Many couples start with Splitwise or Tricount because they already used them on trips with friends. They are good apps, but they answer another question: who owes whom how much. Day to day in a household the question is usually different: will we make it to the end of the month with everything we have to pay?
What each one does
| Splitwise | Tricount | Xpenses | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The question it answers | Who owes whom | Who owes whom | What you will have left at the end of the month |
| Made for | Shared flats, trips, groups | Trips, groups, household costs | A household's monthly budget |
| Fixed bills (rent, utilities, insurance) | Entered as expenses to split | Entered as expenses to split | Entered once with their due day; a reminder when due, paid in one tap |
| Balance forecast | No | No | Yes: per account, at month end and day by day |
| Price | Free with a daily expense limit and ads; Pro without limits or ads | Free, no ads or limits (from the bank bunq, which offers to connect its card) | Free with one account; sharing with your partner on Pro: $4.99/month for both |
Where they fall short for a couple
- They look backwards: they record what was paid so you can settle up. They do not tell you that the joint account goes negative on the 25th.
- Fixed bills are repeat work: rent and utilities have to be entered or scheduled to be split; the app is about splitting them, not about when each one is due.
- The bottom line is a debt, not a plan: "Ana owes Luis 84" says nothing about how much you can save this month.
Where they beat Xpenses
To split a trip, a dinner or a student flat and know to the cent who owes whom, Splitwise and Tricount are the right tool. Xpenses does not calculate debts between people. Many couples use both: Tricount for trips, Xpenses for the household.
How a couple runs it in Xpenses
- A shared wallet: invite your partner by e-mail and each of you signs in with your own account.
- The joint account and your own accounts in one place, and a monthly transfer from each of you into the joint one, planned like any other bill.
- The same bills for both, with a reminder on the due day and a history of who marked each payment.
- A savings account kept out of the total, so the holiday money does not look available.
- One subscription for both of you.
If you still have to decide how to split, the best way to manage money as a couple compares half and half with splitting by income. You can try Xpenses without signing up, with a couple's sample data.
Sources
Splitwise: free plan limits and ads per Splitwise Pro ("No limits and no ads", unlimited expenses each day). Tricount: "Free. No ads. No limits" and the bunq card connection per tricount.com. Both checked on 3 November 2026. Check current terms on their websites.