Splitwise taught a generation of friends to stop keeping mental tabs. It is still a good app. But its free plan has changed, and for friend groups in India a few things matter that it was never built around. Here is a straight comparison, including where Splitwise wins.
The free plan
Splitwise now limits how much you can add on the free plan. In its own reply to an App Store review, Splitwise says free accounts can add up to four new expenses per day, and the free app shows ads. On a trip, four entries is usually gone by lunch.
Settl has no daily limit and no ads. The core will stay free: it is open source, and the money it costs to run is small.
Paying back
In India, most paying back happens over UPI. Settl's Pay button opens your UPI app with your friend's UPI ID and the amount already filled in. On Android it opens the list of every UPI app on your phone; on iPhone you pick the app. Your friend confirms they received it, and the balance updates for both of you. Settl never holds the money.
Friends who are not on the app
You can add a friend by name and number and start splitting straight away. They can join later from a WhatsApp invite, and everything you split moves into their account.
Where Splitwise is stronger
- It has been around for over a decade, so your friends probably already have it.
- It has native apps and wide multi-currency support, which matters for international trips.
- Its paid plan includes receipt scanning. Settl's is on the roadmap, not shipped.
Where Settl is different
- One balance per friend across every group, with a plain-words breakdown of where it came from.
- A split graph that shows who owes whom in a group, and simplifies payments when you ask it to.
- Scrooge, a split assistant: type "dinner 2400 with Aarav and Meera, I paid" and confirm the draft. Ask "what did I spend last month?" and get an answer.
- It works offline and syncs when you are back online.
- It is open source, so you can read the code or run your own copy.
Moving over
Export a group or friend from Splitwise as a spreadsheet, open Settl, choose Import, and pick the file. Settl shows a preview before anything is saved, and balances come over exactly. Try it with one group first.
