BananaTab7 Splitwise alternatives, by situation (2026).
Splitwise alternatives fall into two groups. Ledger apps like Settle Up and Tricount track balances between the same people over months. One-off tools settle a single tab now: BananaTab does that by text, working out each share and sending the Venmo requests, and the people paying install nothing.
The one-off tab, in texts
One tab, settled once.
Three steps
Open a tab
Say what it's for and who's in.
Add as you go
The Airbnb, the groceries, the gas.
Settle once
The requests go out and the tab closes.
Pick by the situation
| Your situation | What fits |
|---|---|
| Costs that repeat, same people | A ledger app |
| One bill you want back tonight | BananaTab |
| A trip, settled at the end | BananaTab, or a trip app |
| Two people, one number | A Venmo request you send |
| Control every cell yourself | A spreadsheet |
The seven, one at a time
1. Splitwise, staying put
A shared ledger. Right for costs that repeat monthly.
2. Settle Up
A group expense app: add what each person paid, settle later.
3. Tricount
The same shape of ledger, presented around trips.
4. BananaTab
A phone number. Text the bill, say yes, the requests go out.
5. Venmo requests by hand
Fastest for one round number. Slow once the bill has items.
6. A shared spreadsheet
Free and flexible. It records, it never collects.
7. The group chat and a calculator
What most groups actually do. Everyone sees everyone's number.
Where BananaTab is the wrong answer
A recurring household ledger. Rent between roommates carries forward, and that is a ledger's job.
Other products are described here only as what they publicly are. Check each one's own site for current features and pricing.
Related: vs Splitwise · restaurant bills
Questions people ask
What is the best Splitwise alternative?
It depends on whether your costs repeat. For months of shared costs with the same people, you want a ledger — Splitwise itself, or another group expense app like Settle Up or Tricount. For one bill you fronted and want paid back now, you want something that sends the requests: BananaTab does that by text, and your friends install nothing.
Why do people look for alternatives to Splitwise?
Three reasons come up again and again: the people in the group have to install an app and make an account before anything works; a balance can sit there for months because recording what is owed is not the same as being paid; and a ledger is more machinery than a single dinner needs.
Are there apps like Splitwise that don't need everyone to sign up?
BananaTab works that way. You text it, and each person gets a text with a receipt link and a Venmo request for their amount. They need Venmo to pay and nothing else — no download, no account, no group to join. Each person sees only their own amount.
Can BananaTab replace Splitwise for roommates?
No, and we would rather say so. Rent, utilities and a year of groceries are a running ledger with balances that carry forward, which is exactly what Splitwise is built for. BananaTab is for a tab you open, settle and close: a dinner, a trip, a group gift. Plenty of people use both, and that's the sane outcome. The longer version of that verdict →
What are Settle Up and Tricount?
Both are group expense apps in the same family as Splitwise: you make a group, add what each person paid, and the app tracks who owes whom until the group settles. Tricount is one people often reach for on trips. If what you liked about Splitwise was the ledger and what you didn't was Splitwise specifically, those are the same shape of tool. Check each product's own site for current features and pricing.
Is a spreadsheet still a reasonable alternative?
For a small group that likes control, yes. It costs nothing and does anything you can type. What it does not do is send the money requests, chase anyone, or stop you reconstructing four days of receipts from memory on the drive home.
What about just sending Venmo requests by hand?
It works, and for two people it is usually the fastest thing. It stops being fast when there are six people, a shared appetizer and a tip to spread, because you are doing the itemising, the arithmetic and the typing yourself, per person. That comparison in full →
How does BananaTab work if there is no app?
It is a phone number. You text it what happened — a photo of the receipt, or a sentence — and it texts back each person's share with tax and tip spread in proportion to what they ordered. You say yes, and each person gets a receipt link and a Venmo request. Nothing is ever sent without your yes, reminders included, and reminders stop after three per person. How splitting works →
Does it work for a whole trip, not just one dinner?
Yes. Open one tab for the weekend, add the Airbnb, the groceries and the gas as they happen, and settle it once at the end with a single set of requests. That is the case a one-off tab is best at. Splitting trip expenses →
What does BananaTab cost?
Splitting is free. Standard message and data rates from your carrier may apply. Reply STOP at any time to stop receiving texts.
More in the FAQ, or see how BananaTab works.
Try the one that needs no app.
Text the bill. Say yes. Watch the money come in.