Monkey Split vs Tricount
Looking for a Tricount alternative with richer charts, real offline sync, and the same "no ads, no paywall" feel? Here's a clean side-by-side.
Both are free. Tricount's edge: shareable trips without an account and a well-polished native app. Monkey Split's edge: ECB-backed multi-currency with per-transaction conversions, three cross-filtering charts, recurring expenses, bulk edit, real offline-first PWA, and a minimum-transfer settlement algorithm with PayPal.me deep-links.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Monkey Split | Tricount |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — no ads, no paywall | Free; Tricount Premium for extras |
| Account required | Yes (email or Google) | Optional — trips can be shared by link |
| Multi-currency, per expense | Yes — 30+ currencies, ECB daily rates | Yes, but conversion uses fixed group rate |
| Per-transaction FX pre-calculated server-side | Yes — no rate drift between sessions | No — client computes at view time |
| Interactive charts | Yes — three cross-filtering charts (category, member, time) | Basic pie / bar, no cross-filter |
| Recurring expenses | Yes | No |
| Tags & bulk edit | Yes — bulk tag, categorize, delete, export | Categories only |
| Offline-first PWA with sync queue | Yes — writes queue locally, sync on reconnect | Cached reads, no write queue |
| Optimal settle-up (min transfers) | Yes — greedy algorithm | Yes |
| PayPal.me deep-link | Yes | No |
| CSV export | Yes — filtered or selected set | Premium |
| Split methods | Equal, shares, percentage, exact amounts | Equal, shares, exact amounts |
| Ads & trackers | None | Third-party analytics SDKs |
| Native mobile apps | Installable PWA | Yes — native iOS & Android |
Where Tricount wins
- Account-less sharing. Tricount lets you create a trip and share a link — participants don't need an account. Monkey Split requires a free account per member (needed for the offline queue and conflict resolution).
- Native mobile apps. Tricount ships polished iOS and Android apps; Monkey Split is a PWA (installable, but not native).
- Brand recognition. Tricount is the default in many European travel groups — lower social friction.
Where Monkey Split wins
- Per-transaction ECB FX. Each expense keeps its original currency and is converted at that date's ECB rate, pre-computed server-side. Tricount applies one group-level rate at view time, which can drift day to day.
- Cross-filtering charts. Click a category slice — the member chart and the time-period chart re-scope to that category. No other splitter does this on the free tier.
- Recurring expenses. Rent, Netflix, the gym — set once and confirm each month. Tricount doesn't model recurrence at all.
- Real offline sync. Creating, editing, and deleting expenses all work offline and reconcile on reconnect with merge semantics (an offline-created then offline-deleted expense never hits the server).
- Bulk edit and CSV export. Free in Monkey Split, premium in Tricount.
- PayPal.me deep-link on settlement rows.
When to choose which
- Pick Monkey Split if you split across currencies, want the charts and CSV export free, need recurring expenses, or travel somewhere with spotty signal.
- Stick with Tricount if you need fully account-less sharing, prefer a native app, or your travel group is already on it.
FAQ
Does Monkey Split support trips without accounts?
Not currently. Every member signs in with email or Google. The account is what makes the offline queue and cross-device sync work reliably.
Can I import my Tricount data?
Not directly. Tricount's export is a PDF summary rather than a machine-readable feed. Most users settle and start fresh.
How is multi-currency different?
Tricount applies a single group-level rate at the moment you open the trip. Monkey Split stores each expense in its original currency and converts using the ECB rate on the expense date, cached server-side. So a dinner you paid in THB on day 3 of a trip uses day 3's ECB rate — consistent forever, not whatever rate is current when you check the balance a month later.