Splitting group travel expenses: Splitwise, Tricount or a spreadsheet (tested)

The problem no one wants to admit

Group travel dies for three reasons: someone snores, someone is always late, and no one wants to talk about money. The third one kills more friendships than the other two combined.

You leave home with six friends to spend ten days in Tokyo. Someone paid for the airport taxi in yen. Someone else put the Airbnb on a card in dollars. A third paid for dinner in yen with a 5% FX fee. On day four, someone orders ramen and two people leave first. On day six, you split a US$ 360 dinner where two people only had a starter. On day nine, no one remembers who paid for what anymore.

The wrong app, or worse, no app, turns the trip home into an Excel sheet with passive-aggressive tone in the WhatsApp group. I've seen one night's bill in Lisbon break a 15-year friendship.

This is the real-life test. Splitwise, Tricount, Settle Up, Google Sheets and Notion, with a group of six people, three currencies (¥, US$, EUR), ten days of mixed expenses, and the final reconciliation that always hurts.

For the currency side itself, it's worth reading How much cash to bring per country before packing.

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What a split app actually needs to do

Almost everyone tests an app by what it does prettily. Wrong. Evaluate by what it does under pressure:

1. Real-time multi-currency: international travel has ¥, US$, EUR, BRL in the same day. Does the app convert at the day-of-expense rate, not the day-of-settlement rate?
2. Split by shares or %: a dinner where two only ordered a starter must be split by shares (weight) or %, not equally.
3. Per-participant exclusion: someone missed the tour? Does the app let you mark "this expense doesn't include X" in 2 taps?
4. Settlement algorithm: in the end, does the app calculate the minimum transfers between people, or does it ask everyone to pay everyone?
5. Export: can you download CSV or PDF for the group to verify before transferring?
6. Bank/PIX/Wise integration: does the app have a button to generate a payment link or Wise transfer directly?

Splitwise nails 4 of 6, but real-time multi-currency became paid. Tricount nails 5 of 6, missing bank integration. Settle Up nails all 6, but requires a learning curve.

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Splitwise: the standard, but more fragile in 2026

Splitwise is the app everyone already has. Since 2011, it has dominated the niche. It has web, iOS, Android versions, and was the first to popularize the concept of "balance" instead of individual transactions.

How it works: you create a group, add people (by email or link), and each expense enters with who paid and how to split. The app keeps each person's balance and, at the end, suggests who should pay whom.

What changed since 2024: the free tier got tight. Today you have a limit of 3 expenses/day on the free plan. In real travel, that breaks on day one in Tokyo (breakfast, lunch, dinner, taxi, ticket — 5 expenses in 12 hours).

Splitwise Pro: US$ 4/month or US$ 40/year. Unlocks unlimited expenses, automatic real-time currency conversion, charts, receipt OCR and backup. On a 10-day trip, it's worth it if you're the group treasurer.

Where it wins: a mixed group where some people have never used an expense app. UX is the cleanest on the market, onboarding takes 30 seconds.

Where it loses: a large group (8+ people) where no one wants to pay Pro. The free tier will throttle, someone will forget to log, and the final balance will be wrong.

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Tricount: the Belgian no one saw coming

Tricount was born in Belgium in 2010, was acquired by Bunq in 2022 and has been 100% free since. It's the fastest-growing app in Europe for splitting travel expenses.

How it works: you create a "tricount" (group), set the main currency, and each expense enters with who paid, who participated and in which currency. The app converts everything to the main currency using the day's rate.

Differentiators:

• Real-time multi-currency included in free (no charge).
• Unlimited expenses.
• No mandatory login (you can use it via shared link, great for the offline friend).
• Exports CSV and PDF.
• Supports split by shares, % or absolute value per person.

Where it loses:

• The settlement algorithm suggests more transfers than needed in large groups. With 6 people, it sometimes sends A to pay B and B to pay C instead of A paying C directly.
• UX less polished than Splitwise. Small buttons, slower navigation.
• No integration with Wise/PIX to pay directly.

Where it wins: a group of Europeans or travelers crossing multiple currencies. No charge, no limit, no fine print.

