Make It Even vs Venmo for Splitting Expenses
Venmo is a fast way to pay a friend back, but it isn't really an expense ledger. It records individual payments and requests rather than maintaining group balances, multi-currency expenses, or who owes what over time. Venmo is also US-focused, which makes it awkward for international trips.
Make It Even is built for the tracking side of the problem: log shared expenses, split them five ways (equal, exact, percentage, shares, or itemized), see running balances, and simplify debts down to the fewest payments. When it's time to actually pay, Make It Even links straight out to Venmo, PayPal, or Cash App.
In other words, these tools complement each other — Make It Even keeps the books, and Venmo (where available) moves the money. Venmo is a trademark of its respective owner; details reflect our understanding at the time of writing.
| Feature | Make It Even | Venmo |
|---|---|---|
| Core purpose | Tracks shared expenses and group balances | Peer-to-peer payments, not an expense ledger |
| Group balances | Persistent per-group balances and history | Individual payments/requests, no running group ledger |
| Geographic reach | Works anywhere with 14 currencies | US-focused payments |
| Split types | Equal, exact, percentage, shares, itemized (Pro) | Manual one-off requests; no structured splits |
| Multi-currency & FX | Free; each expense locks that day's rate | US dollar payments; not designed for FX |
| Debt simplification | Free; fewest payments to settle a group | Not available |
| Group budgets | Group monthly budgets included free | Not available |
| Recurring expenses | Included free | Not an expense tracker |
| Payments / settle-up | Deep links to Venmo, PayPal, Cash App plus cash | Sends/receives money directly |
| Receipt scanning | AI receipt scanning on Pro | Not available |
| Data export & privacy | CSV export (Pro); GDPR export and account deletion | Transaction history within the app |
| Platform | Installable PWA on any modern browser | Native mobile app (US) |
Why people switch to Make It Even
It actually keeps the books
Venmo records payments; Make It Even maintains group balances over time so you always know who owes whom, even across many expenses.
Works internationally
With 14 currencies and locked historical rates, Make It Even handles trips abroad that Venmo's US-focused payments can't cover.
Then pays out through Venmo anyway
When it's time to settle, Make It Even links straight to Venmo, PayPal, or Cash App, so you get tracking plus your preferred payment app.
Budgets and structured splits
Group monthly budgets and five split types — including itemized — give you control Venmo's simple requests don't.
Questions
- Can Venmo split a bill the way Make It Even does?
- Venmo can send a payment request, but it doesn't maintain group balances, structured splits, or multi-currency history the way an expense ledger like Make It Even does.
- Should I use Make It Even instead of Venmo?
- Use both: Make It Even tracks who owes what, then deep-links to Venmo (or PayPal or Cash App) when it's time to actually pay back.
- Does Make It Even work outside the US?
- Yes. It supports 14 currencies with locked historical rates, so it works for international trips where Venmo's US payments don't reach.
- Can Make It Even tell me the fewest payments to settle?
- Yes — debt simplification reduces a group's balances to the fewest payments needed, and it's free.
- Does Make It Even charge to track expenses?
- No. The free tier covers 3 active groups and 5 friends with all split types except itemized; Pro adds receipt scanning, itemized splitting, charts, and CSV export.