Cino vs Splitwise: which app is better for splitting bills?

Splitwise has been a go-to bill-splitting app for years, helping millions log shared expenses and keep track of who owes who. But it still relies on manual admin to get the job done.  Customers must manually add expenses and settle up later. Splitwise have also introduced limits on the free version of the app. Features like currency conversion, receipt scanning, and itemisation are only available on Splitwise Pro for £3.99 a month.

Cino is the latest Splitwise alternative, and the first bill-splitting app that automatically deducts your share of the bills from your own personal bank account. This solves a problem every app and bank ignores – fronting the bill! Cino works by creating shared virtual cards that link to everyone's own personal bank cards, so no one has to front the total bill or chase anyone for money after the bill has been paid.

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Let's deep-dive into how it works and compare it with Splitwise to see which bill-splitting app comes out on top!

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1. Cost: Cino vs Splitwise

Splitwise

Splitwise has a free version, but it comes with increasingly heavy limitations:

• Free users can add only 3 expenses per day, which becomes a major issue when travelling (flights, taxis, Airbnb, meals, drinks — you hit the limit before lunch).
• Essential features like currency conversion, receipt scanning, itemised bills, and detailed reporting sit behind a paywall.
• The app is now filled with frequent prompts  and ads encouraging users to upgrade to Splitwise Pro.
• Splitwise Pro costs £3.99/month, which is essentially another bill for splitting bill.

Cino

Cino is completely free, and all features are included, including currency conversion which can actually save you up to 3% if you're using a bank that charges you fees abroad. some of the features that Splitwise offers aren't actually needed when you have Cino because the bill is split automatically when you pay. All your transactions are tracked automatically in the app so you don't need to manually add expenses or bother with uploaing receipts.

• Unlimited expenses The added bonus is you don't have to manually add expenses at all
• No foreign transaction fees abroad This can save you up to 3% on every shared travel expense
• Automatic expense-tracking See what you spent, where you spent and where you spent it
• Maps – a new feature that pins where you pay so you can save your favee spots and share them with friends
• Roulette - A fun feature that selects one person from your group at random to dodge the bill
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2. Ease of Use: Manual Splitting vs Automatic Splitting

Splitwise

Splitwise was designed to make manual splitting easier — and it succeeds at that. It’s clean, simple and quick to set up.

But the process still looks like this:

1. Someone pays the full bill.
2. You manually add the expense.
3. You select who owes what.
4. You hope everyone pays you back on time.
5. You settle up at the end (sometimes weeks or months later).

This works until it doesn’t.During group travel, nights out, shared groceries or one-off expenses, Splitwise quickly becomes a chore — and someone always ends up down until the group settles.

Cino

Cino removes every step after “pay. Once your group is set up:

1. You pay with the shared Cino card.
2. Cino automatically deducts each person’s share from their own bank card.

That’s it. No aftermath. No chasing. No waiting. No “settle up at the end.” The bill is split at the moment of payment — not hours or days later.

This also means:

• No one carries the financial burden for the group.
• No admin after nights out, travels or communal shops.
• No messy debates about receipts, screenshots or “you owe me £3.20.”

QuickSplit: One-Off Expenses Made Instant

Cino also solves the biggest annoyance of all: one-off expenses that don’t justify creating a whole Splitwise group. QuickSplit lets Cino users split a bill with anyone in seconds — even if they don’t have the Cino app. Just send them a link. They join by linking a card from Apple Pay or Google Wallet. You pay with your QuickSplit card.
Cino deducts everyone’s share instantly. Their details are deleted immediately after — nothing stored, nothing shared.

Perfect for:

• Restaurant bills
• Rounds of drinks
• Taxis
• Activities
• Group dinners on holidays

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