The Best Check Splitting Apps
One of the simplest joys in life is having dinner with friends. Of course, until the bill comes. Now all conversations should boil down to how much money each person owes for loaded potato wedges and fried cucumbers at the common table. You’re in the mood for fun, not hard math. Among the many great technological advances of the past decade, there are several apps designed to solve this problem—by seamlessly separating bills for you. With any of these free services, you’ll never again have to tediously figure out who pays what for what.
Divide
Splitwise is a fair sharing app for those who “want to be fair but can’t decide what fairness is”. How Splitwise works is simple: first, you create a group between yourself and those with whom you went to dinner. Once everyone is accounted for, you can allocate items to specific people. You can even divide certain foods by percentage – great for shared appetizers, desserts, and more. Never again pay for an order of onion rings that you didn’t eat. After that, just click the “Pay” button and Splitwise will ask you to confirm sending Venmo for your part of the bill to the person who put the food on their card. Just like that one!
tab
Where Tab differs from your standard bill-splitting app is that it allows you to upload a photo of a receipt, which then automatically converts the information into separate items in its app (other apps offer this service, but usually in their premium version). Once Tab has loaded your receipt, you simply click on items that belong to you, as well as items for which you have to contribute partials (such as shared sides) to get your personal total due on the bill. In addition, Tab will automatically calculate your personal tax and tip contributions, saving you the hassle of napkin calculations. The Tab also interacts with Venmo, allowing you to pay your portion to someone who has put food on their credit card.
pay off
Settle Up is a bill-splitting app that is praised for its simple interface as well as automatic syncing with your Google account. Like other bill-splitting apps, Settle Up allows you to distribute receipt items among individuals, as well as divide items by percentage if needed. Settle Up is unique for two reasons. First, it can be used offline. Second, it offers real-time exchange rates if you don’t pay in US dollars. For these two reasons, Settle Up is a great choice to split the bill if you’re traveling with friends around the world. It’s all included in the free version of the app, just be prepared to watch an ad or two to get there.
Forked
What Splid offers that other bill splitting apps don’t have is the ability to choose from over 150 different currencies when using its services. In addition, Splid boasts a user-friendly interface and, like Settle Up, can also be used both online and offline. Splid does not require an account to use, and it also allows you to download any input as an expense summary in Excel or as a PDF. Splid works with Venmo to ensure that funds are transferred quickly once all information has been entered.