A free Splitwise alternative that needs no account
Splitwise is a good, mature app with accounts, syncing and history across many groups. If that is what you need, use it. If you just want to settle one trip or one dinner without signing anyone up, this page is the lighter option.
Short answer
Who Owes Who is a free, no-signup web calculator for splitting group expenses; it's a lighter alternative to account-based apps like Splitwise for one-off groups, but it doesn't keep a permanent multi-device history the way a dedicated app does.
People
Expenses
Balances
- Alex$375.00
- Sarah$15.00
- Mike$165.00
- Emma$195.00
+ gets money back · − owes money
💸 Settle up
Only 3 payments needed.
- EmmaAlex$195.00
- MikeAlex$165.00
- SarahAlex$15.00
Who paid what
- Alex$600.00
- Sarah$180.00
- Mike$60.00
Saved on this device. No account needed.
How it works
- 1Open the page — there is no download and no signup step.
- 2Add people, add expenses, choose how each one splits.
- 3Read the settle-up list and share it as an image in the group chat.
- 4Your data stays in your browser rather than in an account.
Splitwise and similar apps are built around accounts: you sign up, add friends, and your groups and balances persist across devices and over months or years. That's genuinely useful for people who split money with the same set of friends or partner continuously.
Not everyone needs that. A one-off group — a wedding weekend, a work trip, a single house party — doesn't benefit from a permanent account, and asking eight people to download an app and sign up just to settle one bill is real friction. Who Owes Who works entirely in the browser: open it, add names, log expenses, get a settlement, done.
The trade-off is honest: no account means no cross-device sync and no long-term history unless you save the result yourself. Choose based on whether the group is recurring or one-off, not on which tool is objectively 'better'.
Worked examples with real numbers
One-off group: a shared house for a wedding weekend
Eight guests rent a house together for a wedding, splitting the rental, food and a taxi. Nobody in the group has used either app before.
| Costs | Amount |
|---|---|
| House rental | 960.00 |
| Food shop | 240.00 |
| Taxis | 160.00 |
| Total | 1,360.00 |
| Person | Paid | Fair share | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payer A (rental) | 960.00 | 170.00 | +790.00 |
| Payer B (food) | 240.00 | 170.00 | +70.00 |
| Payer C (taxis) | 160.00 | 170.00 | −10.00 |
| Five others (combined) | 0.00 | 850.00 | −850.00 |
- Five others (combined)Payer A (rental)790.00
- Five others (combined)Payer B (food)60.00
- Payer C (taxis)Payer B (food)10.00
With a total of 1360 across eight people, each share is 170. Getting eight wedding guests to download and sign up for an app just for this weekend is more friction than the problem deserves — a shared link to a browser calculator settles it in a couple of minutes.
Recurring group: a long-term flat share
Three flatmates who've lived together for two years split rent, bills and groceries every single month, and want a history they can look back on across the whole tenancy.
| Why this case suits an account-based app | Amount |
|---|---|
| Months of history needed | 24.00 |
| Devices used across the group | 3.00 |
| Total | 27.00 |
For this kind of ongoing, multi-year group, an app with accounts and sync is the better fit — the value comes from persistence across many months, which a no-account browser tool isn't designed to provide.
Who Owes Who vs typical Splitwise-style apps
| Feature | Who Owes Who | Splitwise-style apps |
|---|---|---|
| Signup required | No | Yes, to save groups and sync |
| Cost | Free, no paid tier | Free tier available; paid tiers exist for extra features (limits and pricing change over time) |
| App download | Not needed — runs in the browser | Usually a mobile app, sometimes also web |
| Group size limit | No fixed limit | Free tier may cap group size or feature set — check current terms |
| Works offline / no account | Yes, entirely local to your browser session | Generally requires an account and internet sync |
| Data storage | Stays in your browser unless you export it | Stored on the provider's servers under your account |
| Ads / upsells | None | Free tiers on many apps include ads or prompts to upgrade |
| Best for | One-off groups, trips, single events | Recurring groups wanting long-term history and sync |
Feature details on third-party apps can change; check their current pricing and terms before assuming any specific limit.
Mistakes that cause arguments
Choosing based on brand recognition rather than group type
A well-known app isn't automatically the right tool — a one-off group with no interest in creating accounts is better served by a no-signup calculator, whatever its market share.
Assuming a free web tool means no history at all
You can screenshot or export a settlement result the moment it's calculated — the absence of an account doesn't mean the answer disappears, just that it isn't kept for you automatically.
Forcing a recurring group onto a one-off tool
If the same group will be splitting money every month for years, the lack of persistent sync in a no-account tool will become a real annoyance — pick the account-based option instead.
Practical tips
- For a single trip or event, share a link to the calculator rather than asking everyone to install something.
- Screenshot the settlement summary before closing the tab if you might need it later — nothing is saved automatically without an account.
- For ongoing groups, it's fine to use a no-account tool for occasional one-off costs even if you also use an account-based app for the recurring ones.
- Don't assume any competitor's specific price or limit without checking their current site — free tiers and pricing change over time.
Questions
- Is Who Owes Who really free?
- Yes. No account, no paid tier, no ads to click through before you get your answer.
- Does everyone in the group need it?
- No. One person runs the calculation and shares an image of the result.
- Where is my data stored?
- In your own browser. Nothing is uploaded, which also means clearing your browser data clears the group.
- Can it do unequal splits like Splitwise?
- Yes — equal, exact amounts and percentages per expense, with per-expense participant lists.