Split-bill comparison
Best Split-Bill Apps With No Sign-Up: TripBoard vs Splitwise vs Tricount vs Settle Up
The hardest part of splitting a group trip is not the maths — it is getting six people to install the same app and create accounts. Here is what actually works when nobody wants to sign up.
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- no sign-up
- Splitwise alternative
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Every group trip ends with the same message in the chat: "so who owes who?" You pick a split-bill app, drop the invite link in, and within ten minutes someone refuses to install anything, someone else will not hand over an email address, and a third person is on hotel Wi-Fi that drops every thirty seconds. Add three currencies and a rate that moved overnight, and you are back in a spreadsheet. This article compares TripBoard, Splitwise, Tricount and Settle Up on five things that actually decide the outcome: sign-up, offline use, multi-currency, export and price. If you only need today's conversion rate, the free currency converter will do.
Split-bill apps compared#
Scroll the table horizontally
| TripBoard | Splitwise | Tricount | Settle Up | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Works without an account | Yes — open the web app and start, no email required | No — an account is required, per the official site | Yes — per the official docs you can start without an account | No — an account is required to sync and back up, per the official docs |
| Works offline | Yes after the first load; data lives in your browser | Entry works offline and syncs later, per the official docs | Yes — add offline, sync later, per the official docs | Yes — offline entry with sync on reconnect, per the official docs |
| Multi-currency | Built in and free; rates refresh automatically | Currency conversion is listed as a Pro feature, per the official Pro page | Multiple currencies with a single settlement currency, per the official docs | Multiple currencies with conversion, per the official docs |
| Group size limit | No cap, free — splitting is not a paid feature | No published cap | No published cap | No published cap |
| Daily entry limit | None | The free tier has a daily expense limit; Pro removes it, per the official helpdesk (the number is not published) | None published | None published |
| Export | ZIP backup free; PDF and Excel need Pro | Spreadsheet export is available, per the official docs | CSV and PDF export are no longer offered, per the official docs | Report export is available, per the official docs |
| Price | Free to start; Pro is a one-time USD $69 | Free tier with ads; Pro is a subscription (price not stated on the official Pro page) | Free — Premium was discontinued, per the official docs | Free tier with ads; Premium is a subscription |
| Platforms | Web / PWA, installable to the home screen; no native app | iOS, Android, web | iOS, Android, web | iOS, Android, web |
Verified Sept 2026 against official docs. Third-party plans and limits change without notice — check the vendor's own pages before you commit. TripBoard's column comes from the product itself; rates are from the currency tool.
TripBoard: the itinerary and the receipts in the same tab#
TripBoard is a web-based trip planner — start a trip and you are in, with no download and no account. The day-by-day plan, the expenses and the settlement live on the same screen, so nobody has to reconcile three apps on the flight home. Foreign-currency spend can be checked against the exchange rate tool as you go.
Pros
- Genuinely no sign-up: your data stays in your own browser, with no email address and no social login.
- Offline after the first load — log a taxi fare on the plane or in a valley with no signal, and pick up later.
- Splitting is free with no cap on the number of people, and the app computes the settlement with the fewest transfers.
- Share the result as a plain link or email — recipients open a web page, they do not install anything. (If your group lives in LINE, the same result drops in as a card.)
Cons
- No native app: it is a PWA, so you get the app-like experience only after adding it to your home screen yourself.
- The free tier keeps 1 trip at a time — running several trips in parallel means Pro (USD $69, one-time).
- PDF and Excel export are Pro features; the free tier exports a ZIP backup only.
- No group chat, no receipt scanning, no bank import — it is a planner with expenses, not a finance app.
Splitwise: the most capable, if everyone signs up#
Splitwise is the default answer in most "how do we split this" threads, and for good reason: the split rules are flexible, the running balances are clear, and everybody has heard of it. The friction is the account. Per the official helpdesk, the free tier also carries a daily expense limit — the exact number is not published — and Pro is what removes it. Worth knowing before a trip where you log fifteen things a day: per the official Pro page, currency conversion, receipt scanning, itemisation and an ad-free experience are Pro features too.
Pros
- Flexible splits (equal, by share, by exact amount) handle awkward group maths.
- Running balances across groups and friends, not just one trip.
- Mature iOS, Android and web clients; almost everyone can already use it.
