# Best apps to split a restaurant bill in 2027

Canonical URL: https://www.evenoutapp.com/alternatives/best-apps-to-split-a-restaurant-bill
Updated: 2026-10-06

A restaurant check needs items, tax, tip and a way to settle up. As of October 2026, EvenOut splits by item for free with no daily expense limit and no ads, scans receipts in Pro, and keeps the balance for the next dinner. Splitwise's free plan allows 4 expenses a day. Tab, Splitty and Plates handle one bill, and Apple Cash, PayPal and Venmo send requests.

Key points:
- EvenOut's By item split is free, with no daily expense limit and no ads, and tax and tip go in as items. Pro scanning splits them in proportion to what each person ordered.
- On a $128.00 check, splitting evenly makes the diner who ordered $15.50 pay $12.16 more than their share, so the method matters more than the app.
- A running balance carries the difference to the next dinner, which EvenOut and Splitwise keep. Splitty is for one-time splits and Plates describes a single bill.
- Splitwise's free plan allows 4 expenses a day, and an itemized dinner is one expense. EvenOut's free plan has no daily expense limit.
- Apple Cash, PayPal and Venmo send requests for each person, and Apple's requests stay open up to 30 days.

## What does a restaurant check need from an app?

An app for a restaurant check has four jobs: take the items, share the tax, share the tip and collect the money afterwards. The apps below cover those jobs differently, so the choice depends on which part of the dinner usually goes wrong and whether the same people eat together again.

One example runs through this page. Say four friends order $28.00, $21.50, $35.00 and $15.50 of food, which is $100.00. Tax is $8.00 and the tip is $20.00 (20% of the $100.00), so the check comes to $128.00.

## How do the eight options compare?

Only some of these apps read the check; the rest start from typed items or a single amount. Details and prices are as of October 2026.

| App | Items | Tax and tip | Collecting afterwards |
|---|---|---|---|
| EvenOut | By item, free: a line per dish with chips for who had it. Pro scans the receipt | Free: entered as items. Pro: split in proportion to each person's items | Running balance on the Friends and Groups tabs; Settle up records the payment |
| Tab | Snap the receipt, friends tap their items | Calculated | Venmo or a recorded cash payment |
| Splitty | Scan or type, then assign items to people | Actual tax split in proportion; a custom tip | Requests through Venmo, Cash App or PayPal |
| Plates | Enter each dish, share appetizers | Calculated | Works out each share, up to 10 people |
| Splitwise | Itemized split | The itemized split includes tax, tip and discounts | Records a payment; US users can send through Splitwise Pay, Venmo or PayPal |
| Apple Cash | By item or evenly | A tip can be added | A request in Messages, open up to 30 days |
| PayPal | One amount, one request per person | In the amount you enter | A request to anyone with an email address |
| Venmo Split | Pick a purchase, adjust each amount | Optional tips or surcharges | A charge request to each person |

On the free plan, EvenOut has no daily expense limit and no ads, and Splitwise allows 4 expenses a day. The second table covers what each app charges.

| App | Free part | Paid part |
|---|---|---|
| EvenOut | By item, by hand, with no daily expense limit and no ads | Receipt scanning in Pro, $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year |
| Tab | The whole app | None listed |
| Splitty | Typing a bill in, and 3 scans | $9.99 a year or $24.99 lifetime for more scans |
| Plates | The whole app | None listed |
| Splitwise | 4 expenses a day | Pro removes the cap and adds receipt scanning; the price varies |
| Apple Cash | No fee to send, receive or request | None for sending or requesting |
| PayPal | No fee for personal sends from a balance or bank account | Cards: 2.90% plus $0.30 (fee page updated May 19, 2026) |
| Venmo | $0.00 to send from a balance, bank account or debit card | Credit card: 3.00% |

## EvenOut

"By item" is free: add a line per dish with a name, a price and chips for who had it, and each line splits evenly among the people chosen. The items must add up to the check, so tax and tip go in as items. The free plan has no daily expense limit and no ads, and a friend who is not on EvenOut can be added to the group as a guest. EvenOut does not show per-person totals while you build the split, and the finished expense lists each person's amount rather than the items.

In Pro, "Scan receipt" reads the store, date, items, tax, tip and total, starts every item split equally, and lets you tap an item to split it among chosen people. It splits tax and tip in proportion to each person's items. Pro costs $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year. After the dinner, the balance with each friend or group stays on the Friends and Groups tabs, and Settle up records a payment without moving money.

## Tab

Tab works from a photo of the receipt. Friends who also have Tab join the bill and tap their own items, and tax and tip are calculated. It is listed as free, and you settle through its integrated Venmo or by recording a cash payment.

## Splitty

Splitty is built for one-time splits, and its FAQ points to Splitwise or Splid for recurring expenses. A scan starts as an even split, and you tap to say who had what. It uses the actual tax amount from the check, divided in proportion, and a custom tip divided by each person's portion. It sends payment requests, not money, through Venmo, Cash App or PayPal.

You need no account, friends do not need the app, and scanning needs internet while typing a bill in works offline. After 3 free scans it costs $9.99 a year or $24.99 lifetime. It has no direct percentage split and no currency conversion.

## Plates and Billr

Plates by Splitwise calls itself a free app to split the dinner bill: enter each dish, split shared items such as appetizers, and have it calculate tax and tip for up to 10 people. Its latest version, 1.4, dates from December 2020. Billr's site still describes splitting a bill and tip for up to 16 people but carries a 2012 copyright. Unrelated apps share the Billr name.

