Looking for a Splitwise alternative? When to switch and when to stay

Splitwise is the app most people think of when they hear “split the bill”, and for good reason: it has been around for years and does the core job well. People start looking for a Splitwise alternative for a few specific reasons, usually the daily limit on the free plan, the need to sign up before doing anything, or a group that does not read English.

Half Tab is our app, so read this with that in mind. Every fact about Splitwise below comes from its own website, help center or App Store listing, checked in October 2026 and linked so you can check it yourself. Plans change, so look again before you decide.

Why people look for a Splitwise alternative

The free plan has a daily limit. The Splitwise help center says free users can add up to 4 expenses each day. For a household that logs rent and groceries, that is fine. On a busy trip day it is not.

Many extras sit behind Pro. The same help page lists receipt scanning and itemisation, currency conversion, expense search, charts by category and default splits as Splitwise Pro features. Pro is a monthly or yearly subscription, and the App Store listing says the price varies by plan and country.

It starts with an account. The Splitwise sign up page asks for your name, email and a password before you can begin.

What Splitwise does well

It would be unfair to skip this part. According to the Splitwise home page, it is free for iPhone, Android and the web, supports equal and unequal splits, percentages and shares, simplifies debts, handles recurring expenses, works in offline mode and syncs to the cloud. It lists 100+ currencies. Its App Store listing adds paying back through Venmo and PayPal in the US and Paytm in India.

Splitwise also has a clever plan for trips: its yearly Pro plans include a Trip Pass that gives everyone in one trip group Pro features for 30 days, according to the help center.

Half Tab and Splitwise at a glance

	Half Tab	Splitwise
Free expenses per day	No limit	Up to 4
Account to start	Not needed	Name, email and password
Offline	Yes, groups live on your phone	Yes, offline entry with cloud sync
Split modes	Equally, exact amounts, shares, percentage	Equal, unequal, percentage, shares
Settle up with fewest payments	Free	Simplify debts
One to one lending	Personal tab, with proof photos	IOUs between friends
App languages	21	12 on the App Store
Currencies	9, one per group	100+, conversion in Pro
Platforms	iPhone and iPad	iPhone, Android and web
Pay back inside the app	No	Venmo, PayPal (US), Paytm (India)

A busy trip day, in numbers

Here is one day in Lisbon for four friends. Six expenses, which is two more than one free Splitwise user can add in a day.

Expense	Paid by	Amount
Breakfast	Maya	48
Metro passes	Leo	32
Museum	Maya	60
Lunch	Leo	92
Taxi	Sam	28
Dinner	Sam	140
Total		400

Check: 48 + 32 + 60 + 92 + 28 + 140 = 400. Split equally, each person’s share is 400 ÷ 4 = 100.

Person	Paid	Share	Balance
Maya	48 + 60 = 108	100	gets back 8
Leo	32 + 92 = 124	100	gets back 24
Sam	28 + 140 = 168	100	gets back 68
Ana	0	100	owes 100

Half Tab settles it in three payments: Ana pays Sam 68, Leo 24 and Maya 8, and 68 + 24 + 8 = 100. In fairness to Splitwise, the limit is per user, so if three of the friends each add their own expenses, the day still fits. The limit hurts most when one organised person keeps the books for everyone, which is how many groups work.

When Half Tab is the better choice

• One person keeps the books. Friends do not need the app or an account. You add them by name, or from your contacts, and add every expense yourself with no daily cap.
• You want to start in ten seconds. No account is needed to start. If you do sign in later, it is only with Apple or Google.
• The trip has no signal. Groups live on your phone first, so adding a bill on a mountain or a plane is normal, not a special mode.
• Your group reads Hindi, Arabic, Nepali or Swahili. Half Tab speaks 21 languages, including several that Splitwise’s App Store listing does not show, such as Hindi, Chinese, Arabic, Turkish, Vietnamese, Korean, Bengali, Urdu, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Nepali and Swahili. See the bill splitter app in your language guide.
• You also lend money one to one. Splitwise handles IOUs too. Half Tab’s Personal tab adds an optional photo as proof (cash, a transfer, a handwritten note) and shows each person’s group splits and personal records side by side. More in how to keep track of money you lend.
• You want group money options. Besides one person paying, Half Tab records a kitty that everyone chips into and an outside sponsor, such as an employer covering part of a team dinner.

When Splitwise is the better choice

• Your group uses Android or a laptop. Half Tab is on iPhone and iPad. Splitwise runs on iPhone, Android and the web.
• You need many currencies in one group. Each Half Tab group has one currency, chosen when you create it, from 9 currencies (NPR, INR, USD, EUR, GBP, AED, AUD, JPY and QAR). Splitwise lists 100+ and converts between them in Pro.
• Everyone should add expenses from their own phone for free. In Splitwise, every member with an account sees the shared group. In Half Tab, putting a group online so friends can join by QR code or link is part of Pro.
• You want to pay back inside the app with Venmo, PayPal or Paytm. Half Tab does not send or receive money.
• You want receipt scanning. Half Tab does not scan receipts.

How to switch without losing track

1. Settle up your open Splitwise groups so every balance is zero.
2. Install Half Tab and make a group for the next trip, flat or month.
3. Add people by name, then add expenses as they happen.
4. At the end, settle up and share the free PDF summary of the group.

For one restaurant bill you do not need any app: the free split bill calculator does it in your browser. If you are also weighing Tricount, read our Tricount alternative comparison, or see the best bill splitting apps compared for Settle Up and Splid too.