Personal Finance · head to head
Splitwise vs Apple Pay
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Splitwise the free tier limits how many expenses can be added in a day and shows adverts; Apple Pay apple Pay works only in countries and regions that support contactless payments and is not available in all markets
- They diverge on capability: Splitwise covers Bill splitting, Apple Pay covers Digital wallet.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Splitwise and Apple Pay actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Personal Finance).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Splitwise
- Bill splitting
- Expense tracking
- Group management
- Settlement tracking
- Venmo
- PayPal
- Web support
- Android support
Only in Apple Pay
- Digital wallet
- Secure payments
- Contactless transactions
- P2P money transfers
- Credit cards
- Debit cards
- Bank accounts
- WatchOS support
Both cover
- IOS support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Splitwise
- Splitting shared household bills between flatmatesnot Apple Pay
- Tracking who owes what on a group tripnot Apple Pay
- Settling up across currencies on the Pro plannot Apple Pay
- Recording IOUs between friends over timenot Apple Pay
Apple Pay
- Contactless in store payment from iPhone and Apple Watchnot Splitwise
- Paying in apps and on the web without entering card detailsnot Splitwise
- Sending money between Apple users with Apple Cash and Tap to Cashnot Splitwise
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Splitwise
- The free tier limits how many expenses can be added in a day and shows adverts
- Transaction import works in the United States only
- Currency conversion, receipt scanning, charts and expense search are all Pro features
- The Pro price is not shown on the product page
Apple Pay
- Apple Pay works only in countries and regions that support contactless payments and is not available in all markets
- Apple Cash is available only in the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico
- Apple Cash Family accounts and Tap to Cash transactions are each capped at 2000 USD within a rolling seven day period
- Mac support requires a Touch ID equipped model
- A card works only if the issuing bank supports Apple Pay, and banks may charge their own overseas usage fees
Pricing, plan by plan
Splitwise
Free- FreeFree
- Bill splitting
- Group tracking
- Mobile app
- Splitwise Pro$4.99/month
- Receipt scanning
- Advanced analytics
- No ads
Apple Pay
Free- FreeFree
- Secure payments
- P2P transfers
- Transit passes
Which should you pick?
Choose Splitwise if
- You need bill splitting.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want expense tracking.
Choose Apple Pay if
- You need digital wallet.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on IOS, WatchOS, MacOS.
- You also want secure payments.
Questions people ask
- Is Splitwise or Apple Pay better?
- Neither clearly leads. Splitwise starts at Free and Apple Pay at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Splitwise or Apple Pay?
- Splitwise starts at Free and Apple Pay at Free.
- Does Splitwise or Apple Pay run on more platforms?
- Splitwise runs on Web, IOS, Android. Apple Pay runs on IOS, WatchOS, MacOS.
- Can I use Splitwise for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Splitwise best used for?
- Splitwise is most often used for splitting shared household bills between flatmates, tracking who owes what on a group trip, settling up across currencies on the pro plan, recording ious between friends over time. Of those, splitting shared household bills between flatmates and tracking who owes what on a group trip are not what Apple Pay is typically brought in for.
- What can Splitwise do that Apple Pay cannot?
- Splitwise covers Bill splitting, Expense tracking, Group management, Settlement tracking. Apple Pay covers Digital wallet, Secure payments, Contactless transactions, P2P money transfers. Both handle IOS support.