Potluck vs Tricount
Tricount and Potluck are both free, with no limits on what you add. The difference is the app: a Tricount link opens Tricount’s phone app, and a Potluck link opens in the browser your friends already have. Here’s the rest, including where Tricount is ahead.
What this page says about Tricount is from its own website and help pages, checked October 28, 2026. Apps change.
| Side by side | Potluck | Tricount |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no limits | Free, no limits, it says |
| Account needed | No one needs one | Not to try it: “Try tricount without signing up” |
| Friends join by | Tapping a link: it opens in their browser | Tapping a link: “The app handles the rest” |
| Where it runs | Any phone or computer browser | Apps for iOS and Android |
| Expenses in other currencies | Not yet: one currency per potluck | Yes, at the market rate |
| Works offline | Read-only, for now | Yes |
| Export to a spreadsheet | Yes, CSV | Not now: its help pages say CSV and PDF export went with its old Premium plan |
The difference: the app
Tricount’s website offers apps for iOS and Android. When someone shares a tricount, its help pages say you tap the link on your phone and “the app handles the rest”. You can try it without signing up.
Potluck is a web page. Your friends tap the link in the group chat and they’re in, in the browser they already have, with no app to download and no account: they pick their name from the list. It matters most with the friend who never installs anything, the cousin who joins for one weekend, or a group of twelve where somebody’s phone is always full. You can add Potluck to your home screen if you like, but nobody has to.
Where Tricount is ahead
- Other currencies. A tricount has one currency, and expenses in another are converted at the market rate. Potluck has one currency per potluck and doesn’t convert yet.
- Offline. Tricount says it works offline. Potluck needs a connection to add an expense, for now.
- A bank card that adds expenses. Tricount works with bunq: connect a bunq card and shared expenses are added to a tricount as you spend. Potluck has nothing like it.
- A real phone app. If your whole group already has Tricount installed, the link isn’t an obstacle, and a native app feels at home on a phone.
If those matter to your group, Tricount is a good choice, and it’s free.
Where Potluck is different
- No app, no accounts. One link in the group chat, and everyone’s in from their browser.
- Everyone can fix anything. Anyone in a potluck can change a mistake, like a shared doc, and every change is in the activity with who made it and an undo.
- The fewest payments. At the end, Potluck works out who pays whom in as few payments as possible.
- A spreadsheet when you want one. Export a potluck to CSV. Tricount’s help pages say its CSV and PDF export went with its old Premium plan.
What Potluck doesn’t do yet
Expenses in more than one currency, adding expenses offline, scanning receipts and recurring bills like rent are all on the list but not here yet. If you need one of these every day, Tricount or another app may suit you better for now.
Questions
Is Tricount free?
Yes. Tricount’s website says it’s free with no limits. Its paid plan, Tricount Premium, was discontinued with its new app. Potluck is free with no limits too.
Do my friends need the Tricount app?
Tricount’s website offers apps for iOS and Android, and its help pages say that when you tap a tricount’s link on your phone, “the app handles the rest”. In Potluck, friends tap the link and it opens in the browser they already have: nothing to install.
Do you need an account for Tricount?
Not to start: Tricount’s website says you can try it without signing up. Potluck has no accounts at all: you pick your name.
Can Tricount handle different currencies?
Yes. A tricount has one currency, and its help pages say expenses in other currencies are converted at the market rate. Potluck has one currency per potluck and doesn’t convert yet.
What happened to Tricount Premium?
Tricount’s help pages say Premium was discontinued with the new app, and that its features, including exporting to CSV and PDF, are no longer available; statistics and saved custom splits are planned for a later update.
Can I move a tricount to Potluck?
There’s no import. The simplest way is to settle up the tricount and start fresh. Or carry what’s owed over: for each “Ben owes Ana $40”, add one expense in Potluck paid by Ana, $40, split only to Ben.