What is Tricount and how does it work?
Tricount is a free app for splitting costs in a group: on trips, in a shared house, for dinners, as a couple. Everyone adds what they paid, the app works out who owes whom, and it suggests a short list of payments to settle up [1][3]. No ads and no limits [1], on iPhone and Android [2].
This guide is written by FayrShare, which is also an app for splitting costs, so we say that up front. Everything we say about Tricount comes from its website and help centre; the sources are at the end.
How it works, step by step
- Create a tricount, name it (the trip, the house, the dinner) and add people, up to 50 [3].
- Invite the group by link. Whoever gets it taps it on their phone and the app does the rest [4].
- Add expenses: who paid, how much and for whom. It splits equally by default, but you can change the shares or type in amounts [4].
- Check the Balances screen and settle up. When a repayment is done, tap “Mark as paid” [4].
Example: a weekend in the Lake District
Amy, Tom, Priya and Josh rent a cottage for the weekend:
- Amy pays for the cottage: £300 for all four.
- Tom pays for petrol: £80 for all four.
- Priya pays for Saturday’s pub dinner: £120 for all four.
- Tom pays for Sunday lunch: £60 for Tom, Priya and Josh (Amy had already left).
| Person | Paid | Share | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amy | £300 | £125 | +£175 |
| Tom | £140 | £145 | −£5 |
| Priya | £120 | £145 | −£25 |
| Josh | £0 | £145 | −£145 |
Paying back each expense separately would take 11 transfers. Using the balances, three are enough: Josh sends Amy £145, Priya sends her £25 and Tom sends her £5.
Look at Priya: Tom paid for her Sunday lunch, yet she pays Tom nothing. That exact puzzle is in Tricount’s FAQs [3], and the answer is that the app first works out who paid too much and who paid too little, then finds a short list of payments that squares it. Everyone ends up paying exactly their share. FayrShare settles up the same way, and you can try it with your own numbers in the split bills calculator.
What does bunq have to do with it?
Tricount is “fully running on bunq’s infrastructure now”, and new users are given a free credit card when they sign up [4]. It is a virtual prepaid card, topped up before you spend [3]; signing up for it needs a phone number, a tax identification number and an identity check [4]. The card logs spending automatically. You don’t have to use it: expenses can be added by hand [4].
Worth knowing in the UK
- No payment requests here. Tricount’s links for getting paid back only work in the Netherlands, Germany, France and Belgium so far [5]. In the UK you settle by bank transfer and mark it paid.
- Premium is gone. It was discontinued with the new app, along with CSV and PDF export and personal mode [6].
- Several currencies work. Each tricount has one currency; expenses in others are converted at the daily rate [4].
- Phone only. The website offers the app for iPhone and Android, not a browser version [2].
Tricount and FayrShare compared
| FayrShare | Tricount | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no paid tier | Free, no ads, no limits [1] |
| Where it runs | In the browser on any phone or computer | App for iPhone and Android [1][2] |
| Account | Google or email | Account in the app; new users are given a free bunq credit card, which needs a phone number, tax ID and identity check [4] |
| Ways to split | Equally, exact amounts or percentages | Equally, by shares or by amounts [4] |
| Few payments to settle | Yes | Yes [3] |
| Currencies | One per group (pound, euro or dollar), no conversion | One per tricount; expenses in other currencies converted at the daily rate [4] |
| Payment requests | No: FayrShare only keeps the tally | Yes, but only in the Netherlands, Germany, France and Belgium [5] |
Stick with Tricount if…
the whole group already has it on their phones, you travel with several currencies, or you are in one of the four countries with payment requests.Try FayrShare if…
you want to do the sums on a computer without installing anything, or would rather use an app that isn’t tied to a bank. Groups, equal, exact or percentage splits, and a short list of payments to settle up.FayrShare exists because Neil Stephenson, who built it, watched another bill splitting app put the basics behind a paywall in the middle of a trip with friends. The story is on our about page. For more options, see our bill splitting apps comparison. To try it: start a group for free.
Questions
Is Tricount free?
Yes. On 26 October 2026 its site says “Free. No ads. No limits.” The old Premium subscription was discontinued with the new app.
Can I use Tricount on a computer?
Tricount offers apps for iPhone and Android; its download page says “Get tricount on your phone”. If you want to do the sums on a laptop, you need an app that runs in the browser, such as FayrShare.
Do I need the bunq card?
Not to split costs: you can add expenses by hand. The card records spending automatically. bunq is a European bank, so check whether the card is offered where you live.
How many people can be in a tricount?
Up to 50, including you.
Why does Tricount ask me to pay someone who never paid for me?
Because it does not repay debts one by one. It works out who paid too much and who paid too little overall, then suggests a short list of payments that squares everyone. See the Lake District example above.
Sources
- tricount home page, checked 26 October 2026
- tricount download page, checked 26 October 2026
- tricount Help: FAQs, checked 26 October 2026
- tricount Help: How can I manage my tricounts and expenses?, checked 26 October 2026
- tricount Help: request links, checked 26 October 2026
- tricount Help: What happened to tricount Premium?, checked 26 October 2026