In May/26, it's the app we most recommend for groups traveling to multi-currency destinations (Tokyo + Korea, or Europe with Switzerland and the UK).

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Settle Up: the right algorithm

Settle Up is Czech, launched in 2010, and has the best settlement algorithm on the market. It's the app a mathematician would recommend.

How it works: same as the others — group, expenses, splits. The difference is the debt-simplification algorithm: at the end, it calculates the minimum number of transfers to zero out all balances. With 6 people, that can mean 3 transfers instead of 9.

Free tier: unlimited, with ads. Premium: US$ 15/year, removes ads and unlocks automatic backup + advanced export.

Differentiators:

• The settlement algorithm is the best out there (mathematically proven minimum).
• Real-time multi-currency included in free.
• Supports photo receipts attached to each expense (free).
• Offline mode with later sync.

Where it loses:

• UX is more "Czech engineer" than "California design". Denser screen, fewer colors.
• Bigger learning curve. A friend who's never used it takes 5 minutes to figure it out.
• The web version isn't as complete as Splitwise's.

Where it wins: a large group (8+ people) or a group where one specific person is creditor to everyone. The algorithm really reduces transfers by 30-50% in real scenarios.

Google Sheets: the nerd option

This is where it gets divisive. Some groups have that one friend who opens a laptop on the plane and builds a spreadsheet in 20 minutes. If you're that friend, or have one, Google Sheets beats them all.

Why:

• Zero limit on expenses, currencies, people.
• Real-time FX via =GOOGLEFINANCE("CURRENCY:JPYUSD") straight in the cell.
• Full customization: category tags, charts, comments per row, edit history.
• Granular sharing: each person edits their row.
• Visual reconciliation: you can see it all at once.

Basic template that works (columns):

Date	Who paid	Description	Original currency	Original value	FX rate	Value in USD	Who participated	Split

Below it, a pivot table calculates each person's balance. And a second sheet suggests the final transfers.

Where it loses: groups where no one opens the sheet. It's the graveyard of shared projects. If the treasurer isn't disciplined, it becomes hell on the way home.

Where it wins: tech, finance, or groups that have traveled together several times and have a spreadsheet culture. It also wins on long trips (slow travel) where expenses pile up over 30+ days and no app can keep up.

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Notion: beware

Notion has become the meme of "I'll organize my life and never open it". For expense splitting, it's the worst of the five tested.

What works: pretty databases, per-person views, integration with other pages of the trip project.

What doesn't:

• No automatic FX calculation.
• No settlement algorithm.
• Manual sums.
• Poor mobile for fast expense entry at a restaurant counter in Tokyo at 11pm.

Use only if: the group already lives inside Notion for the entire trip planning (itinerary, bookings, contacts), and the treasurer is seasoned.

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The real test: 6 people, 10 days in Tokyo

Group: 6 Brazilians, 28-42 years old, mixed tech and non-tech. Period: October/25. Total spent: ~US$ 18,500 (¥1,840,000 + some US$ 1,200 in tickets and US$ 800 in taxis and insurance paid back home).

Setup: treasurer (Marina, senior dev, organized). Pre-trip decision: test Splitwise Pro + Google Sheets in parallel.

Most common expenses:

• Airbnbs and hotels: paid on one person's card, in US$ and ¥. 30% of total.
• Restaurants: paid at the counter, in ¥. 40% of total.
• Transport (Suica, taxis): mixed, some on one card, some in cash. 12%.
• Attractions (Teamlab, sumo, Disney): bought online in US$ or at the counter in ¥. 14%.
• Shared shopping (gifts for the kids back home): 4%.

Conflicts that came up:

Conflict 1 — 3am taxi in Shibuya. Four people took the taxi, two walked back because they wanted ramen. Who pays? Group decision: split only among the four in the taxi.

• How the app handled it: Splitwise — in 5 taps, mark "split among 4 selected". Tricount — in 6 taps, same logic. Sheets — Marina adjusted on the spot.

Conflict 2 — US$ 360 dinner where 2 people only had a starter. Kaiseki restaurant, 4 ordered the full menu (¥18,000 each), 2 ordered starter and sake (¥6,000 each). Total: ¥84,000.

