A free Splitwise alternative with no account to create

Most people looking for a Splitwise alternative with no account are not unhappy with splitting expenses. They are stuck on one step: Splitwise asks everyone in the group to create an account before they can take part. For a group of close friends who all use it already, that is no problem. For everyone else, it is where the plan stalls.

Why sign-up is the real obstacle

An expense app is only as good as the number of people in the group who actually use it. If one person keeps the ledger and everyone else has to trust their screenshots, you are back to a spreadsheet with extra steps.

Sign-up is where people drop off:

• Friends abroad. A friend joining from another country, on a different app store, with a different language setting. “Create an account” is one more reason to say “just tell me what I owe”.
• Older relatives. Parents and grandparents on a family holiday are often happy to see the numbers but unwilling to create yet another login.
• One-off trips. For a single weekend away, asking six people to register, confirm an email and set a password feels heavier than the trip itself.
• Privacy. Some people would rather not hand an email address to an app they will use for a week.

So the search for a “split expenses app without sign-up” is really a search for a group everyone can join in under a minute.

What to look for in a no-account expense app

There are several apps that let you split without registering. Whichever you pick, check these:

1. Join by link or code. One person creates the group and shares something — a link, a QR code, a short code. Everyone else opens it, types a name, and is in.
2. People without the app. Someone will refuse to install anything. They should still be a full member of every split, not a note in the description.
3. Flexible splits. Equal is the default, but real groups need “only these three”, “two shares for the couple” and exact amounts.
4. Multiple currencies. Trips cross borders. The app should convert each expense to the group’s currency and let you correct the rate.
5. Fewest transfers. At the end you want two or three payments, not everyone paying everyone.
6. Offline. Expenses happen on mountains, in basements and on ferries. Logging shouldn’t need a signal.
7. Export. Your ledger should leave the app as a file you can open in Excel.
8. Clear about data. If there is no account, you should know what is kept and how to get back in on a new phone.

How kisir handles each one

kisir is built around the first point: nobody creates an account, an email or a password. Here is how it covers the rest.

Joining. Create a group for a trip, a flat, a dinner or an event and share it by link, QR code or six-character code. Everyone else enters it and picks a display name.

People without the app. Add them by name. They are in every split like anyone else, and if they install kisir later they can claim that spot.

Splits. An expense can have one payer or several, and can be split between only the people it was for — equally, by shares, or by exact amounts. The editor won’t save until the amounts add up to the total.

Currencies. Each expense can be in any currency. kisir fills in today’s exchange rate and converts to the group’s currency; if your bank charged a different rate, change it. The ledger shows both figures.

Settling. The overview shows your balance, every member’s balance, and “Your plan” — your part of the fewest-transfers settlement. Record a payment in one tap. When every balance reaches zero, the group closes itself.

Offline. Add, edit and delete expenses without a connection; they sync when you are back online.

Trust. Every expense has a history of who changed what, and only the person who added an expense can edit or delete it. Members get notifications when someone adds an expense, records a payment or changes one they are on.

Export. Export the whole ledger to CSV or Excel, free.

Getting back in. You can optionally add an email to restore your groups on a new phone. That is the only use it has.

Price. Free, with no ads and no subscription, and no limit on groups or people. In 20 languages, on iPhone and Android.

What kisir does not do, so you can judge the fit: it doesn’t scan receipts, itemize a bill line by line, handle recurring expenses, connect to bank cards or move money. Payments happen however you normally pay each other; kisir records them.

A worked example: a weekend with someone who has no app

Ana, Leo and Mia take a weekend in Tbilisi, and Mia’s dad Karen comes along. Karen won’t install anything, so Ana adds him by name. The group’s currency is euros.

For the dinner, say Leo’s bank converted at €0.34 per lari: 240 × 0.34 = €81.60, which divides evenly into €20.40 each. Four times €142.40 is €569.60, the total spent.

Ana paid €360.00 and owes €142.40, so she is owed €217.60. Leo is €60.80 short, Mia €14.40, Karen €142.40.

Karen never opened an app. Mia showed him his line, he paid Ana, and Ana marked it as received.

Switching from Splitwise without losing anything

If you already have groups elsewhere, don’t move them mid-trip. Settle the old group where it lives, then start the next trip, flat-share month or event in the new app. Two ledgers for one trip is the one setup guaranteed to cause an argument.

For a group that half-uses one app and half-uses another, pick whichever everyone can actually join. That is usually the one with no account to create.