Comparison

Expense Split vs IOU

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Expense Split

Easily split shared expenses with friends, roommates, or travel companions. This tool automates calculations, handles custom splits, and provides clear balance breakdowns to simplify debt settlement without awkward conversations.

Highlights
  • Split bills in seconds
  • Customizable and smart splits
  • Intelligent expense suggestions
  • Organized group overviews
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Simplified debt settlement
  • Privacy-focused, no account needed
Features
Read full description

Welcome to Expense Split - Your Ultimate Bill Divvy Tool! Stop Awkward "Who Owes What?" Conversations Split bills fairly with friends, roommates, and travel buddies without the spreadsheets, math errors, or awkward money talks. SPLIT ANY BILL IN SECONDS - Add expenses with a few taps - Everyone pays their fair share automatically - Works for dinners, rent, trips, or any shared cost CUSTOM SPLITS WITH SMART LOCKS - Lock specific amounts while adjusting others - Perfect for unequal splits (ordered steak vs salad?) - No more "wait, change that back!" moments - Others auto-adjust to keep total at 100% INTELLIGENT & AUTOMATIC - AI suggests expense categories as you type (Supports iPhone 15 Pro and above) - Quick-add friends from your other groups - Remembers your preferences - No more repetitive data entry ORGANIZED GROUP OVERVIEW - See "3 people · 7 expenses" at a glance - Know what's in each group before opening - Track multiple groups effortlessly - Empty states guide you when starting out REAL-TIME COLLABORATION - Share groups with roommates via CloudKit - Everyone sees updates instantly - Set view-only or editing permissions - No more "did you add that expense?" texts SETTLE UP WITHOUT THE AWKWARDNESS - Crystal-clear balance breakdowns - Simplifies debts to fewest transactions - Export records as CSV for bookkeeping - Know exactly who owes whom PRIVACY FIRST - No account required—start immediately - Your data stays on your devices - Optional iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch - No ads, no tracking, no nonsense Perfect for: - Roommates splitting rent, utilities, groceries - Friends sharing dinner bills or concert tickets - Couples tracking joint expenses - Travel groups managing vacation costs - Families organizing shared purchases Premium Features Available: Unlock advanced features with one simple purchase-no confusing tiers or subscriptions. All features, one price, forever. Join thousands who've stopped arguing about money. Download ExpenseSplit and make bill splitting simple.

About

IOU

Effortlessly split bills with friends by scanning receipts. The app itemizes purchases, assigns them to individuals, and calculates each person's total including tip and tax. Avoid manual calculations and ensure fair payment among your group.

Highlights
  • Receipt scanning and itemization
  • Assign items to individuals
  • Automatic tax and tip calculation
  • Per-person total calculation
  • Eliminates manual bill splitting
Features
Read full description

IOU is the easiest way to scan receipts, itemize every purchase, and split group expenses accurately. Split what everyone actually ordered—no spreadsheets, no mental math, no awkward follow-ups. SCAN RECEIPTS. ASSIGN ITEMS. DONE. Take a photo of any receipt and IOU will automatically extract items, prices, and totals. Then tap through and assign each item to the right person. Perfect for dinners, trips, and shared purchases where everyone orders something different. ACCURATE SPLITS, EVEN INTERNATIONALLY Split expenses using items, equal splits, percentages, or exact amounts. IOU supports foreign currencies with real-world exchange accuracy using actual credit card charge rates. Region-aware calculations ensure tax and tip are handled correctly wherever you are. BUILT FOR GROUP EXPENSES Create groups for trips, dinners, roommates, and more. Customize groups with photos or curated artwork. Track all expenses in one place and view group insights and spending breakdowns. Settle up easily with Venmo & CashApp. POWERFUL RECEIPT FEATURES * Scan and automatically itemize receipts * Works with foreign receipts and translations * Assign items to individuals one by one * Upload and store receipts within groups * Share a clean breakdown with your group FLEXIBLE AND ORGANIZED * Import existing expenses from other apps * Export your data as CSV or PDF * Adjust settings based on your region * Customize the app with your preferred accent color WHY IOU MOST APPS SPLIT TOTALS. IOU SPLITS WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED. No more overpaying. No more chasing people. Just accurate, transparent group expenses. Terms of condition: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Expense Split4 screens
IOU4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: IOU at 60% against Expense Split's 33%. Expense Split's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and iOS requirement (16.6 vs 26.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Expense Split sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and IOU sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Expense Split holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 17 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 33% of Expense Split's written reviews are positive against 60% of IOU's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Expense Split ships an update every 2 weeks, IOU fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on July 30, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Expense Split versus IOU: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExpense SplitIOU
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (20 ratings) — better4.4 (17 ratings)
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews60.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings20 — better17
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Vision Pro
Requires iOS16.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperS Ravi ShankarEric Agredo

Customer experience

Expense Split

All ratings19 ratings
Positive89.5%
Neutral5.3%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

IOU

All ratings17 ratings
Positive76.5%
Neutral17.6%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral30.0%
Negative10.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Expense Split

One-time4
  • Share Settle Up PDF$0.99
  • Export CSV$1.99
  • All Pro Features$2.99
Show 1 more
  • All Premium Features$2.99
5 purchases

IOU

Subscriptions4
  • IOU Pro3 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • IOU Pro$2.991 Month
  • IOU Pro7 Days trial$6.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • IOU Pro7 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime IOU Pro$29.99

Questions

Is Expense Split free?
Expense Split is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is IOU free?
IOU is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Expense Split or IOU?
Expense Split is rated higher. Expense Split averages 4.7 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while IOU averages 4.4 from 17 ratings.
Do Expense Split or IOU have ads?
Neither Expense Split nor IOU shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Expense Split or IOU?
Expense Split ships an update every 2 weeks, and IOU fortnightly. Most recently, Expense Split was updated on July 30, 2026 and IOU on September 21, 2026.

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