Last updated October 6, 2026
Use Splitwise to track shared expenses over time, like rent, trips, and roommate bills. Use Tabby to split one restaurant or bar bill by item, right at the table. They solve different problems, and plenty of people will want both.
| Splitwise | Tabby | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Running balances across many expenses | Splitting one meal by what each person had |
| Best for | Rent, utilities, group trips, roommates | Dinners, brunches, bar tabs, birthdays |
| How items get in | Someone adds each expense | The host scans the receipt |
| Who needs the app | Works best when everyone has an account | Only the host; friends use a link in their browser |
| Getting paid back | Settle up the running balance later | Each friend pays their share right away with Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, PayPal, or Apple Cash |
If the same people owe each other money again and again (a shared apartment, a two-week trip), you want a running balance that nets everything out. That's what Splitwise does well, and Tabby doesn't try to.
For a single dinner, especially with people who don't share a running tab with you, you want everyone squared up before you leave the restaurant. Tabby reads the receipt, everyone claims their own dishes from one link, and tax and tip are split in proportion automatically. Nobody has to download anything except the person who paid.
The fast way: Tabby, the app ("Split with Tabby" on the App Store), does this for you. Scan the receipt, share one link, and everyone taps what they had. Tabby adds tax and tip in proportion and shows each person a button to pay you back. Join the waitlist to get it at launch.