Tricount: the go-to app for sharing expenses

Tricount is a well-known free app, now owned by the bank bunq. The idea is simple and it works: everyone in the group logs what they paid for (groceries, fuel, a restaurant bill) and the app works out who owes whom. At the end of the trip, you can see the balances and settle up with a few transfers.

That model is ideal among equals: flatmates, a road trip for four, a holiday where everybody picks up a bill now and then. Nobody is really "the organiser", costs are not known in advance, and the splitting happens after the fact, once the receipts are already in people's pockets.

That is also where it stops being a fit for some events. Tricount answers "how much does each of us owe the others?". It does not answer "who is coming, for how many nights, which menu, and who has already paid for their place?".

When you are organising, the job is different

Think of a wedding, a family reunion, a weekend for 25 in a rented house or an end-of-year dinner. One person, or a small committee, books the venue, deals with the caterer and often fronts a large amount of money. Prices are known before the event: so much per night, so much per adult meal, so much per child meal.

What the organiser needs is not expense splitting but a proper paid registration: each guest says what they are signing up for, the total is calculated for them, and the organiser can track who has paid. They also need reliable logistics, like the number of meals per day to give the caterer.

Then there are the guests. With Tricount, each participant is expected to follow the group in the app. For a family event with grandparents, distant cousins or colleagues, asking 60 people to install an app is rarely realistic. A plain link sent over WhatsApp or email goes down much better.

Tricount vs Filomy, side by side

The two tools do different jobs, which is good news: you do not have to pick a side. Here is how they compare in practice.

• Approach: Tricount splits expenses that have already been paid; Filomy collects sign-ups at prices the organiser sets in advance.
• Who enters what: in Tricount, everyone logs their own spending; with Filomy, the organiser builds a form and guests fill it in.
• Guests: Tricount is used through its app; Filomy guests reply from a link, with nothing to install.
• Payment: Tricount works out reimbursements between members; Filomy shows the payment methods the organiser picked (bank transfer, Wero, Lydia, PayPal, cheque, cash and more) plus a unique reference per registration.
• Logistics: Filomy gives you a per-day recap of meals and nights for the caterer, plus a CSV export; that is not what Tricount is built for.
• Afterwards: Filomy also keeps the memories (guest book, photo wall) on the event's mini-site.

How sign-ups and payments work in Filomy

On your event mini-site, you create a sign-up form from ready-made templates: weekend with friends, wedding, party dinner, family reunion or group gift. You can ask priced questions (a choice, a quantity times a price, a paid checkbox), set up a stay with nights and meals per day, or let people give a free amount. The total is calculated automatically, and a comment field lets guests mention dietary needs or a late arrival.

Each registration gets a unique reference such as FLM-XXXXXX, which the guest adds to their transfer label. They then click "I've paid" and you confirm once the money arrives. You can see at a glance what is expected, confirmed, declared and still outstanding, send email reminders, adjust a price, or add a registration by hand for the uncle who replied over the phone.

To save time, you can import your bank statement (a CSV file or pasted lines) and Filomy matches the transfers by reference, amount and name. The statement is not stored. Filomy never holds the money: it goes straight to your account, with no commission on offline payments.

As for pricing, a form is free for up to 50 responses. Beyond that, it is unlimited with the Event Box (€49.90 one-off, which also includes the guest book, invitations and RSVP, photo wall and money pot) or by unlocking the mini-site (€39.90).

The best combo: Filomy before, Tricount during

Most real events involve both kinds of spending. Take a weekend with friends in a big rented house: the rent, the nights and the planned meals are known in advance. That is Filomy's job: everyone signs up, picks their nights and meals, and pays their share to the organiser before leaving.

During the weekend there are always extras: an impromptu round of drinks, a tank of fuel, a kayak trip decided on Saturday morning. Nobody budgeted for those, and different people pay for them. That is exactly where Tricount shines, splitting them fairly among whoever was there.

Using both keeps things tidy: the organiser does not end up carrying all the small day-to-day costs, and the group does not have to re-enter in Tricount the price of a night everyone already knew.

Tips for getting guests to pay without awkwardness

Share the prices early and clearly, right in the invitation. People are far more comfortable contributing when they know what it covers: "€45 per adult for two nights and four meals" feels fairer than a vague lump sum.

Set a deadline for signing up and paying, ideally matched to your caterer's or venue's own deadline. One polite reminder a week before is usually enough, and with a per-person view you know exactly who to nudge without scrolling through old messages.

Finally, offer several ways to pay. Younger guests may prefer Wero or Lydia, others a bank transfer, and some relatives will insist on handing over a cheque or cash on the day. The easier it is for guests, the faster you get your money back.