Tabby vs Settle Up

Last reviewed August 20, 2026

Settle Up is one of the better Splitwise alternatives: no daily expense cap, a real web app, and solid multi-currency support. The catch is how the free plan is funded. Since its 2025 pricing change, the Basic plan shows ads, and everyday features like recurring expenses, payment reminders, and charts sit behind Premium.

Tabby draws the line differently. Everything a group needs day to day is free with no ads, including charts, reminders, and recurring expenses. The subscription exists only for AI: receipt scanning that reads line items and an assistant you can talk to.

The verdict

Settle Up is a fair pick if you need a web app today or want a one-time purchase instead of a subscription. But on the free tiers it’s not close: Tabby gives you ad-free splitting plus charts, reminders, and recurring expenses that Settle Up charges for. If you’d rather photograph a receipt and have the items read for you than retype them, Tabby is the stronger app.

Prices checked August 2026 against Settle Up’s US App Store listing. Its plan structure changed in 2025, so check the listing for the latest.

Feature comparison

Feature Tabby Settle Up
Ads Never Shown on the free plan; Premium removes them
Spending charts Free Premium only
Recurring expenses Free Premium only
Payment reminders Free Premium only
Receipt scanning Yes (Pro). AI reads the line items and drafts the split. Receipt photos only (Premium). No line-item reading.
AI assistant Yes (Pro). Add expenses and ask about balances in plain language; you confirm every change. None
Offline mode Yes. Add and edit offline, syncs when you're back. Yes. Works offline and syncs later.
Debt simplification Yes, fewest transfers Yes, fewest transfers
Web app Not yet (mobile first) Yes, plus browser access to a group via shared link
Pricing Core app is free with no ads. Tabby Pro ($9.99/mo or $79.99/yr) only adds the AI assistant and receipt scanning. Free Basic plan with ads. Premium is about $3.99/mo or $19.99/yr, with one-time per-group and lifetime options (in-app purchases range up to $149.99).

Why switch to Tabby

  • No ads, period. Settle Up's free plan is ad-supported.
  • Charts, recurring expenses, and payment reminders are free in Tabby. All three are Premium features in Settle Up.
  • Receipt scanning that actually reads the items. Settle Up only attaches a photo, and even that needs Premium.
  • An AI assistant that adds expenses from a sentence and answers who owes what.
  • Pending payments: log hotel holds and deposits without them touching balances until the charge is final.

Where Settle Up is strong

  • A real web app, and anyone can view a group in the browser through a shared link.
  • Cheaper paid tier, with one-time per-group and lifetime purchases if you hate subscriptions.
  • Automatic currency conversion with live rates.
  • A 4.8 rating on the App Store from a loyal user base.

Frequently asked questions

Is Settle Up free?

There's a free Basic plan, but it shows ads, and features like recurring expenses, payment reminders, receipt photos, and charts require Premium (about $3.99/mo or $19.99/yr). The plan structure changed in 2025.

Does Settle Up scan receipts?

It attaches receipt photos on Premium, but it doesn't read the line items. Tabby's scanner (part of Pro) reads the items, tax, and tip, and drafts the itemized split.

Which is better for trips abroad?

Settle Up converts currencies automatically with live rates, which Tabby doesn't do yet (Tabby tracks each currency separately). If automatic conversion matters to you, that's a real point for Settle Up. For everything else on a trip (offline adding, splitting, settling), both work, and Tabby does it without ads.

Compare with other apps

Tabby vs Splitwise → Tabby vs Tricount → Tabby vs Splid →