Tricount vs Splitwise: the 4 differences that decide it
Tricount wins on friction (no sign-up, no ads) and Splitwise on features (several payers, receipt scanning), but neither squares the split with your real money: the balance stays in their app and your account never hears about it. Here are the 4 differences that actually matter, which one fits each case, and a third option, Cuéntamo, for when you want the split to reach your balance and your forecast.
This comparison is written by the Cuéntamo team: we are an interested party. Who we are.
Feature
Tricount
Splitwise
Cuéntamo
Splitting expenses
Who owes whom (balances)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Uneven splits (%, shares, amount)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Settle-up plan (who pays whom)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Others join from a link, no sign-up
Yes
— (account needed)
Yes
Several payers on one expense
— (split it in two)
Yes
Yes
Unlimited expenses on the free plan
Yes
Daily limit
Yes
No ads on the free plan
Yes
— (ads)
Yes
Shared pot reconciled against the bank
—
—
Yes
Which expenses have actually been paid back
—
—
Yes
Receipt scanning
Photo attachment, no automatic reading documented
With Pro
With Más
Several currencies in the same group
Yes
Yes
One per group
What happens after the split
What you're owed counts in your balance
—
—
Yes
And in your end-of-month forecast
—
—
Yes
Works even if nobody else uses an app
—
—
Yes
The split lands in your real accounts
—
—
Yes
And the rest of your money
Balance forecast (up to 5 years)
—
—
Yes
Budgets and savings goals
—
—
Yes
Net worth and investments
—
—
Yes
Import bank statements (CSV/Excel)
—
—
Yes
Self-employed module (optional)
—
—
Yes
Price and platform
Free plan
Yes
With ads and a limit
Yes
Paid plan
None
Splitwise Pro
Más, €4.99/month
Platform
iPhone · Android · Web
iPhone · Android · Web
Web · installable app (iPhone, Android, desktop)
Where Tricount and Splitwise are alike
On the basics they do the same thing: you log an expense, split it between people (equally, by percentage or by amount), track who owes whom and simplify the group's debts so one transfer does the job of three. Both handle more than a hundred currencies. If someone tells you one splits expenses "better" than the other, be sceptical: the difference is in the fine print.
Where they differ
Sign-up. In Tricount you can take part without creating an account: the organiser shares a link and everyone else joins and logs expenses. In Splitwise everyone needs an account. With a group that won't install anything, that settles it.
Ads and limits. Splitwise's free version shows ads and also has a daily expense limit: on a trip where you log every coffee, you hit it fast. Removing it means paying for Pro. Tricount has neither ads nor a limit.
Several payers. Splitwise lets several people pay for the same expense. In Tricount each expense has a single payer: if two of you pay dinner with two cards, you log it as two half-expenses.
The paid plan. Splitwise Pro adds receipt scanning, charts and search. Tricount has no paid plan: its App Store listing says "no subscription". You can attach a photo of the receipt to an expense, but it doesn't document reading it for you.
In short: Tricount wins on friction and Splitwise on features, and each one limps exactly where the other gets it right.
A worked example. A €90 dinner for three, split between Noa and Teo, who each pay €45 on their own card; Vera, the third, owes her share: €30. In Tricount, since each expense allows only one payer, you'd have to log it as two €45 expenses (one from Noa, one from Teo) to make the split work. In Splitwise and in Cuéntamo one expense with two payers is enough: it comes out directly that Vera owes €15 to Noa and €15 to Teo. The difference shows up afterwards: in Cuéntamo those €30 already count in Noa and Teo's balance and forecast, not just as an entry inside the group.
The problem they share
There's one thing neither solves, and it's what matters most once the split stops being a one-off dinner: the split lives in one app and your money in another. The app says you're owed €340. Your bank account doesn't know. Neither does your end-of-month forecast. And with a flat or a partner the split never closes: there's no day when you settle up and delete the group.
The other catch is the entry toll: for them to work, the group has to join. If your brother-in-law won't install anything, you end up logging for both of you… in an app that doesn't talk to your accounts either.
