Free App to Split Rent and Utilities With Roommates

You’re two months in, the group chat has three unresolved Venmo requests, and someone still owes for the internet from July. You want a free app to split rent and utilities with roommates that doesn’t cost anything, doesn’t require everyone to sign up twice, and doesn’t turn into another chore.

Short version: yes, free options exist. Splitwise is the default. Venmo handles the actual money movement. A shared spreadsheet works if your roommates will actually update it. And a couple of newer apps (like homies.) are trying to bundle everything into one place. The right pick depends on how much your household argues about numbers.

What “free” actually means with these apps

Free almost always means “free to install.” The gaps show up later. Splitwise’s free tier limits how many expenses you can log per day. Venmo is free to send between friends but charges 3% if you use a credit card. Some newer bill-split apps put automation behind a paywall — you can log expenses but can’t set recurring rent reminders without upgrading.

Before you download anything, ask: does the free version cover monthly recurring bills, or only one-off expenses? Can everyone in the household use it without paying? If the answer to either is no, keep looking.

What’s the best free app to split bills with roommates?

For most 3-to-4-person households, Splitwise + Venmo is still the answer in 2026. Splitwise tracks who owes what across rent, utilities, groceries, and one-off costs. Venmo settles up when balances hit a threshold you set. Both are free for basic use. The combo works because Splitwise handles the math and Venmo handles the money — you’re not asking one app to do both.

If you want everything in one place, apps like homies. bundle expense tracking, bill reminders, and payment prompts without switching tabs. Better fit if your household hates juggling apps.

Free options actually worth downloading

Splitwise. The classic. Logs expenses, calculates who owes whom, sends nudges. Free tier is enough unless you log 30+ expenses a day (you won’t).

Venmo / Cash App / Zelle. Not split-tracking apps — money-movement apps. Pair them with a ledger. Never use just Venmo to remember who paid for what. The transaction history isn’t a spreadsheet.

Google Sheets. Underrated. A shared sheet with columns for date, category, amount, who paid, split — free forever, works on any phone. Downside: someone has to actually type in the expense every time. If your roommates ghost the group chat, they’ll ghost the sheet too.

homies. Purpose-built for roommate households — rent reminders, chore tracking, and shared expenses in one app instead of three. Free waitlist right now.

Red flags before you commit

Before you get four people to download anything, check three things. First, does everyone need a paid account, or does one person’s account cover the group? Second, what happens when someone moves out mid-lease — can you export the history? Third, does it handle recurring bills (rent, wifi) or only one-offs?

The Splitwise-plus-Venmo combo checks all three boxes. Most newer free apps only check one. If you’re comparing options, that’s the test.

For the actual mechanics of getting people to log in and use the thing, this guide on how to keep receipts for shared expenses with roommates covers what to track and how often to check in.

Where homies. fits

homies. is built around the exact problem — you want one app for rent reminders, utility splits, and the “who paid the electric bill this month” question, without stitching together Splitwise, Venmo, a chore chart, and the group chat. Free to join the waitlist while we’re rolling out.

rooming, minus the drama. Join the waitlist at joinhomies.app.