When traveling or dining at a restaurant, it’s common for one person to pay the bill while others agree to settle their share later. But in most cases, one may not receive the payments owed to them for a long time. Sometimes, asking friends for money can be uncomfortable or outright awkward, so instead of looking for online tips to divide costs fairly, one can utilize dedicated apps to track expenses and split bills with others.
Splitwise
The free-to-use app is compatible with most iOS and Android devices. Splitwise is one of the best apps for transferring funds and is an ideal choice for splitting expenses with friends, including movie tickets or group travel costs during a vacation. The app keeps a running total of who owes whom, even for small purchases like grocery runs. When one is ready to pay, one can use PayPal to transfer the funds and settle the debt. Some highlight features include the ability to calculate the percentage or shares, support over 100 currency conversions, and an offline mode.
Plates
The app developed by Splitwise is dedicated to group dining at restaurants. With the Plates app, users can easily split meal expenses among up to 10 people. A useful feature allows the user to divide the bill equally while also keeping track of individual costs for those who order their own drinks or appetizers. Additionally, the app is reliable for calculating the tax and tips. One can download the Plates app on iOS devices.
Billr
This iOS-compatible app is perfect for sharing costs and itemizing expenses in one go. Most people use Billr for a range of purposes, such as planning an outdoor dinner with friends. For instance, Billr can calculate what each person owes for their dishes during a meal, ensuring that everyone pays only for what they ordered rather than for someone else’s dish. The app can accommodate groups of up to 16 people to share expenses. It is also great for managing shared expenses, such as splitting appetizers and drinks. Additionally, Billr can calculate tax and tip, and it allows one to send a copy of the final bill to the rest of the group via text or email.
Venmo
Reminding friends about paying up can often make things awkward. Venmo understands this and provides a feature that allows one to send reminders to those who owe them money. For instance, if one has covered the cost of a birthday gift or travel expenses, Venmo’s app serves as a reliable tracker, enabling users to send money requests at any time. One can use the app to pay back friends when they receive a request through the app.
In addition to tracking expenses, Venmo offers several other features, like the option to buy and send digital gift cards and purchase products from popular brands in-store and online. Moreover, eligible users can also sign up for the Venmo Credit Card, which offers up to 3% cash back on select purchases. There’s even a Venmo Debit Card available, which comes with no monthly fees and minimum balance requirements.
Settle Up
Whether a group of friends is traveling together or a user needs to manage costs among roommates, Settle Up is one of the best tools for splitting expenses. Each member can view their own expenses as well as see who has paid what. The app also indicates who hasn’t paid their share, whether it is for a cab ride or utility bill. A standout feature of the app is the ability to share photos of receipts with those involved in the settlement. This allows the person who paid the bill to provide digital proof of the exact costs. Sharing the bill this way will ensure that the split is transparent and fair.
Splid
Available on both iOS and Android, Splid is one of the top apps for how groups can track and split expenses associated with dinners, movies, and travel. The app is easy to use, works offline, and can manage costs in approximately 150 currencies.
When using Splid, one is required to add all the group expenses and divide them among the members for easy payment. One can also add multiple members for a single expense. For instance, if two people cover the cost of travel for five people, one can add all five members to the expense. The app will then determine and tally who owes how much and to whom.
Tab
Users can use Tab as a simple method to split a bill among friends. It allows one to easily take a picture of the receipt and select the items to claim them. If the dishes are shared, each person can tap on the same item to have the cost divided equally. Moreover, the app automatically calculates the tax and tips at the same. Tab keeps all activities synced in real-time and sends out an individualized total receipt to each person. Additionally, the app restricts users from uploading older photos of a receipt from their camera roll, propagating the splitting of expenses on the same day.
