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Personal Finance · head to head

Splitwise vs Venmo

Splitwise logo

Splitwise

Personal Finance

Split expenses easily with friends

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Venmo logo

Venmo

Personal Finance

Money transfer and social payments

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Venmo instant transfer costs 1.75 percent with a minimum fee of 0.25 USD and a maximum of 25 USD, while the free standard transfer takes 1 to 3 business days
  • They diverge on capability: Splitwise covers Expense tracking, Venmo covers Money transfers.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Splitwise and Venmo actually diverge.

Attributes where Splitwise and Venmo differ
AttributeSplitwiseVenmo
Pricing modelfreemiumfree
Founded20112009

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, IOS, Android), 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

  • Expense tracking
  • Group management
  • Settlement tracking
  • Venmo
  • PayPal

Only in Venmo

  • Money transfers
  • Social feed
  • Transaction history
  • Bank accounts
  • Debit cards

Both cover

  • Bill splitting
  • Web support
  • IOS support
  • Android support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Splitwise

  • Splitting shared household bills between flatmatesnot Venmo
  • Tracking who owes what on a group tripnot Venmo
  • Settling up across currencies on the Pro plannot Venmo
  • Recording IOUs between friends over timenot Venmo

Venmo

  • Splitting bills and reimbursing friends in the United Statesnot Splitwise
  • Accepting payments through a Venmo business profilenot Splitwise
  • Buying and holding cryptocurrency inside the payments appnot 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

Venmo

  • Instant transfer costs 1.75 percent with a minimum fee of 0.25 USD and a maximum of 25 USD, while the free standard transfer takes 1 to 3 business days
  • Sending money funded by a credit card carries a 3.00 percent fee
  • Cryptocurrency fees are tiered by trade size, from 2.20 percent on purchases of 1.00 to 74.99 USD down to 1.50 percent above 1,000 USD
  • Business profile payments cost 1.9 percent plus 0.10 USD, and Tap to Pay costs 2.29 percent plus 0.09 USD

Pricing, plan by plan

Splitwise

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Bill splitting
    • Group tracking
    • Mobile app
  • Splitwise Pro$4.99/month
    • Receipt scanning
    • Advanced analytics
    • No ads

Venmo

Free
  • FreeFree
    • P2P transfers
    • Bill splitting
    • Mobile app

Which should you pick?

Choose Splitwise if

  • You need expense tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want group management.
Splitwise review

Choose Venmo if

  • You need money transfers.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want social feed.
Venmo review

Questions people ask

Is Splitwise or Venmo better?
Neither clearly leads. Splitwise starts at Free and Venmo at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Splitwise or Venmo?
Splitwise starts at Free and Venmo at Free.
Does Splitwise or Venmo run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, IOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
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 Venmo is typically brought in for.
What can Splitwise do that Venmo cannot?
Splitwise covers Expense tracking, Group management, Settlement tracking, Venmo. Venmo covers Money transfers, Social feed, Transaction history, Bank accounts. Both handle Bill splitting, Web support, IOS support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Splitwise: Is there a free version of Splitwise?

Yes, Splitwise offers a free version available for iPhone, Android, and web with core features including adding groups and friends, splitting expenses, recording debts, equal or unequal splits, offline mode, and cloud sync.

Source
Venmo: Is there a monthly fee for the Venmo Debit Card?

No, the Venmo Debit Card has no monthly fee or minimum balance requirement.

Source
Splitwise: What is Splitwise PRO and how much does it cost?

Splitwise PRO is an upgrade offering receipt scanning, charts and graphs, currency conversion, and additional features. The specific price is not published on the main website; users must visit the subscription page or access the app to view pricing details.

Source
Venmo: Is there an annual fee for the Venmo Credit Card?

No, the Venmo Credit Card has no annual fee.

Source
Venmo: Are there fees when buying or selling cryptocurrency on Venmo?

Yes, when buying or selling crypto on Venmo, the company discloses an exchange rate and fees for each transaction. For non-stablecoin currencies, the exchange rate includes a spread that Venmo earns on each purchase and sale.

Source
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