A third option: Cuéntamo
Cuéntamo is a complete personal finance app (accounts, transactions, balance forecast, budgets, net worth and, if you need it, self-employed taxes) that also splits expenses. It takes something from each:
No sign-up for the others, like Tricount. Create the group, send the link and everyone logs what they pay from their browser. Nobody installs anything.
Several payers, like Splitwise. Each expense has two columns: what each person put in and what their share is. Dinner paid with two cards is one expense.
No ads and no daily limit. The free plan has unlimited transactions and not a single ad.
The shared pot, reconciled against the bank. If the group keeps a pot, Cuéntamo tracks it as one more account, so you know which expenses have actually been paid back, not just logged.
Settle at your own pace. Dinner settles on the spot; the trip, when you close it; the flat, every month. The group stays alive as long as you need it.
What you're owed goes into your balance and your forecast. From day one, not when you get paid back. That's the real difference.
It works even if nobody else uses any app. For a loan or a one-off debt, you create a debt account in that person's name and you're done. If they sign up one day, that account links to theirs: it carries over what you already had and each of you sees the debt from your own book.
Which one fits each case
A trip with friends
If nobody wants to sign up and one payer per expense is enough, Tricount. If the group already uses Splitwise or you split bills across several cards, Splitwise. If you mix several currencies in the same pot, either of the two. If you want the pot reconciled against the bank and what you're owed in your balance, Cuéntamo.
The flat or your partner
Tricount and Splitwise work, but the balance stays in their app. If you want to settle every month and have what you pay and what you're owed be part of your forecast, Cuéntamo.
Loans and one-off debts
If the other person won't sign up, Tricount with its link, or Cuéntamo, where the debt also counts in your balance until they pay you back.
Where we still have ground to cover. If a single trip mixes several currencies in the same pot, Tricount and Splitwise handle it better today: in Cuéntamo each group uses one currency. We also don't send automatic reminders to whoever owes you yet.
Try it with your next shared expense
Free, no ads, no transaction limit and no card. Create the group, send the link and everyone logs their part. And what you're owed goes straight into your balance.
It depends on what bothers you more: Tricount needs no sign-up and has no ads, but each expense allows only one payer; Splitwise allows several payers, but everyone needs an account and its free version has ads and a daily expense limit. If you also want what you're owed to count in your balance and your forecast, Cuéntamo is another option: link access with no sign-up, several payers and no ads, although today each group uses a single currency.
Yes. Tricount is free, has no ads and doesn't require sign-up to take part: the organiser creates the group and shares the link. Its practical limitation is that each expense has a single payer. Cuéntamo is also free for splitting expenses, with the same link access and support for several payers.
It has a free version, with ads and a daily expense limit that goes away if you pay for Splitwise Pro (which also adds receipt scanning, charts and search). Cuéntamo's free plan has no ads and no transaction limit.
They work, but that's not what they're built for: they solve a bounded split and then you settle up. If you share everyday expenses (rent with your partner, the flat's shared bills), the balance ends up in a separate app, disconnected from your accounts. Cuéntamo lets you settle the group every month, and what you're owed goes into your balance and your forecast.
Not automatically: the usual approach is to record the final transaction in your accounts once the group is settled. In Cuéntamo you skip that step: the split and the debt already live in your accounts, so what you're owed is part of your balance from the start.
In Splitwise, yes: everyone needs an account. In Tricount the link is enough. In Cuéntamo, as in Tricount, others log expenses from the link without signing up; and for a debt with someone who won't use any app, you create a debt account in their name and what they owe counts in your balance from day one. If that person signs up, the account links to theirs and each of you sees the debt from your own book.
Comparison based on public information from tricount.com and splitwise.com (September 2026; the Tricount details rechecked on 1 November 2026 on its website and its App Store listing). Features and prices may change; always check each product's official website. Cuéntamo is not affiliated with Tricount or Splitwise; "Tricount" and "Splitwise" are trademarks of their respective owners. If you spot anything out of date, write to us at [email protected] and we will correct it.