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Best expense-splitting apps for group trips (2026)

For most groups, a free app such as Tricount, Splid or Spliit is enough. Splitwise suits ongoing shared costs. Trip Split suits trips where people want to type or say what they paid, convert cash at their own rate and pay once per trip instead of subscribing. Which one is best depends on what you value; here is how they differ.

Disclosure: this guide is written by the makers of Trip Split, one of the apps listed. We list the apps in alphabetical order, not as a ranking, and we say what Trip Split does not do. We could not test every product ourselves, so what we say about the others comes from their own published pages, app store listings and, for Spliit, its public repository, and is marked where it is second-hand. Products change; check each website before you decide. If something here is wrong, tell us and we will fix it.

What to compare

• Price and limits. Free, one-time, per trip or subscription, and whether the free version limits how many expenses you can add.
• Accounts. Whether friends can join with a link or code, or everyone has to sign up.
• Offline use. Trips are where signal is worst.
• Currencies. One fixed rate for the trip, or each expense converted properly. See how to split trip costs in different currencies.
• Fit. A single trip with a start and end, or shared costs that go on for months.

At a glance

Spliit

Spliit describes itself in its public repository as a free and open source alternative to Splitwise, with no ads, funded by donations and released under the MIT license. It is a web app (a PWA) rather than a native app, and you can run your own copy. It handles group balances, uneven splits, categories, search and image attachments, and receipt scanning is an optional feature that whoever runs the site has to set up. Its repository does not say whether it needs an account, how it works offline or how it handles a separate currency per expense, so check its website for those.

Best for: groups who want a free, open source tool, or who want to host it themselves.

Splid

Splid is a native iOS and Android app. According to its store listings it is free with optional one-time purchases rather than a subscription, lets people join a group with a code and no registration, works offline, supports many currencies with automatic conversion, handles unequal splits and can export a summary as a PDF. Reviews note that it does not scan receipts. The number of groups you can have depends on the purchases.

Best for: a simple, established mobile app for a single trip or a few groups.

Splitwise

Splitwise is the best-known app and works well for costs that continue over time, such as a shared home. Its free plan limits how many expenses you can add per day, and the exact number is not something we can confirm, so check their site. Pro is a subscription, and its App Store listing places currency conversion among the Pro features. For trips this limit is the usual complaint; see what to do when you hit the Splitwise daily limit and how to compare Pro with paying per trip.

Best for: ongoing shared costs, and groups that already use it.

Tricount

Tricount is a long-running trip and group expenses app. Sources describe it as free to use, and some mention paid extras, so check what applies now. Friends can join from a link without creating an account, and expenses can be added offline and synced later, though currency conversion needs a connection.

Best for: simple, free splitting of a trip with friends.

Trip Split

Trip Split is our app, so weigh what we say accordingly. Each person records their own spending on their own phone: type a sentence, say it or photograph a receipt, then confirm a card. It works offline, friends join with a link and no account, and each expense keeps its own currency. Card payments use the amount actually charged and cash uses the payer’s own average rate from the money they changed. At the end everyone confirms the bill and gets a short list of transfers.

Adding expenses by hand and settling up are free, with no limit. Unlimited quick notes, the share link, CSV export and bill emails cost 10 USD once per trip, paid by one person for the whole group. There is no subscription.

What it does not do: there is no native app, it is made for one trip of up to ten people rather than shared costs over months, it does not connect to your bank, and it never moves money. It is also a new product from a small team, so it has fewer users and less track record than the others here, and the quick notes are not free beyond a few.

Best for: groups on a trip abroad who want to record spending by voice or text, and convert cash and card payments fairly.

Others worth a look

Settle Up is often listed alongside these apps. We have not tested it or verified its details for this guide, so we do not describe it; see its website.

How to choose

• You want it free and simple: start with Tricount, Splid or Spliit.
• You also track rent and bills: Splitwise fits ongoing costs.
• You want to self-host or use open source: Spliit.
• You mostly pay by card and cash abroad and want quick entry: try Trip Split, and see if the per-trip price suits your group.

Whatever you pick, record each expense when you pay it, and note whether it was cash or card. See how to keep track of travel expenses, and our comparison page for a closer look at Trip Split against Splitwise and Tricount.

Last updated 2026-10-12.

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