Friendly comparison
Settle Up is a long-running expense splitter from a Czech team, free with ads and an optional Premium tier. PureSplit is the free, ad-free, EU-hosted alternative. Here's an honest look at both — so you can pick what fits.
We'll be straight with you — including the bits where we're still catching up.
| Feature | Settle Up (Free) | Settle Up Premium | PureSplit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, with ads | Around $3.49/mo or $18.99/yr | Free, no ads |
| Ads | Yes | No | None |
| Made by | Step Up Labs (Czech Republic) | Step Up Labs (Czech Republic) | An independent developer |
| Multi-currency expenses | |||
| FX-aware settlement | Daily rates | Daily rates | Strict + FX modes |
| Receipt attachments | |||
| Recurring expenses | On the way | ||
| Custom categories | |||
| Join without an account | Via shareable links | ||
| Full web app | View-focused | View-focused | |
| Native mobile apps | iOS + Android | iOS + Android | Not yet |
| Data residency | Google infrastructure | Google infrastructure | Germany |
Settle Up has mature apps for iPhone and Android, refined over years. PureSplit runs in your browser and installs as a web app (PWA) — lovely on mobile, but not an app store download just yet.
Share a Settle Up link and people can view balances in a browser with nothing to install or sign up for. PureSplit's version is shareable claim links — Settle Up's flow is still a touch smoother for one-off trips.
Settle Up has been around for years with a large user base, especially across Europe and beyond. Your group might already be on it.
Settle Up Premium can automate rent, subscriptions, and future expenses now. Ours is on the way.
Every feature, free — including receipts and categories. No Premium tier, no locked buttons, no "upgrade to continue."
Settle Up funds its free tier with ads and removes them only if you pay. We don't show ads at all, on any tier.
Your data lives on servers in Germany, GDPR-clean. Settle Up is built on Google's Firebase platform, which can process data on Google infrastructure outside the EU.
Open it in any browser and you're in. Add it to your home screen if you like — no app store, no updates to chase.
Every amount is tracked to the exact cent, with two settlement modes, so balances never drift by a mysterious penny — even across currencies.
We tell you exactly where your data lives and every service that ever touches it. It's all on our privacy page.
Settle Up can export a group to a spreadsheet from its app (an Excel/CSV export is part of Premium). A one-click importer is on our list; for now, setting a group up fresh takes a couple of minutes — then you're sorted.
It is — but the free tier shows ads, and receipts, categories, and recurring expenses sit behind Premium. PureSplit is ad-free with everything included.
Nope. PureSplit runs in any browser, and you can add it to your home screen for an app-like feel. A native mobile app may come later.
On servers in Germany — Nuremberg and Falkenstein, always in the EU. Settle Up is built on Google's Firebase platform, which can process data on Google infrastructure outside the EU.
Via shareable claim links, yes. Settle Up's browser flow is smoother for one-off use; we're closing the gap.
Only if free, ad-free, and EU-hosted sound good to you. Settle Up is a solid app too — there's no wrong answer.
Free forever, no card, no ads. Start a group in under a minute.
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