Guide
How to split money with friends, and what a split money app really does
Splitting money with friends is two separate jobs: working out who owes whom, and sending the money. Some apps only record, some only pay. kisir is the first kind: it records and works out the sums, and does not move money. You pay however you normally pay.
People search for a “split money app” or a “money sharing app” and mean one of two things. Either they want to send a friend their half right now, or they want to know what the half is after a week of everyone paying for different things. These are different problems, and they call for different tools.
Two jobs: working it out, and paying
| Working out who owes whom | Sending the money | |
|---|---|---|
| The question | “After all this, what do I owe, and to whom?” | “How do I get this amount to Maya?” |
| The tool | An expense-splitting app, a calculator or a spreadsheet | Your bank app, a payment app, or cash |
| Holds your money? | No | Yes, or moves it |
| What it needs from you | Who paid, how much, who it was for | Their account or number |
Most arguments about shared money come from the first column. Nobody disagrees about how to send $23.66. They disagree about whether it should be $23.66.
If you only need to pay someone back
One person paid and you owe a clear amount, so you do not need a splitting app. Divide the bill, open your bank or payment app, and send it. Payment apps differ by country, so use whichever you and your friend already have. There is more on this case in what to do when one person paid for everyone.
If several people paid for several things
This is where people end up sending many small amounts back and forth. Do this instead:
- List every expense with who paid and who it was for.
- Divide each one between only the people it was for, in cents.
- Work out each balance: what the person paid minus the sum of their shares.
- Settle the balances, not the individual expenses.
The sums take a minute, and the method works the same with paper, a spreadsheet or an app.
A worked example
Maya, Tom and Priya go to a concert together. Each pays for something, and everything is split between all three.
| Expense | Paid by | Amount | Shares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dinner | Maya | $100.00 | Maya $33.34, Tom $33.33, Priya $33.33 |
| Taxi | Tom | $45.00 | $15.00 each |
| Tickets | Priya | $84.00 | $28.00 each |
| Total | $229.00 |
The dinner doesn’t divide evenly, so the extra cent goes to Maya, by agreement. Now the balances:
| Person | Paid | Share | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maya | $100.00 | $76.34 | +$23.66 |
| Tom | $45.00 | $76.33 | −$31.33 |
| Priya | $84.00 | $76.33 | +$7.67 |
The shares add up to $229.00 and the balances add up to zero, so the list is right. Paying back each expense separately would take six payments. Settling the balances takes two:
How the evening ends
Tom opens whatever he normally pays with and sends those two amounts. That is the whole of the second job. More on why this works is in settling up with the fewest transfers.
What to look for in an app that tracks shared money
- Everyone can join quickly. A list only works if the group uses it. Joining by link or code beats asking people to register.
- Splits that match real life. Only the people it was for, by shares or by exact amounts, not always equally.
- Several payers and several currencies, if you travel.
- A clear record of payments, so nobody gets asked for the same money twice.
If you want to compare specific apps, our best apps to split expenses page covers six of them, and says what each one does on its own pages.
What kisir does, and doesn’t
kisir does the first job only. It is free with no ads and no sign-up: people pick a name and join by link, QR code or six-character code. Each expense can be in any currency, it works offline, and it shows the fewest payments that settle the group, on iPhone and Android, in 20 languages.
It does not move money, hold money, send payment requests or connect to a bank or card. When you pay a friend, you do it outside the app and then record it, so everyone can see the debt is gone. If you were looking for an app that sends money, kisir is not that, and your bank or a payment app is the right tool. The two work well together: one tells you the amount, and the other sends it.
Without any app
For a single dinner or a short list, the bill split calculator gives you the same answer with nothing to install. It is also a quick way to check a result if anyone doubts it.
Short answers
Does kisir send or hold money?
No. kisir records who paid and works out who owes whom. It never touches money and does not connect to banks or cards. You pay in cash or through your own bank or payment app, then record the payment in kisir.
What is the best app to split money with friends?
It depends on the job. If one person is paying another back once, your bank or payment app is enough. If several people paid for several things, use an expense-splitting app to get the amounts, then pay. Our comparison of best apps covers six of them.
Can I split money without an app?
Yes. For one bill, divide it and send the amounts. For a few bills, list who paid and who each bill was for, work out balances, and settle those. A calculator or a spreadsheet handles this fine.
How do I split an amount that doesn't divide evenly?
Work in cents and give the leftover cents to named people. $100.00 between three people is $33.34, $33.33 and $33.33, which adds back to exactly $100.00.
Know the amounts before you send anything
kisir is free on iPhone and Android, with no ads and no sign-up. It records who paid and shows the fewest payments that settle the group. The money itself stays with you.
Get kisir