## Splitwise

Splitwise's split guide describes an itemized split with items, tax, tip and discounts, and its Pro list names receipt scanning and itemization. The free plan allows 4 expenses a day, and an itemized dinner is a single expense. EvenOut's free plan has no daily expense limit. Splitwise and EvenOut both keep a running balance for a group that eats out weekly. Splitty's FAQ says it is for one-time splits, and Plates describes one bill.

## Apple Cash Split Bill

Apple's Split Bill starts from Messages, Wallet, the camera or a photo. Split by item or evenly by headcount, add a tip, and each person gets a request that stays open up to 30 days, until paid or marked complete. Receipt scanning needs Apple Intelligence and Siri turned on and is available in the U.S. only.

## PayPal Split a bill

On PayPal's website, go to Pay & Get Paid, then Get Paid, enter the people, choose Next, choose Split a bill and enter the amount. PayPal creates a money request for each person you chose. You need a PayPal account to send it, and you can send a request to anyone with an email address. See [how to request money on PayPal](https://www.evenoutapp.com/guides/how-to-request-money-on-paypal).

## Venmo Split

In Venmo, open Me, then Transactions, pick the purchase and tap Split. You are included unless you tap your own name, you can add tips or surcharges, and you adjust each amount before Send Requests. Venmo sends a charge request to each person, who has to complete it. Unpaid ones sit under Pending, where you can remind the person. See [how to split a bill on Venmo](https://www.evenoutapp.com/guides/how-to-split-a-bill-on-venmo).

## How much does the method change what each person pays?

On this $128.00 check, the method moves one person's share by as much as $12.80. Splitting evenly is $32.00 each. Adding tax and tip as equal items puts $7.00 on top of each order, and splitting them in proportion applies the check's 1.28 multiplier ($128.00 on $100.00) to each order.

| Diner (ordered) | Split evenly | Tax and tip as equal items | Tax and tip in proportion |
|---|---|---|---|
| A ($28.00) | $32.00 | $35.00 | $35.84 |
| B ($21.50) | $32.00 | $28.50 | $27.52 |
| C ($35.00) | $32.00 | $42.00 | $44.80 |
| D ($15.50) | $32.00 | $22.50 | $19.84 |
| Total | $128.00 | $128.00 | $128.00 |

Diner D pays $12.16 more than their proportional share when the check is split evenly. To get the proportional result by hand in EvenOut's free By item, add one extra line per person with only that person's chip: $7.84 for A, $6.02 for B, $9.80 for C and $4.34 for D, which add up to the $28.00 of tax and tip. The [unequal split calculator](https://www.evenoutapp.com/tools/unequal-split-calculator) does that arithmetic, and the [split bill by item calculator](https://www.evenoutapp.com/tools/split-bill-by-item-calculator) handles shared dishes. [How to split a restaurant bill](https://www.evenoutapp.com/guides/how-to-split-a-restaurant-bill) compares the four fair methods.

## Which app fits which dinner?

- **The same people eat out together often.** EvenOut: By item is free, there is no daily expense limit, and the difference carries to the next dinner. Splitwise also keeps a running balance, with 4 expenses a day on its free plan. For other receipt readers, see [receipt splitter apps compared](https://www.evenoutapp.com/alternatives/receipt-splitter-apps).
- **Friends who will not install anything.** EvenOut tracks them as guests in a group. Splitty sends a normal request to each friend.
- **Everyone has Tab.** Friends pick their own items on the shared bill.
- **Everyone shares a payment app.** Apple Cash, PayPal or Venmo, with a request for each person.

If you need the app to send the payment request itself, EvenOut has no payment links, so use one of the payment apps for that step.

## Frequently asked questions

### Do the payment apps in this list work outside the US?

Venmo's User Agreement says you must be in the United States and have a U.S. bank account. Apple Cash is for people 18 or older (younger users need a family organizer) who live in the 50 states, D.C. or Puerto Rico, and its receipt scanning is U.S. only. The PayPal fees on this page are its U.S. fees. EvenOut lets each expense carry its own currency, from 154, keeps balances per currency and does not convert between them.

### What if a friend has no payment app?

Splitty says friends do not need the app and just get a normal request. PayPal sends a request to anyone with an email address. A Venmo request to someone without an account lets them claim it by opening one, and money sent to someone who never claims it is cancelled and returned after 30 days. In Apple Cash, Messages shows a person who does not meet the requirements as not eligible. In EvenOut, add the friend as a guest in a group and invite them later.

### Where does my receipt photo go when I scan it in EvenOut?

EvenOut's server sends the photo to an AI provider, Google's Gemini, to be read, after removing its location metadata. The receipt image is not kept with the saved expense. Scanning needs a connection, and scanned items cannot be edited afterwards, so check each line on the review screen before you save.

## Sources

- Splitty: FAQ
- Tab app: official site
- Tab: product listing
- Tab: second product listing
- Plates by Splitwise
- Plates by Splitwise: product listing
- Billr
- Splitwise: What are the different ways I can split an expense?
- Splitwise: What is Splitwise Pro?
- Splitwise: Why am I seeing an expense limit?
- Splitwise: How do I send money to someone on Splitwise?
- Apple Support: Split a bill with Apple Cash
- Apple Support: Apple Cash requirements and fees
- Apple Support: Send, receive and request money with Apple Cash
- PayPal Help: How do I split a bill using PayPal?
- PayPal Help: How do I send a money request?
- PayPal fees
- Venmo Help: Splitting and sharing purchases
- Venmo fees
- Venmo User Agreement