Tricount alternative that reads your receipt

If you want a Tricount alternative that reads the receipt for you, PayUpp is built for exactly that: one photo of the bill, every item lands in a list, and in a quick split each friend taps what they had. Tricount is free and handles currencies well, so it's a fair choice for plenty of groups. The difference shows up at the restaurant table, and when some of your friends would rather not use another app at all.

Below we go through what Tricount does well, where groups tend to hit its limits, a side-by-side table, and the cases where we'd tell you to stay put. Everything we say about Tricount reflects its official pages as of September 2026.

What does Tricount do well?

Credit where it's due. As of September 2026, Tricount is free and has no monthly fees. Its Premium plan has been discontinued.

Three things stand out:

• It costs nothing. For a group that just wants to log who paid for what, that's hard to argue with.
• Unlimited expenses. You can keep adding costs through a long trip or a year in a shared flat without counting how many you have left.
• Free currency conversion. Handy on a trip where you pay in one currency on Monday and another on Wednesday.

You can also attach a photo of the receipt to an expense, so the proof sits next to the number.

If your group already uses Tricount and nobody complains, that's a good sign it's working. Switching apps has a cost, and we'd rather you switched for a real reason than for novelty.

Where do people hit limits with Tricount?

None of these are dealbreakers for every group. They're the spots where the search for another app usually starts.

Receipts are attached for reference

In Tricount, the receipt photo is attached for reference. If your group splits by item, check whether Tricount does that for you: its feature pages don't list it.

An even split is fine when everyone ordered much the same. It stings for the friend who had a salad and water while the rest shared the wine.

Everyone in the group uses the app

In Tricount, participants use the app. For a flat or a regular group, that's no problem. For a one-off dinner with a colleague's partner, or a friend of a friend on a weekend away, asking them to get set up for a single bill is a bigger ask.

Getting a spreadsheet goes through support

Tricount offers export on request via support. If you like keeping your own records, or you're closing a group and want the full history, that's an extra step and a request to make.

Manual payment requests

Tricount's pages describe manual payment requests. If chasing friends for money is the part you dread, weigh that up before you choose.

It's linked to bunq banking

Tricount is linked to bunq banking. It's simply a fact worth knowing before you choose.

Is PayUpp a good Tricount alternative?

For groups that eat out, travel together or mix regulars with guests, we think so. Here's how the two compare on the things people ask about most. Tricount details are as of September 2026.

"Not listed" means the feature isn't on Tricount's official feature pages, not that it's impossible. A few of those rows deserve a sentence more.

Receipts you don't have to type out

With PayUpp, you take one photo of the receipt and every item lands in the list, ready to check. In a quick split, each friend then taps the items they had. In an ongoing group, whoever paid assigns them. Shared items, like a bottle of wine or the starters, are split among the people who shared them. The result is exact to the cent, so nobody is rounding in their head.

Friends who won't install anything

A quick split is a link you drop in the group chat. Your friends open it, see their share and pay you. They need no account, no install and no bank connection. PayUpp never holds your money; friends pay you in their own banking app. PayUpp itself works today in the browser at app.payupp.fun. The iPhone and Android apps are coming, and you can join the waitlist.

Nobody chasing anybody

Payment reminders in PayUpp are free, automated and customisable. You set them up once and stop being the person who asks. Every change is visible to the group, and balances say in plain words who owes what.

No ads, no subscription

PayUpp has no ads, ever, and your data is not sold. The free plan gives you one ongoing group, free forever with every feature, plus unlimited quick splits. If you want more ongoing groups, PayUpp Pro is a one-time 9.99 (USD or EUR). No subscription.

How does item picking work for a restaurant bill?

Picture a Friday dinner for five. Two of you share a big pizza. One orders the most expensive thing on the menu. One drinks only water. Everyone picks at the starters.

When a receipt is only a photo, you have two options. Someone sits with the bill and a calculator while everyone else waits. Or you split evenly, and the water drinker quietly pays towards the steak.

With PayUpp, it goes like this:

1. Scan the receipt. One photo, and every item lands in the list.
2. Check the list. Every line is there, ready for a quick look before anyone taps.
3. Share the link and let everyone pick. Each friend taps what they had. The pizza goes to the two who shared it. The starters are split among everyone who had some.
4. Everyone pays you. They use their own banking or payment app with your payment details: Revolut, Wise, PayPal, Bizum or a bank transfer, for example.

If the table all ordered roughly the same, skip the scan. Enter the total, add your friends and split evenly. When a bill needs something in between, PayUpp also splits by exact amounts, percentages or shares.

If dinners are your main use, our guide on how to split a restaurant bill goes deeper. Planning a trip instead? Splitting travel expenses with friends covers the longer version, where "Simplify group debts" earns its keep: the simplified plan shows the fewest payments that clear the group.

What other apps are like Tricount?

If you're comparing apps like Tricount, two more names usually come up: Splitwise and Splid. Here's the short version, as of September 2026. For a wider look, see our round-up of the best apps to split expenses.

Tricount vs Splitwise

Splitwise is free with ads. A Pro subscription removes the ads and adds features, and that's where automatic receipt scanning, picking items per person and currency conversion live. Everyone needs an account. The free plan limits how many expenses you can add each day; Pro removes that limit. On the plus side, Splitwise's CSV export is free on the web, and it sends monthly summary emails alongside manual reminders.

So, Tricount vs Splitwise: Tricount gives you currency conversion and unlimited expenses at no cost. Splitwise gives you a free spreadsheet export on the web and, with Pro, receipt scanning and item picking. We put Splitwise side by side with PayUpp in our Splitwise alternative post.

Splid

Splid is a free app, and more groups and Excel export are in-app purchases. Currency conversion is free, and no expense cap is published. Its nicest touch is that groups work without signup, although participants still use the app. Receipt scanning, item picking and reminders aren't listed among its features.

When is Tricount the better pick?

We'd rather you pick the right app than ours. Tricount is the better choice when:

• You never want to pay anything, ever. Tricount is free, with no monthly fees and no cap on expenses. PayUpp's free plan covers one ongoing group plus unlimited quick splits; more ongoing groups need Pro, which is 9.99 once.
• Your group already lives in Tricount and is happy there. A long shared history and a group that knows the app are worth something. If you do move one day, remember Tricount's export is on request via support, so ask for it before you start afresh.
• You mostly split evenly. If your group rarely cares who ordered what, a receipt scanner and item picking won't change much for you.
• You want an app on your phone today. PayUpp runs in the browser for now. The iPhone and Android apps are coming.

PayUpp is the better pick when you eat out a lot and want to split by item, when some of your friends won't use another app, or when you want reminders and a spreadsheet without asking anyone.

Bottom line

Tricount is a solid, free app with unlimited expenses and free currency conversion. If it works for your group, keep it. If you keep hitting the same walls, whether that's reading receipts out line by line, chasing people for money, asking support for a spreadsheet or waiting for a guest to set up an app for one dinner, PayUpp was built for those moments.

You can try it now in the browser at app.payupp.fun. Your first ongoing group is free forever, with every feature and no ads.