Whether you're splitting rent with roommates, tracking expenses on a group trip, or just figuring out who owes what after dinner, a good bill-splitting app makes the whole process painless. We tested the most popular options in 2026 and ranked them based on ease of use, features, and cost.
What makes a good bill-splitting app?
Before diving in, here's what we evaluated:
- Split types — Can you split equally, by exact amount, and by percentage?
- Group support — Can you create persistent groups for ongoing expenses (roommates, couples)?
- Multi-currency — Does it handle travel expenses in different currencies?
- Settle-up flow — Is recording a payment straightforward?
- Cost — Is the core functionality free, or paywalled?
1. BillBuddies — Best free bill-splitting app
BillBuddies is a modern expense-splitting app that covers the full splitting workflow: add friends or groups, log expenses with flexible split types (equal, exact, percentage), track running balances, and record settlements. It supports 160+ currencies, has no ads on the free plan, and has a clean native Android app.
Best for: Roommates, friend groups, group travel, anyone who wants a Splitwise-style app without the subscription.
- ✓ Equal, exact amount, and percentage splits
- ✓ Groups and friend-to-friend tracking
- ✓ 160+ currencies
- ✓ Activity feed
- ✓ UPI, cash, bank transfer settlement recording
- ✓ No ads on free plan
- ✓ Android app
2. Splitwise — Most popular, freemium
Splitwise is the most well-known expense-splitting app with a large user base and polished product. The free tier is functional but shows ads and locks some features (like multi-currency conversion) behind Splitwise Pro at $7.99/month. If your group is already on Splitwise and you need in-app Venmo/PayPal integration, the ecosystem might justify the cost.
Best for: Large groups already using Splitwise, users who need in-app payments.
- ✓ Large feature set
- ✓ In-app payments (Venmo, PayPal)
- ✗ Ads on free tier
- ✗ Multi-currency locked to Pro ($7.99/month)
3. Tricount — Best for one-off trips
Tricount is a lightweight trip-expense tracker that requires no account. Great for a one-time group trip where you want to quickly split costs and settle up at the end. The trade-off is that it doesn't track ongoing friend balances — once the trip is over, the expense history doesn't carry over to your friend relationships.
Best for:Quick group trips with people you don't split expenses with regularly.
4. Venmo / PayPal — Payment-first, splitting second
Venmo and PayPal let you request and send money easily, but their splitting features are basic. You can't track ongoing group balances or see who owes what across multiple expenses. If in-app payment is your primary need (rather than tracking), these work. For actual expense management, dedicated apps like BillBuddies or Splitwise are more capable.
Comparison table
| App | Price | Split types | Groups | Multi-currency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BillBuddies | Free to start | Equal, exact, % | ✓ | 160+ currencies |
| Splitwise | Free (ads) / $7.99/mo | Equal, exact, % | ✓ | Pro only |
| Tricount | Free | Equal, exact, % | Trip-only | Limited |
| Venmo | Free | Basic requests | ✗ | ✗ |
Our pick: BillBuddies
For the vast majority of use cases — splitting rent with roommates, tracking group trip costs, or settling up after a dinner out — BillBuddies offers the best combination of features and zero cost. It has all three split types, persistent group and friend tracking, 160+ currencies, and a native Android app.
If you're already embedded in the Splitwise ecosystem, switching has a coordination cost (getting everyone on a new app). But if you're starting fresh, BillBuddies is the easiest free choice.