# Add a friend to Splitwise without their email or phone

Canonical URL: https://www.evenoutapp.com/guides/add-a-friend-to-splitwise-without-email
Updated: 2026-10-06

In Splitwise, add a name-only placeholder friend to a group from the web app, then add email or phone later. In EvenOut you add a guest by name inside the app, split expenses with them at once and send a claim link when they are ready. Either way, you need an account of your own.

Key points:
- EvenOut adds a guest by name inside the app. Splitwise adds a name-only placeholder friend from its web app, as of October 2026.
- A guest's share is tracked from the first expense. The guest's creator can send a single-use claim link, valid for 7 days, and every share moves to the friend's real account.
- EvenOut's free plan has no daily expense limit. Splitwise's free plan allows up to 4 expenses a day, as of October 2026.
- A Splitwise friend invited by email or phone can be added to expenses before accepting, for as long as you like. Splitwise sends one invite and one reminder.
- Either app needs an account of your own. Splitwise sign-up asks for a name, email, phone number and password, and email is required.

## Can you add a friend to Splitwise without their email or phone?

Yes, with a name-only placeholder friend, which, as of October 2026, Splitwise lets you add to a group from its web app. EvenOut has the same option inside the app, as a guest added by name. If you do have their email or phone in Splitwise, a second route needs no reply from them: you can add the friend you invited to expenses before they accept the invite. Neither Splitwise route lets you skip your own account, which is covered further down.

## How do you add a placeholder friend with only a name?

Splitwise calls this a placeholder friend: someone tracked by name, without contact info, added to a group from its web app at splitwise.com. The web steps for adding a person to a group start at the group's gear icon, then Edit group settings, then Add a person.

You can add their email address or phone number later, and that is what gives them access to the group. Until then they have no access to it.

Say four of you share a $320 ski rental and one friend does not want to give out contact details. Add them as a placeholder, split the bill equally and the expense shows $80 for each of you, including the placeholder. When the friend finally hands over a phone number, you add it and they can see the group.

## How do you invite someone and add them to expenses straight away?

Invite them by email or phone and start adding them to expenses at once. Splitwise lets you log expenses with that person before they accept the invite, and it lets you keep doing so indefinitely, even if they never claim the account.

The invite does not repeat itself. Splitwise sends one invite and one reminder, and then leaves them alone. If you want them to see the group, correct a mistake or add their own expenses, they need to accept.

To add someone to a group:

- **Mobile:** open the Groups tab, open the group, tap the gear icon for Group settings, then tap Add people to group.
- **Web:** open the group from the left-hand sidebar, click the gear icon, choose Edit group settings, then choose Add a person.

## Do you need an account yourself?

Yes. Splitwise says you will need to create an account, and sign-up asks for your name, email, phone number and password. Email is required, and a phone number adds a layer of security. Splitwise excludes children under 13. So the options above are for the friends in your group, not for you. The whole flow from a first expense to settling up is in [how Splitwise works](https://www.evenoutapp.com/guides/how-does-splitwise-work), and what the people in a group can see is covered in [is Splitwise safe](https://www.evenoutapp.com/guides/is-splitwise-safe).

## How does EvenOut handle a friend who is not on the app?

EvenOut adds the friend as a guest, inside the app, with only a name. Open the group's settings, go to Members, tap Add people and choose "Add a guest" ("Someone who isn’t on EvenOut yet, like a trip guest. Track their share now and invite them later."). The field is "Their name, e.g. Cousin Sam". Guests work in groups only, and adding one needs a connection.

The guest shows as "Guest · invite to claim". When they are ready to join, the person who created the guest taps "Invite to claim" to make a single-use link and QR code, valid for 7 days. Making a new link replaces the old one. The friend opens it, taps "Claim Cousin Sam’s spot" and chooses "Merge into my account" ("This can’t be undone."). Every share the guest had moves to their real account.

Here is how the two apps handle the same case.

| | EvenOut | Splitwise |
|---|---|---|
| Add someone with no contact details | Guest, added by name inside the app | Placeholder friend, from the web app, as of October 2026 |
| Used in expenses before they join | Yes, their share is tracked as a guest | Yes, for an invited friend, with no time limit |
| How they take over their spot | A single-use claim link or QR code, valid for 7 days, then "Merge into my account" | You add their email or phone, or they accept the invite |
| Daily expense limit on the free plan | No daily expense limit | Up to 4 expenses a day, as of October 2026 |

Like Splitwise, EvenOut needs you to sign in with your own account. The guest is for the friend who does not have one yet. A guest is also what an import from Splitwise creates for anyone you leave on "Assign later", as described in [how to move a Splitwise group to EvenOut](https://www.evenoutapp.com/guides/move-splitwise-group-to-evenout).

## Which route should you pick?

Pick by whether the friend will ever log in.

- **They have no contact details, or never will.** Add them as a guest in EvenOut by name and split expenses with them right away. In Splitwise, use a placeholder friend from the web app. Either way, tell them their running amount now and then, since they cannot check it themselves. In the ski example, they owe $80 until someone records that they paid.
- **They will join eventually.** In EvenOut, send the single-use claim link when they are ready and their shares move to their account. In Splitwise, invite them by email or phone and keep adding expenses. They accept when they are ready and can then view the expenses.

## What to do next

For most groups, add the friend as a guest in EvenOut. It takes only a name, it is done inside the app rather than the web app, and the free plan has no daily expense limit, while Splitwise's free plan allows up to 4 expenses a day, as of October 2026. Send the claim link when they are ready to join. For a side-by-side of the two apps, see [EvenOut vs Splitwise](https://www.evenoutapp.com/compare/splitwise).

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I use a made-up email address for a friend in Splitwise?

Splitwise advises against it. A stand-in address may belong to a real person or to an existing Splitwise account. A name-only placeholder friend avoids the problem.

### Can someone join my Splitwise group without an invite?

No. Splitwise says you cannot join a group on your own. A member has to invite you by email or phone, or share an Invite via link.

### What if my friend never claims their guest spot in EvenOut?

The guest stays in the group and keeps their share of every expense, so balances stay right. If you created the guest, you can make a new claim link whenever you like. A new link replaces the old one, and each link works once for 7 days.

### Do you need a friend's email or phone to add them in EvenOut?

No. Friends connect by scanning your EvenOut code, opening your invite link (it works for several people and lasts 30 days), through Nearby, or the invite link you share from your contacts. EvenOut never shows one person's email address to another. It does not add friends by email, so guests cover the people who are not connected yet, inside a group.

## Sources

- Splitwise: Can I add a friend without adding their email address or phone number?
- Splitwise: How do I add a new person to a group?
- Splitwise: How do I join an existing group?
- Splitwise: Privacy policy