Free Splitwise alternatives, compared
Splitwise’s free plan stops at 4 expenses a day. Here are four free ways to split costs with friends, and a spreadsheet, side by side, with where each one is better than the others. One of them is ours, so we’ve tried to be fair.
What this page says about the other apps is from their own websites, help pages and App Store listings, checked October 28, 2026. Apps change.
| On the free plan | Potluck | Tricount | Settle Up | Splid | A spreadsheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friends join by | A link: it opens in their browser | A link that opens its phone app | A link or a QR code; in a browser they can view the balance | A code | A link to the sheet |
| Account needed | No one needs one | Not to try it, it says | Its web app asks you to sign in | No sign-up, it says | Whatever your spreadsheet app needs |
| Free | Everything, no limits | Free, no limits, it says | Free; Premium adds receipt photos, recurring expenses and more | Free, with in-app purchases | Free |
| Who pays whom | The fewest payments | Shows who owes what | Minimizes the payments | As few payments as possible, it says | Your formulas |
| Other currencies | Not yet | Yes, at the market rate | Yes | Yes, over 150 | If you set it up |
| Works offline | Read-only, for now | Yes | Yes | Yes | Depends on the app |
Why people leave Splitwise
Splitwise has a free plan, but its help pages say free users can add up to 4 expenses a day; its paid plan, Splitwise Pro, removes the limit and adds currency conversion and receipt scanning. And everyone in a group needs an account to see it. For a weekend away, that’s a lot to ask of six friends. (Splitwise’s facts checked October 28, 2026; more on Potluck and Splitwise.)
Potluck
Ours. A web page, not an app: you start a potluck, drop the link in the group chat, and everyone taps it, picks their name and starts adding. Nobody installs anything or makes an account, there’s no daily limit, and at the end it works out the fewest payments to square up. Anyone in a potluck can fix a mistake, with an undo, and it exports to CSV.
Where it falls short: one currency per potluck, no adding expenses offline, no receipt scanning and no recurring bills yet. It’s also the newest of these.
Tricount
The closest to Potluck: its website says it’s free with no limits, and you can try it without signing up. It converts expenses in other currencies at the market rate, works offline, sends payment requests, and works with bunq cards to add expenses as you spend.
The catch: its website offers apps for iOS and Android, and its help pages say you tap a shared link on your phone and “the app handles the rest”. (Facts checked October 28, 2026; Potluck vs Tricount has the detail.)
Settle Up
Phone apps and a web app. It handles all currencies with live exchange rates, works offline, minimizes the payments to settle up, and exports to CSV. You invite friends with a link or a QR code, and a group link lets them view the balance in a browser without downloading anything.
The catch: its web app asks you to sign in with Google, Apple or email, and some things are in Premium, a paid plan for you or for a whole group: receipt photos, recurring and future expenses, categories, an Excel export and statistics. (Facts checked October 28, 2026; Potluck vs Settle Up has the detail.)
Splid
Its website says “Splid is free!” and there’s no sign-up. It handles over 150 currencies, works on and offline, finds as few payments as possible to settle up, and exports summaries as PDF, or as Excel with an in-app purchase.
The catch: its website offers apps for iOS and Android, and friends join a group with a code. Its App Store listing has in-app purchases, among them one for more groups. (Facts checked October 28, 2026; Potluck vs Splid has the detail.)
A spreadsheet
Free, endlessly flexible, and everyone already knows how to open one. If your group likes building things, a shared sheet with a column per person does the job.
The catch: you write the formulas, someone has to keep it tidy, and adding a taxi on a phone is fiddly. Working out the fewest payments at the end is on you, though the who owes whom calculator can do that part.
Which one to pick
- Nobody wants another app or account: Potluck.
- A trip abroad with several currencies, or no signal: Tricount, Settle Up or Splid.
- Your group already uses one of them: stay where your friends are.
- You love spreadsheets: a spreadsheet.
Questions
What’s the best free Splitwise alternative?
It depends on your group. If nobody wants to install an app or make an account, Potluck: friends join from a link in their browser. If you need other currencies or offline use, Tricount, Settle Up and Splid all have both. If you like building your own, a spreadsheet.
Why look for a Splitwise alternative?
Splitwise’s free plan lets you add up to 4 expenses a day, according to its help pages; its paid plan, Splitwise Pro, removes the limit. On a trip, four can be gone by lunch.
Which Splitwise alternative doesn’t need an app?
Potluck runs in the browser: friends tap the link and they’re in. Settle Up has a web app, which asks you to sign in, and its group links let friends view the balance in a browser. Tricount and Splid offer apps for iOS and Android.
Which Splitwise alternatives don’t need an account?
Potluck has no accounts at all. Tricount says you can try it without signing up, and Splid says there’s no sign-up.
Is Tricount free?
Yes. Tricount’s website says it’s free with no limits, and its Premium plan was discontinued with its new app.