Comparison

PayWho vs IOU

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

Head to head
About

PayWho

Features
Read full description

PayWho — Quick Bill Splitting for Groups Going out with friends? Someone paid for dinner, someone else grabbed the cake, and not everyone shared every item. PayWho handles exactly this — no spreadsheet needed. HOW IT WORKS Just 3 steps: 1. Add your group — enter everyone's names 2. Add the bills — set the amount, who paid, and who's splitting it 3. Hit Split Bill — PayWho calculates exactly who owes who, and how much PayWho consolidates all the individual bills into the simplest possible set of transactions. Instead of a web of payments between everyone, you get a clean list: "Ben pays Alice $46.67, Claire pays Alice $30.00" — done. PERFECT FOR - Birthday dinners & parties - Group holidays & trips - Gatherings where different people paid for different things - Any situation where you just want to settle up fast WHY PAYWHO No login required — open and go No in-app purchases — completely free Works offline — no internet needed Handles multiple bills with different payers and different participants Clears up in seconds — made for settling up on the spot The name? A nod to PayLah and PayNow — because after PayWho tells you the breakdown, you know exactly who to pay.

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

PayWho4 screens
IOU4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PayWho at none against IOU's 5. PayWho also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. IOU sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. PayWho asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PayWho ships an update every 2 weeks, IOU fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
PayWho versus IOU: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPayWhoIOU
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.4 (17 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—60.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—17 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Vision Pro
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size74 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCHIAM JACK KENEric Agredo

In-app purchases

None

PayWho

No in-app purchases

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 PayWho free?
PayWho is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is IOU free?
IOU is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PayWho or IOU have ads?
Neither PayWho nor IOU shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PayWho or IOU?
PayWho ships an update every 2 weeks, and IOU fortnightly. Most recently, PayWho was updated on October 15, 2026 and IOU on October 11, 2026.

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