Comparison

Splitwise vs YNAB

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

Head to head
About

Splitwise

Easily track shared expenses with friends and family, eliminating the stress of who owes whom. Organize group bills for households, trips, and more with a simple, intuitive interface. Supports multiple currencies and payment integrations.

Highlights
  • Create groups or private friendships
  • Add expenses in any currency
  • Simplify debts into repayment plans
  • Split expenses equally or unequally
  • Record cash payments or use integrations
  • Recurring bills
  • Export to CSV
Features
Read full description

Splitwise is the easiest way to share expenses with friends and family and stop stressing about “who owes who”. Millions of people around the world use Splitwise to organize group bills for households, trips, and more. Our mission is to reduce the stress and awkwardness that money places on our most important relationships. Splitwise is great for: - Roommates splitting rent and apartment bills - Group trips around the world - Splitting a vacation house for skiing or at the beach - Weddings and bachelor/bachelorette parties - Couples sharing relationship costs - Friends and co-workers who go out to lunch or dinner together frequently - Loans and IOUS between friends - And so much more Splitwise is simple to use: - Create groups or private friendships for any splitting situation - Add expenses, IOUs, or informal debts in any currency, with support for offline entry - Expenses are backed up online so everyone can log in, view their balances, and add expenses - Keep track of who should pay next, or settle up by recording cash payments or using our integrations We also have powerful features that can handle almost any money sharing situation. Here are some of our industry-leading features: - Multi-platform support for smartphones and web - Simplify debts into the easiest repayment plan - Expense categorization - Calculate group totals - Export to CSV - Comment directly on expenses - Split expenses equally or unequally by percentages, shares, or exact amounts - Add informal debts and IOUs - Create bills that reccur monthly, weekly, yearly, fortnightly - Add multiple payers on a single expense - See total balances with a person across multiple groups and private expenses - Custom user avatars - Cover photos for groups - Activity feed and push notifications help you stay on top of changes - View your edit history for changes to an expense - Any deleted group or bill can be restored easily - World-class customer support - Pay back using our integrated payments: Venmo and PayPal (US only), Paytm (India only) - 100+ currencies and growing - 7+ supported languages Endorsements: “Makes it easy to split everything from your dinner bill to rent.” - NY Times "Fundamental for tracking finances. As good as WhatsApp for containing awkwardness." – The Financial Times “I never fight with roommates over bills because of this genius expense-splitting app”- Business Insider “The Single Best App You Can Download for Group Trips of Any Kind” - Thrillist “Life Changing! I don’t review many things, but this app has seriously improved my quality of life. It has saved my sanity when it comes to splitting utilities, mortgage, groceries, dog expenses...the list goes on. No more saving receipts, making spreadsheets, and manually calculating each month. So handy for group trips/weekends, too! THANK YOU!!” – Courtney via the App Store We offer in-app purchases for “Splitwise Pro”, the benefits of which are described below. The subscription amount will be charged to your App Store account and will vary by plan and country. You’ll see the total price before completing your first payment. If you don’t choose to purchase “Splitwise Pro”, you can continue using Splitwise for free. Premium Subscription Service “Splitwise Pro”: 1. Store high-resolution receipts in the cloud (10GB cloud storage) 2. OCR integration for scanning and itemizing receipts 3. Backups to JSON, downloadable from our website 4. Convert expenses to different currencies using our Open Exchange Rates integration 5. Access to “spending by category” budgeting tools and other charts 6. Search full expense history “Splitwise Pro” subscriptions purchased in-app renew monthly or yearly depending on your plan. Plan pricing may vary by country. To avoid renewal, you must turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before your subscription ends. You can turn off auto-renew at any time by visiting the App Store. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy: https://www.splitwise.com/terms

About

YNAB

This app helps users gain control of their finances by creating flexible spending plans, tracking expenses, and managing debt. It aims to reduce financial stress and empower users to reach their goals. Features include account linking, manual transaction entry, and collaborative planning for multiple users.

