Splitwise is best for ongoing long-term expense tracking with the same group. Tricount is best for one-off group events or trips where everyone wants a free, no-signup option. SplitEven is best for splitting a single restaurant bill or receipt quickly — AI scans the receipt, you assign items, friends see their share via link without downloading anything. Most people who eat out regularly benefit from using SplitEven for in-the-moment splits and one of the others for longer-term tracking.
If you've ever searched for a bill splitting app, you've run into all three. Splitwise is the established giant. Tricount is the European favourite. SplitEven is the newcomer with AI receipt scanning. They all split bills — but they do very different things, and choosing the wrong one for your use case leads to frustration.
This is an honest comparison. We make SplitEven, so we have an obvious bias — but we'll be upfront about what each app does better and worse, and which situations each one is actually built for.
What Each App Is Built For
Splitwise was built for ongoing shared expenses — rent, utilities, recurring costs with the same group of people over months or years. It tracks running balances, simplifies debts so you can settle with fewer transactions, and has a large established user base. It's the default choice for housemates who want a persistent shared ledger.
Tricount was built for group events — a weekend trip, a holiday, a shared dinner where you want to track who paid what without anyone needing an account. It's free, fast to set up, and popular across continental Europe. Strong for finite group events with a clear start and end.
SplitEven was built for in-the-moment bill splitting — specifically, the friction point of splitting a restaurant bill at the table. AI receipt scanning reads every item automatically, you assign them per person in under a minute, and friends see their share via a shareable link without downloading anything or signing up.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Splitwise | Tricount | SplitEven |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI receipt scanning | Paid only | No | Yes, free |
| Completely free | Free tier (limited) | Yes | Yes |
| Friends view without downloading | No — account required | Link sharing for groups | Yes — via shareable link |
| Ongoing balance tracking | Yes | Yes | No |
| Recurring expenses | Yes | No | No |
| Multi-currency | Paid only | Yes, free | Yes, free |
| Proportional tax and tip | Manual | Manual | Automatic |
| Debt simplification | Yes | Yes | Not applicable |
| iOS and Android | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Splitwise: The Long-Term Tracker
Splitwise is the most fully-featured app of the three for ongoing shared living. If you're splitting rent, utilities, and groceries with the same housemates month after month, Splitwise gives you a persistent ledger that tracks every expense, simplifies multiple debts into fewer transactions, and sends reminders when people owe you.
The free plan covers the basics, but receipt scanning — one of the most useful features for restaurant splitting — is locked behind Splitwise Pro (paid subscription). Multi-currency and some other features are also paid-only. For housemates tracking fixed monthly expenses, the free plan is often sufficient. For restaurant bills, the absence of free receipt scanning is a real gap.
Tricount: The Group Trip Specialist
Tricount excels at finite group events — a weekend trip, a shared holiday, a group dinner where you want a clean record of who paid what without everyone downloading an app. Setup is fast, the interface is clean, and it's entirely free including multi-currency support, which makes it popular for international travel.
It doesn't have receipt scanning, so expenses are entered manually. For a group holiday where someone pays for the Airbnb and someone else pays for a group dinner and someone else covers the car hire, manual entry is fine — you're logging five or six big expenses, not scanning thirty line items. For splitting a single restaurant bill by what each person ordered, manual entry becomes cumbersome.
Split any restaurant bill in under a minute
AI receipt scanning, proportional tax and tip, shareable link. Free on iOS and Android.SplitEven: The Restaurant Bill Specialist
SplitEven was designed specifically for the moment a restaurant bill arrives at the table. Photograph the receipt — the AI reads every item, price, tax, and tip automatically. Assign items to each person with a tap. The app calculates everyone's share including proportional tax and tip. Share the breakdown via a link that friends open in their browser — no download, no account, no sign-up required on their end.
The entire process takes under a minute for most bills. For the specific problem of splitting a restaurant bill fairly without manual maths and without an awkward conversation, it's the fastest option available — and it's free.
Where SplitEven doesn't fit: it doesn't track ongoing balances, doesn't support recurring expenses, and isn't designed for long-term expense management with the same group. For housemates splitting rent and utilities month after month, Splitwise or a shared spreadsheet is a better tool.
Which Should You Use?
The honest answer is that these apps solve different problems — and many people benefit from using more than one.
If you live with housemates and go out to eat regularly, Splitwise (or Tricount) handles the monthly shared bills, and SplitEven handles restaurant nights. If you're going on a group holiday, Tricount tracks the trip expenses and SplitEven handles the restaurant bills during the trip. They complement each other rather than compete.
If you only want one app and your main use case is restaurant bills, SplitEven is the most purpose-built option. If your main use case is tracking ongoing shared expenses with the same group, Splitwise is the more feature-complete choice for that specific need.
For a deeper look at how SplitEven compares specifically to Splitwise, see our full Splitwise vs SplitEven comparison. For app roundups by platform, see our guides to the best bill splitting apps for Android and best bill splitting apps for iPhone.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Splitwise and Tricount?
Splitwise is built for ongoing long-term expense tracking with persistent friend balances and recurring expenses — it dominates in the US, UK, and India. Tricount is built for one-off group events like trips and dinners — it's free, requires no account for basic use, and is more popular in continental Europe. Both focus on tracking who owes whom over time.
Is Tricount better than Splitwise?
Tricount is better than Splitwise if you want a completely free app with no subscription for a group trip or one-off event. Splitwise is better for ongoing shared expenses with the same group over months, with more features for debt simplification and recurring costs. For splitting a single restaurant bill quickly, SplitEven is faster than both.
Is SplitEven a good alternative to Splitwise and Tricount?
Yes, for restaurant bills and one-off shared purchases. SplitEven is the fastest option for splitting a single bill — scan the receipt, assign items, share via link in under a minute. Friends view the breakdown without downloading anything. For tracking long-term shared expenses with the same group, Splitwise or Tricount are better suited.
Which bill splitting app is completely free?
SplitEven is entirely free with no paid tier. Tricount is free for core features. Splitwise has a free plan but receipt scanning and some features are behind a paid subscription (Splitwise Pro). If you want AI receipt scanning without paying, SplitEven is currently the only option that offers it completely free.