The best USD-friendly expense splitter for groups in 2026
Last updated by The EvenRound team.
If your group is mostly American, you've heard of Splitwise. But the free tier is broken now. Here's what actually works.
Splitwise has been the default US group-expenses app for over a decade. In 2024 they dramatically restricted the free tier - capping it at 4 expenses per day, which is unusable for any real trip. The market opened up. Here's what's actually good for USD-denominated groups in 2026.
Why Splitwise's free tier broke the market
Pre-2024, Splitwise's free tier was generous: unlimited expenses, OCR scanning, debt simplification. In 2024 they introduced 'Splitwise Pro' at $4/mo and capped the free tier at 4 expenses per day. For a 4-person trip with 12-15 daily expenses, you hit the cap by lunchtime. Most groups either pay for Pro or migrate.
What USD groups actually need
Venmo integration (still the dominant US peer-to-peer rail), Zelle support if your bank has it, no surprise tax documents at year-end, and clarity on whether the app reports anything to the IRS (none of the standard apps do, but there's been speculation). USD groups don't need the multi-currency wizardry that EU travelers do - but they do need the app to handle a 6-person ski trip without paywalling.
The actual choices
EvenRound: EU-hosted but USD-default works fine, free forever, integrates Venmo links. Splitwise: still the most polished native iOS app, $4/mo for the unlocked version. Settle Up: ad-supported free tier, simple, signup required. Splid: Germany-built but used heavily in the US; free, simple, lacks recurring. Spreadsheets: yes, this is still common.
Venmo as a settlement rail
Venmo is still the dominant US settlement rail despite many issues (US-only, social by default, limited to small amounts without bank verification). Most USD-denominated apps deep-link to Venmo for the actual money transfer. Zelle is faster (instant, bank-to-bank) but requires both parties to have it set up. PayPal Friends & Family works as a fallback.
What about taxes?
P2P payment apps have been the subject of confusing IRS rules around the 1099-K threshold for transactions. As of 2026, the threshold is $5,000 for personal Venmo transactions before a 1099-K is issued. Group expense splitting (where you're not really 'earning' anything, just rebalancing) is genuinely below this threshold for most groups. Don't worry about it for normal use.
For USD groups, the choice is essentially Splitwise (paid, polished native app) vs EvenRound (free, more features, web-first). Both work. Pick based on whether you'd rather pay for the iOS app or skip the cost and use a PWA.