cost. Getting four people to move a working group to a different app is harder than any feature comparison suggests, though it's less of a cold start now that apps like SplitterUp can import a Splitwise group directly. If your current app works, staying is still a reasonable decision.
A Fifth Option Worth Knowing About
We build SplitterUp, so weigh this accordingly. It sits closest to the gap the four apps above leave open: no daily expense limit, no ads, item-level AI receipt scanning, multi-currency, offline support that syncs when you reconnect, and settlement optimization, on iOS, macOS, Android, and a web app. It's free for a limited time. Create your account now and you keep Premium permanently; join later and it's a one-time $4.99 purchase, never a subscription.
The honest caveat is that it's newer, so your friends are less likely to already have it. If the deciding factor is what your group already uses, that matters. See the specifics side by side on our comparison page, or go straight to the matchup that applies to you: SplitterUp vs Splitwise, SplitterUp vs Tricount, or SplitterUp vs Settle Up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Splid vs Splitwise: which should I use?
Pick Splid if you want an app that's free for a single group, with no daily cap, no ads, and no account required, and your splitting needs are simple. Pick Splitwise if your friends already use it or you want a long-running shared ledger and itemized receipt scanning — features Splid doesn't offer.
Splid vs Tricount: which should I use?
Both are free with no daily cap and no ads, and both convert multi-currency expenses at no cost, so it comes down to accounts. Tricount ties account creation to bunq's onboarding since the bank acquired it; Splid needs no account at all and is an independent app. Pick Splid if avoiding any sign-up is the priority; pick Tricount if you want its slightly deeper feature set and don't mind bunq's sign-in.
Is Splid free?
Yes. Splid's core app is free with no ads and no subscription, limited to one group. A small in-app purchase unlocks additional groups and Excel export, but it's a one-time payment, not a recurring charge.
How does Splid work?
You create a group and share it by link or code, with no account or sign-up required for anyone to join. Everyone adds expenses, Splid converts different currencies automatically, and it calculates the minimum number of payments needed to settle up.
Compare all five before you commit
SplitterUp is free for a limited time. Create your account now and you keep Premium permanently; join later and it's a one-time $4.99. No subscription, no ads, and no cap on how many expenses you can add in a day.