5 Apps For Splitting Bills So You Don't Have to Do Math at Dinner

Published on May 3, 2024 at 7:15 PM

Splitting bills is an increasingly common practice from sharing rent and utilities to dividing the cost of dinners or vacations. Navigating the intricate balance of expenses, however, can often lead to confusion, tension, and strained relationships. But thankfully, the rise of innovative mobile apps for splitting bills has revolutionized how we manage and divide our shared expenses with partners, roommates, and friends.

Gone are the days of complicated spreadsheets, endless calculations, and awkward money conversations over who owes what. Teri Williams, the president and chief operating officer at OneUnited Bank, tells PS that you should "make sure there is clarity about how bills will be split (is it 50/50 or some derivation?) and who accepts what form of payment."

Regarding payment method, Williams shared, "With all the payment apps, you want to make sure everyone on the 'team' has an acceptable form of payment, and importantly, has used that form of payment in the past. Avoid that tense moment, when it's time to split the bill and someone says their payment app is not working."

The popularity — and, let's be honest, necessity — of cohabitation and communal living arrangements has further fueled the demand for efficient bill-splitting solutions. Whether splitting rent among roommates, divvying up grocery costs, or sharing the burden of household utilities, learn about the best apps to split bills.

Splitwise

Splitwise is a popular free app offering a comprehensive solution for dividing expenses among partners, roommates, and friends. The Splitwise app streamlines the bill-splitting process by allowing you to track, split, and settle debts within a centralized platform.

A huge benefit of Splitwise is its seamless collaboration feature, which enables you to create shared expense groups and effortlessly log transactions. Williams explains that Splitwise "allows you to tally expenses and pay other people directly to their bank account or using payment services such as Venmo." No more hassling over manual calculations.

The Splitwise app offers convenient options for categorizing expenses, adding receipts, and attaching notes. This app for splitting bills maintains a comprehensive financial transactions record and easy reference. One of Splitwise's best features is accommodating various repayment scenarios and preferences. You can choose how to settle debts, whether an immediate repayment or periodic payments.

Tab

Tab is a user-friendly app that empowers you to effortlessly split bills, manage IOUs, and keep tabs on shared finances. Central to Tab's functionality is its ability to create and manage shared tabs, where you can seamlessly log expenses and track who owes what within a group setting.

The Tab app provides a straightforward mechanism for allocating expenses and calculating each participant's share to split the cost of meals, concert tickets, or vacation rentals. You can easily add new expenses, categorize them based on custom tags, and assign them to specific individuals.

What sets the Tab app apart is its emphasis on social integration and collaboration, enabling you to effortlessly split bills and settle debts within your existing social circle or household. By leveraging contact syncing and social media integration, Tab makes it easy to connect with friends and acquaintances to split bills without manual input or cumbersome account setups seamlessly. Tab offers seamless integration with popular payment platforms such as PayPal and Venmo, allowing users to settle debts directly within the app.

Settle Up

Settle Up streamlines expense management by providing a platform for logging transactions, calculating balances, and settling debts. From dividing up restaurant bills to managing household finances, you can create or join shared expense groups to track all your financial obligations.

The free app offers a range of intuitive features, including splitting bills evenly or unevenly, adding custom expenses with detailed descriptions, and allocating payments to specific individuals within the group.

"The brilliant thing about this app is that all your expenses are backed up and synced across your groups so everyone should be on the same page about what is owed and to whom," Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst at DealNews.com, tells PS. "Do you constantly switch back and forth with friends with someone getting one bill and then losing track of whose turn it is to pay? This app will help you keep track of that and show you who's up next which minimizes the back and forth and keeps groups from having to debate or argue who's up next to foot the bill."

With its built-in currency converter and multi-currency support, the Settle Up app caters to worldwide users. Everyone can participate in expense sharing regardless of location or currency preferences, which is great for friend groups who love international travel.

Settle Up's intuitive design and straightforward interface make it easy to navigate and understand financial obligations, and the app's robust calculation engine ensures that balances are accurately calculated and updated in real-time. Settle Up even offers integration with popular messaging platforms and payment services to communicate with group members and settle debts directly within the app.

Honeydue

Honeydue is a game-changer in helping partners manage finances. The app provides a comprehensive platform for tracking expenses, setting budgets, and staying on top of shared finances. Designed for couples, Honeydue offers a seamless way for partners to collaborate on financial matters, from splitting bills to monitoring spending habits and setting financial goals. With its intuitive interface, this app to split bills empowers couples to foster transparency, communication, and accountability.

Central to Honeydue's functionality is its ability to aggregate all financial accounts and transactions in one place, allowing couples to gain an at-a-glance view of their finances without the need for multiple apps or spreadsheets. From bank accounts and credit cards to loans and investments, Honeydue syncs with various financial institutions to provide real-time updates on balances and transactions, giving couples a clear understanding of their financial standing at any given time.

The Honeydue app fosters a sense of shared responsibility and empowerment in a couple's financial journey. Sometimes when two people merge finances, it can increase the overall number of payments going out and bills coming due. The app offers features such as bill reminders and payment tracking, making it easier for couples to stay organized with their financial obligations.

Venmo

Venmo has become synonymous with effortless bill-splitting. With its user-friendly interface and seamless integration with social networks, the Venmo app offers a convenient platform for sending and receiving money. Whether splitting the dinner bill, sharing rent payments, or reimbursing friends for concert tickets, Venmo simplifies the process with its all-in-one app for splitting bills.

Venmo's social aspect allows you to add notes, comments, and emojis to transactions, creating a fun and engaging way to interact with friends while managing expenses. The app's social feed also provides visibility into friends' activities to foster transparency and accountability. Venmo's seamless integration with contacts and social networks makes it easy to find and connect with friends to streamline splitting bills and expenses with those in your network.

Venmo's versatility extends beyond peer-to-peer payments, with features like Venmo Groups enabling you to create shared tabs for splitting bills among multiple individuals. Venmo Groups allows you to pool funds, track expenses, and settle debts within a collaborative framework to organize a group dinner, plan a trip, or manage household expenses with roommates.

Kate Fann is an established SEO content writer with 10 years of freelance writing experience. She focuses on creating engaging SEO content for lifestyle brands, covering home, technology, and entertainment