Splitwise vs Tricount vs Settle Up: which should you pick in 2026?

Splitwise, Tricount, and Settle Up are the three names people compare most when picking a bill splitting app, and they represent three genuinely different philosophies. Splitwise is the polished veteran that now charges for daily use. Tricount is completely free since the bank bunq bought it and retired Premium. Settle Up is the flexible all-rounder with a premium option you can buy for a single trip.

This comparison covers pricing, free-plan limits, receipt scanning, and recurring bills, the four things that actually decide the choice. Prices and limits were checked in July 2026 and we re-verify quarterly. We build HippoSplit, a fourth option covered at the end, so we will be precise rather than salesy about all three.

The short verdict

• Pick Splitwise if your group already uses it, logs only a few expenses, and values payment-app integrations and polished native apps.
• Pick Tricount if never paying anything is the only criterion, especially in Europe where its owner bunq operates.
• Pick Settle Up if you split mostly on one big trip a year and like the idea of buying premium just for those two weeks.

Splitwise vs Tricount vs Settle Up at a glance

Splitwise: the default, now with a meter running

Splitwise is the app most groups start with, and for good reason: mature iOS and Android apps, a web version, integrations with payment apps for settling up, and a decade of polish. The friction arrived in 2024, when free accounts got a cap of a few expenses per day plus ads. Log a whole grocery run or a night out in one sitting and you hit the wall, at which point Splitwise asks each person who wants Pro features to pay $4.99 per month separately. One subscription does not cover the group.

If your group logs a handful of shared costs a month, free Splitwise remains perfectly usable. Our full Splitwise review digs into the free-plan limits and Pro pricing, and the Splitwise alternatives comparison lines it up against every app in this post.

Tricount: completely free, with bunq strings attached

Tricount went the opposite direction. After the Dutch bank bunq acquired it, Tricount Premium was discontinued and its paid features became free, which makes Tricount one of the very few full-featured splitters with no paid tier at all. You create a tricount, share the link, everyone adds expenses, and a free bunq virtual card can even log card purchases automatically.

The trade-offs are real, though. Signing up now runs through a bunq account, CSV and PDF export disappeared when Premium was retired, and there is no receipt scanning and no recurring expenses, so rent and utilities have to be re-entered by hand every month. It is strongest in Europe, where bunq operates. Our Tricount comparison page covers the details, including using it in the browser on a PC.

Settle Up: the all-rounder with trip-sized pricing

Settle Up sits between the two. It has iOS, Android, and web apps, recurring expenses, and a clear who-owes-who overview; the free tier shows ads. Its stand-out idea is pricing flexibility: besides a regular Premium subscription there is a short-term group premium, so a group can upgrade for just the two weeks of a vacation and drop back to free afterwards. No other app here offers that.

Day-to-day logging is form-based and receipt handling is limited compared with AI-first apps. See our Settle Up comparison page for the full breakdown, including options for UK users looking for a Settle Up equivalent.

The head-to-heads

Splitwise vs Tricount

This one is mostly about money. Tricount does for free what Splitwise charges each user $4.99 per month to do without limits, and for many groups that ends the debate. Splitwise answers with better payment integrations, export, recurring expenses, and a more polished app. If your group is in Europe and splits mostly trips and dinners, Tricount wins on price; if you need recurring bills or live inside its payment integrations, Splitwise justifies itself.

Splitwise vs Settle Up

Feature lists are close: both do recurring expenses, both have apps on every platform, both show ads on free. The difference is how you pay. Splitwise Pro is a per-user subscription that each member buys separately; Settle Up lets one group buy short-term premium for a trip. Settle Up's free tier is also less restrictive than Splitwise's daily cap. Unless you specifically want Splitwise's integrations, Settle Up is the easier recommendation for occasional groups.

Tricount vs Settle Up

Free versus flexible. Tricount costs nothing, ever, but has no recurring expenses and no export, so it suits trips better than households. Settle Up handles recurring bills and data export, at the price of ads or a premium upgrade. Housemates should lean Settle Up; a once-a-year trip group that wants zero cost should lean Tricount.

What about Kittysplit and Splid?

Two smaller names come up in the same searches, and each beats the big three at one specific thing.

Kittysplit vs Splitwise

Kittysplit is built for the one-off event: you create a kitty for a dinner, party, or weekend, share the link, and everyone adds expenses from any browser with no registration and no app. Basic events are free, and it calculates the fewest transfers to settle up. Against Splitwise the trade is simple: Kittysplit has no accounts, no caps, and no installs, but also no long-term groups, no receipt scanning, and no recurring anything. For a single event Kittysplit is genuinely the better tool; for a household or an ongoing friend group it is not trying to compete.

Splid vs the big three

Splid's edge is offline use: it is a mobile app (iOS and Android, no web version) that needs no account and works with no signal, then syncs later. Around 150 currencies, no ads, and a one-time purchase of about $4.99 for unlimited groups and export. On a remote trip with patchy coverage it beats all three apps above; the catch is that everyone must install it, and there is no receipt scanning, no chat, and no recurring expenses.

Where HippoSplit fits

We build HippoSplit, so treat this section as the makers talking. The reason it exists is that all three apps above still make you fill in a form for every expense. HippoSplit is a group chat instead: type "lunch 24.50 split with Anna and Ben" and the expense is logged, categorized, and split. Or post a photo of the receipt straight into the chat, like sending a picture to friends, and HippoSplit reads the items, totals, and currency and logs the expense for you, which is the easiest way to keep track as you spend.

The free plan has unlimited expenses, no ads, every split method, 150+ currencies with live rates, and 20 AI receipt scans per week; Premium is $5.99 per month or $49.99 per year and one subscription covers the whole group, unlike Splitwise's per-user Pro. It is a web app, so friends can view the group from a shared link without installing anything. You can try it free, no card required, or see how it stacks up against all six competitors in our roundup of the best expense splitting apps.

Frequently asked questions

Is Tricount better than Splitwise?

For cost, yes: Tricount is completely free while free Splitwise caps expenses per day and shows ads. For features, Splitwise keeps recurring expenses, export, and payment integrations that Tricount lacks. European trip groups tend to be happier on Tricount; households and integration-heavy groups on Splitwise Pro, if they accept the per-user price.

Is Splitwise still free in 2026?

There is still a free plan, but since 2024 it limits how many expenses you can add per day and shows ads, and receipt scanning is Pro only. Splitwise Pro costs $4.99 per month, paid per user rather than per group. Our Splitwise review tracks the current limits.

Which app is best for a single trip?

Settle Up's short-term group premium was designed for exactly this, and Tricount's free tier handles a trip well if nobody minds the bunq signup. If the trip goes somewhere with poor connectivity, Splid's offline mode wins. And if the group would rather photograph receipts than type numbers, HippoSplit logs them from the chat.

Do any of these apps actually transfer money?

No. All of them, HippoSplit included, track balances and tell you who pays whom; the payment itself happens in your banking or payment app. Splitwise integrates with payment apps in some countries to make that handoff smoother, which is its main remaining advantage.

Prices and limits in this post were checked in July 2026 and we re-verify quarterly; if you spot something outdated, tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it. For the wider field beyond these three, including open source options, see the full roundup.