Highlights
  • Create and share unlimited spending plans
  • Automatically import transactions
  • Manually add transactions
  • Loan Planner for debt paydown
  • Visualize progress towards goals
  • Real-time updates for shared plans
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Have you ever worried about money? You are not alone. Download YNAB, get good at money, and never worry about money again. “We started YNAB January 1st with $37 saved and ended the year with $42,000. Plus we paid $14,000 cash for a new roof.” -Kyle, YNAB user since 2020 Start your free one-month trial and stop feeling like you’re bad at money. “YNAB has removed the stress of money from my life and in doing so has helped make me a better husband. It's like I got to remove a personal flaw I had never been able to fix." -Kyle, again. We didn’t even pay him to say this, but maybe we should. Why YNAB? -92% of YNAB users report feeling less stressed about money since starting. -The average user saves $600 in the first month, and $6,000 in the first year. “A year of YNAB costs less than a massage and is a heck of a lot better for reducing stress.” -Kat, YNAB user since 2016 Benefits and Features STOP ARGUING ABOUT MONEY …and start planning your life, together -Create and share unlimited plans with up to six people with one subscription -Real time updates between devices make it easy to keep everyone informed -Cheaper than couples counseling STOP DROWNING IN DEBT …and start seeing progress with your paydown -Make a plan to pay down debt by calculating time and interest saved with the Loan Planner -Avoid new credit card debt with YNAB’s clever built-in spending categorization feature -Enjoy the benefits of a debt-paying community and resources STOP FEELING DISORGANIZED …and start feeling totally in control -Securely link financial accounts to automatically import transactions -Easily add transactions manually, if you prefer -Ask Siri to update your plan or provide expense category balances on the go START REACHING MORE GOALS …and stop thinking your future is limited -Keep your priorities and goals in focus -Visualize progress as you go -Watch your net worth climb START SPENDING CONFIDENTLY …and stop feeling guilt, doubt, and regret -Calculate your “Cost to Be Me” -Make a flexible, proactive spending plan -Always know how much you have to spend START FEELING SUPPORTED …and stop feeling like you’re alone in this -Talk to our “freakishly nice” award-winning support team (don’t tell them we called them freakish) -Become part of our community of genuine, amazingly supportive people who get it -Attend one of our live events to learn, share, play, and even get tattooed with like-minded getting-good-at-money people. (Seriously.) The first step of never worrying about money again is starting a free one-month trial. Are you ready to get good at money? (You seem ready! And we already really like you, so please join us.) Free for 30 Days, then Monthly/Annual Subscriptions Available Subscription Details -YNAB is a one-year auto-renewable subscription, billed monthly or annually. -Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. -Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. -Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. -Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. -Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. You Need A Budget UK Limited is acting as an agent of TrueLayer, who is providing the regulated Account Information Service, and is authorized by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011 (Firm Reference Number: 901096) Terms of Use: https://www.ynab.com/terms/?isolated Privacy Policy: https://www.ynab.com/privacy-policy/?isolated California Privacy Policy: https://www.ynab.com/privacy-policy/california-privacy-disclosure?isolated

Screenshots

Splitwise4 screens
YNAB4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: YNAB at 4.8 against Splitwise's 4.0. YNAB also leads on chart position (#3 vs #30). Splitwise's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Splitwise sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and YNAB sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

YNAB holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 28K and 62K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of Splitwise's written reviews are positive against 51% of YNAB's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. Both last shipped on October 1, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Splitwise versus YNAB: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSplitwiseYNAB
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (28K ratings)4.8 (62K ratings) — better
Positive reviews44.4% of reviews50.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings28K62K — better
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
Best chart rank#30#3 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size67 MB155 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSplitwise, Inc.You Need A Budget LLC

Customer experience

Splitwise

All ratings28,064 ratings
Positive73.6%
Neutral2.2%
Negative24.2%
Written reviews2,277 reviews
Positive44.4%
Neutral6.5%
Negative49.1%

YNAB

All ratings61,686 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral1.4%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews1,626 reviews
Positive50.9%
Neutral9.5%
Negative39.7%

User reviews

Splitwise

From 28K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Simplifies splitting expenses
  • 👍 Easy to use and intuitive
  • 💡 Helpful for group trips and shared living
  • 🚀 Convenient payment integration
  • 🚀 Supports multiple currencies

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Confusing settle up process
  • 🐛 Inaccurate receipt scanning
  • 💰 Subscription model too expensive
  • 🐛 Glitches when switching between apps
  • 🐛 Inconsistent user experience

YNAB

From 62K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💰 Helps save money
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 🚀 Efficient budgeting system
  • 🤝 Helpful for couples/families
  • 🧠 Changes financial mindset

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Steep learning curve
  • 🔌 Connectivity issues with some banks
  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🕰️ Reconciliation process could be improved
  • 📱 Mobile app lacks some features of web version

Bugs and requests

Splitwise

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Payments not properly credited
  • Expense entries disappearing
  • Incorrect balance calculations
  • Venmo integration issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Custom recurring expense options
  • Ability to set default split percentages
  • Better group management tools
  • Improved currency conversion and tracking
  • Integration with more payment services

YNAB

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Frequent disconnections from bank accounts
  • Syncing issues between mobile and web versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Fortnightly budgeting options
  • Improved reporting and analytics
  • Ability to upload files/documents
  • Undo/redo functionality
  • Biometric login for mobile app

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Splitwise

Subscriptions10
  • Splitwise Pro7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Splitwise Pro3 variants$2.991 Month
  • Splitwise Pro1 Month trial$2.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Splitwise Pro$3.991 Month
  • Splitwise Pro4 variants$4.991 Month
  • Splitwise Pro1 Month trial$29.991 Year
  • Splitwise Pro2 variants$29.991 Year
  • Splitwise Pro3 variants$39.991 Year
  • Splitwise Pro1 Year trial$39.991 Year
  • Splitwise Pro7 Days trial$59.991 Year
4 purchases

YNAB

Subscriptions4
  • YNAB Subscription1 Month trial$14.991 Month
  • YNAB Subscription$14.991 Month
  • YNAB Subscription1 Month trial$109.001 Year
Show 1 more
  • YNAB Subscription$109.001 Year

Questions

Is Splitwise free?
Splitwise is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is YNAB free?
YNAB is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Splitwise or YNAB?
YNAB is rated higher. Splitwise averages 4.0 out of 5 from 28K ratings, while YNAB averages 4.8 from 62K ratings.
Do Splitwise or YNAB have ads?
Neither Splitwise nor YNAB shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Splitwise or YNAB?
Splitwise ships an update weekly, and YNAB weekly. Most recently, Splitwise was updated on October 1, 2026 and YNAB on October 1, 2026.
Which is more popular, Splitwise or YNAB?
Splitwise currently peaks at #30 in the App Store charts, and YNAB at #3. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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