• How to split: by share (weight). 4 people with weight 3, 2 people with weight 1. Total weight: 14. Each weight = ¥6,000. The "full menu" pays ¥18,000 each, the "starter only" pays ¥6,000 each. It checks out.
• Splitwise: accepted shares (3/3/3/3/1/1) in 4 taps.
• Tricount: accepted shares too, slightly slower UX.
• Sheets: trivial.

Conflict 3 — Teamlab tickets bought online by one person in US$. US$ 38 x 6 = US$ 228.

• Splitwise Pro: auto-converted. Marina paid via Wise, received from 5 people back home. Splitwise displayed in USD directly.
• Sheets: =GOOGLEFINANCE("CURRENCY:USDBRL", "price", DATE(2025,10,8)) pulled the day's rate. Matches to the cent.

Conflict 4 — Group purchase at Don Quijote, 3 people at the register, ¥48,000 paid on one card. Who bought what? Solution: after the register, the three met at the hotel, photographed the receipts, and the person who paid logged each item to its recipient.

• Splitwise: logged 3 separate expenses. Free tier would have throttled (3/day limit).
• Tricount: same thing, no limit.
• Sheets: row per item, great for future history.

Final reconciliation (10 days later, return flight):

• Splitwise Pro: generated the table of 5 minimum transfers. Time: 3 seconds.
• Tricount: generated 7 transfers (less optimized algorithm). Time: 3 seconds.
• Settle Up (parallel test via export): also 5 transfers, identical to Splitwise.
• Sheets: Marina ran a custom simplification formula, got 5 too, but it took her 20 minutes to build.

Verdict from the group of 6: Splitwise Pro won. Cost US$ 4 (Marina subscribed). Tricount came second, great free backup. Sheets was the "auditor" — everyone trusted more once they saw Splitwise matched the sheet.

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The golden rule: agree before the flight

No app saves a group that doesn't talk. Before the flight, hold a 30-minute call with the group and define:

1. Who's the treasurer. One person, not two. They are the one logging in the official app.
2. Which official app. Splitwise, Tricount or Sheets. Just one. No "oh, I use the other".
3. What goes into the split: hotel, group transport, restaurants with 4+. What doesn't go: personal souvenirs, solo taxis, individual health spend.
4. Closing currency. USD, EUR or other? Sets the app for conversion.
5. Who pays what preferentially: e.g. "X always pays the restaurant because they have a fee-free card" and the others reimburse. Reduces friction at the counter.
6. Settlement: how long after the trip. Default: up to 7 days after the return flight. After that, it becomes bad debt.

Put all of this in a doc, send it to the group, everyone gives an "ok". Done. The trip flows.

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Quick table — which app for which group

Scenario	Recommended app	Why
Group of 3-4 friends, 1 currency	Splitwise free	Clean UX, free tier solves it
Group of 3-4 friends, multi-currency, short trip	Tricount	Free with native multi-currency
Group of 5-7 friends, multi-currency, long trip	Splitwise Pro	US$ 4/month buys peace
Group of 8+ people, multiple creditors	Settle Up	Settlement algorithm is the best
Tech group, nerd treasurer, 30+ day trip	Google Sheets	No limit, full customization
Notion-addict group, trip with detailed itinerary	Notion + Sheets embed	Notion for everything else, Sheets for money
Couple traveling	Don't use an app	Direct transfer on the way back solves it

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Final checklist: build your flow in 5 minutes

• Decide the official app and create the group before the flight.
• Add everyone by email or link, confirm each one opened it.
• Set the main currency (USD if all American, EUR if all European).
• Document in the WhatsApp group: treasurer, app, what goes in, settlement deadline.
• On day one, log 2 fake expenses so everyone sees how it appears. Delete after.
• Agree on cadence: log expense the same day, don't accumulate.
• On the way back, 24h window to verify before settlement.
• Settlement via PIX (Brazilians), Zelle/Venmo (Americans), Wise (mixed) or Revolut (Europeans).

Group travel is cheaper, more fun and more memorable than solo travel. But only if the money is invisible during and transparent after. The right app is the tool. Pre-trip agreement is the method.