Comparison

Settle Up vs Splitwave

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

Head to head
About

Settle Up

Easily track shared expenses and IOUs for groups like travelers, flatmates, or friends. Handles complex splits, multiple payers, incomes, and items from bills. Works offline and across platforms, minimizing transfers and offering real-time exchange rates.

Highlights
  • Track shared expenses
  • Manage IOUs
  • Handle complex splits
  • Multiple payers support
  • Offline functionality
  • Real-time exchange rates
  • Data export
Features
Read full description

Settle group expenses without the stress. Tired of messy IOUs, awkward money talks, and complex math after a trip or shared dinner? Settle Up is the smartest way to track shared expenses and manage "who owes whom" instantly. From simple bill splitting to complex multi-currency adventures, we handle the heavy lifting so you can focus on the fun. Perfect for travelers, roommates, couples, event organizers, and friends. Join over 2.5 million users who have simplified their shared finances! WHY SETTLE UP? – Split anything: Whether it’s an even split, unequal weights, or multiple people paying for one item, we handle every real-life scenario. – Smart settlements: Our unique algorithm calculates the fewest possible transfers to settle all debts, saving you time and transaction fees. – Works everywhere: Sync data across other platforms. No internet? No problem — it works offline and syncs when you’re back. – No app required: Share a group link so friends can view the balance in their browser without downloading anything. POWERFUL FEATURES FOR REAL LIFE – Global ready: Supports all currencies with real-time exchange rates for international travel. – Ultra-fast sharing: Invite friends via a simple link or a QR code. – Export & reports: Need a deep dive? Export your data to CSV for easy accounting. – Instant transparency: Get notified the second someone adds an expense or settles up. Settle Up will even remind group members automatically and nudge them to settle their debts. UPGRADE TO PREMIUM FOR THE FULL EXPERIENCE Unlock the tools designed for power users and frequent travelers: – Ad-free: Focus on your finances without distractions. – Receipt photos: Snap and store bills directly in the group. – Recurring & future expenses: Automate rent, subscriptions, and utility bills. – Custom categories: Organize your spending with colorful, personalized labels. – Export to Excel: Get a full expense report in a spreadsheet. – Statistics: View charts on spend by categories and members. Stop worrying about the math. Start enjoying the moment. Download Settle Up today and sail through your next group expense! Visit our Terms of Service and Privacy policy at: https://settleup.io/tos.html

About

Splitwave

Features
Read full description

Splitwave is a free expense-splitting app for groups and trips - no ads, no subscriptions, no third-party servers. Your data lives on your device and syncs privately through your own iCloud. SPLIT ANY BILL, ANY WAY • Equal, exact amounts, shares, or percentages • Multiple payers on a single expense • Split math is exact to the cent SCAN RECEIPTS Point your camera at a receipt, and Splitwave reads the line items. Assign each item to people, add tax and tip, and split the itemized bill fairly. (beta) SETTLE UP SMARTER Splitwave computes who owes whom and simplifies the debts down to the fewest possible payments. Hand off a payment with a single tap. TRAVEL-READY • Every expense can be in its own currency • Balances are tracked per currency • Live exchange rates convert totals for display, so you always know where you stand SHARE WITH YOUR GROUP Invite friends straight from iMessages. Everyone in a shared group sees the same expenses, gets notified of new activity, and can add their own. All synced through iCloud, private to your group. WORKS OFFLINE Splitwave is local-first: everything works with no connection. Add expenses on a plane or abroad; they sync when you're back online. MORE • Home-screen widget with your balances at a glance • Activity feed - a running log of every change • Spending analytics and per-group budgets • Sign in with Apple - no email signups, no passwords PRIVATE BY DESIGN No accounts on our servers, because there are no servers. No ads, no tracking, no analytics companies. Your expenses sync through your personal iCloud and are shared only with the people you invite. Built entirely on Apple technology, exclusively for iPhone. Splitwave is free, with everything included. Forever.

Screenshots

Settle Up4 screens
Splitwave4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Splitwave at none against Settle Up's 14. Splitwave also leads on ads (none vs shown). Settle Up's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks) and iOS requirement (17.4 vs 26.0). On price 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. Settle Up sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Splitwave asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Settle Up ships an update every 2 weeks, Splitwave every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Settle Up versus Splitwave: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSettle UpSplitwave
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.7K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews58.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.7K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.4 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size103 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStep Up Labs, Inc.Denis Poledna

Bugs and requests

Settle Up

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Expense details disappearing
  • Inability to create new groups
  • Keyboard issues on iOS 8
  • Incompatibility with iPad

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to assign fixed amounts to group members
  • Option to adjust expense shares (e.g. exclude certain items)
  • Support for paying groups (multi-family events)

Splitwave

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Settle Up

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium$3.991 Month
  • Yearly Premium7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time8
  • Group Premium for 1 week$5.99
  • Group Premium for 2 weeks$9.99
  • Group Premium for 2 months$14.99
Show 5 more
  • Group Premium for 1 month$14.99
  • Group Premium for 2 months$29.99
  • Group Premium5 variants$39.99
  • Group Premium for 1 year$39.99
  • Lifetime Group Premium$149.99
None

Splitwave

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Settle Up free?
Settle Up is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Splitwave free?
Splitwave is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Settle Up or Splitwave have ads?
Settle Up shows ads; Splitwave does not.
Which is updated more often, Settle Up or Splitwave?
Settle Up ships an update every 2 weeks, and Splitwave every 5 weeks. Most recently, Settle Up was updated on October 13, 2026 and Splitwave on October 11, 2026.

Other comparisons