Cons
- An account is required, which is exactly the blocker for the people who did not want an app in the first place.
- Per the official helpdesk, the free tier has a daily expense limit; heavy logging days push you toward Pro.
- Per the official Pro page, currency conversion is a Pro feature — a real issue on a multi-country trip.
- It does not plan the trip: your itinerary lives somewhere else.
Tricount: free, fast, and no account needed#
Tricount has been around for years and, per the official docs, you can open a shared tab without creating an account and invite people with a link. Since Premium was discontinued it is simply free. The catch is export: per the official help centre, CSV and PDF export were part of Premium and are no longer available, so if you need a proper report at the end of the trip, plan around that — it is one of the reasons people move to TripBoard. For multi-country trips, fix your conversion basis first with the currency tool.
Pros
- Per the official docs, start without an account and invite companions by link.
- Polished native iOS and Android apps.
- Free, with no subscription pressure since Premium was retired.
Cons
- Per the official docs, CSV and PDF export are no longer offered.
- A tab settles in one currency, so multi-country trips need care with the conversion basis.
- No itinerary planning — you still need a second tool for the trip itself.
Settle Up: strong split rules, account required#
Settle Up is the quiet specialist of the group. Per the official docs it supports offline entry, several split methods and currency conversion, across iOS, Android and web. The trade-offs are the familiar ones: syncing a group needs an account, and the free tier carries ads. Like Splitwise and Tricount it only handles money, so the itinerary and the rates still live elsewhere.
Pros
- Per the official docs, offline entry that syncs when you reconnect.
- Several split methods, including unequal shares and exact amounts.
- Report export is available, per the official docs.
Cons
- Per the official docs, an account is needed to sync and back up a group.
- The free tier shows ads; removing them means a subscription.
- Money only — no itinerary, no places, no checklists.
Three situations, one answer each#
- Six people, two weeks in Japan, and the itinerary matters too: use TripBoard for the plan and the money, check yen spend against the exchange rate tool, then send the settlement as a link — nobody installs anything.
- One dinner or a weekend away, everyone already has Splitwise: use Splitwise and do not overthink it. Watch the daily entry limit on heavy days, and remember conversion is a Pro feature.
- Long multi-country trip where you need a report at the end: Tricount no longer exports, and Splitwise puts conversion behind Pro — TripBoard keeps splitting free with no cap on people, and PDF / Excel export comes with the one-time Pro upgrade.
FAQ#
Do all of us have to install the same split-bill app?
No. With TripBoard one person logs the expenses and shares the settlement as a link or an email; everyone else just opens a web page, with no install and no account. Tricount lets you start without an account too, per the official docs. Splitwise and Settle Up expect each participant who wants to log their own expenses to sign up.
Can I split expenses offline?
Yes, with the right tool. TripBoard stores your data in the browser after the first load, so entry and settlement both work with no signal. Splitwise, Tricount and Settle Up all support offline entry with later sync, per their official docs. One caveat: exchange rates cannot refresh offline, so open the currency tool before you fly.
Is Splitwise free?
There is a free tier, but per the official helpdesk it has a daily expense limit and Pro is what removes it; the official Pro page also lists currency conversion, receipt scanning and an ad-free experience as Pro features. If you want to avoid a subscription, splitting in TripBoard is free with no cap on participants, and only extras such as PDF / Excel export need the one-time USD $69 Pro upgrade.
How do I share a TripBoard settlement with someone who has no app?
Generate a share link and send it however you like — message, email, or pasted as plain text. The recipient opens a normal web page: no sign-up, no install. Free links stay live for 24 hours, Pro links for 7 days. When you need a formal record, Pro exports PDF and Excel. To start now, create a trip.
Put the plan and the money on the same page
No sign-up, no download. Create a trip, log expenses in any currency and let the split work itself out; check today's rates with the currency tool.
Start planning your tripRelated reading
- Offline Trip Planner Apps Compared (2026)Offline maps are not the same as an offline itinerary. Compare TripBoard, Google Maps, Organic Maps, Wanderlog and TripIt for travel with no signal.
- Wanderlog Alternatives: Free, Offline, No AccountLooking for a Wanderlog alternative? Compare TripBoard, TripIt and Google My Maps on sign-up, offline access, maps, expenses and what each one costs.