Splitwise Alternative Without the 3-Transaction Daily Limit and Ad Torture
Splitwise, the dominant group expense splitting app, has aggressively paywalled its free tier in 2025-2026. Free users are limited to 3 transactions per day with a 10-second ad countdown per expense entry. Users report expenses disappearing, balances not adding up, and the app requiring verified contact info for every person in a group. Long-time users describe the changes as making the app frustrating to use and pushing too hard toward the $7/month Pro plan.
Splitwise's moat is network effects, not features. The expense-splitting algorithm is trivial. The hard part is getting both sides of every group to install your app. Target the person who manages the group (the 'expense parent') with a generous free tier and easy invite flow. If the expense parent switches, the whole group follows.
landscape (4 existing solutions)
Splitwise has a stranglehold on group expense splitting but is actively alienating its free user base with aggressive monetization. Splid and Tricount are functional alternatives but lack the network effects and integrations. The opportunity is a generous free tier with unlimited transactions that captures the exodus of frustrated Splitwise users.