At a Glance:
Spliit is a free and open-source alternative to Splitwise for tracking shared expenses, supporting groups, uneven splits, receipt scanning, and self-hosted deployment via Docker or Vercel.
Overview:
Spliit is an open-source web application for group expense sharing, designed as a direct alternative to Splitwise. It allows users to create groups, add expenses with descriptions and categories, and track balances between participants. The application supports uneven expense splits, image attachments, and receipt scanning via OpenAI GPT-4 Vision. Spliit runs as a Progressive Web App and can be used through the official instance at Spliit.app or self-hosted using Docker containers or a PostgreSQL-backed local setup.
Key Decision Points:
Deployment flexibility: Users can access the official hosted instance at Spliit.app or deploy their own instance using Docker containers or a local development setup with PostgreSQL.
Mobile access without app stores: Spliit functions as a Progressive Web App, making it installable on mobile devices without requiring app store downloads.
Receipt scanning requires external services: The receipt scanning feature depends on an OpenAI API subscription with GPT-4 Vision access and an S3 bucket for image storage, both configured by the deployer.
Image storage requires S3 configuration: The expense document upload feature needs an S3 bucket (or S3-compatible endpoint) and appropriate IAM credentials, making it an opt-in deployment decision.
Core Features:
Group expense management: Create groups, share them with friends, and add expenses with descriptions and assigned categories.
Uneven split support: Split expenses unevenly among participants, beyond equal division.
Reimbursement tracking: Create explicit reimbursement expenses to record payments between group members.
Image attachments: Upload and attach images to expenses, with configurable S3 storage backends.
Receipt scanning: Create expenses by scanning receipts, powered by OpenAI GPT-4 with Vision and requiring S3 storage to be enabled.
Searchable expense history: Search for specific expenses within a group to review past transactions.
Use Cases:
Friend groups sharing trip expenses: Groups of friends can track shared costs during travel or outings, with support for uneven splits and image attachments for receipts.
Roommates managing household costs: Roommates can log recurring shared expenses like utilities or groceries and track who owes whom over time.
Self-hosters wanting data control: Individuals who prefer self-hosted tools can deploy Spliit on their own infrastructure using Docker and keep expense data under their own management.
Open-Source Alternative Value:
Spliit provides a self-hostable alternative to Splitwise with core group expense functionality, including uneven splits, categories, and receipt scanning. The project uses established components like Next.js, Prisma, and PostgreSQL, and offers deployment flexibility through Docker containers. Administrators can optionally configure OpenAI and S3 integrations to enable receipt scanning and automatic category deduction, while the application remains usable without these external services for basic expense tracking.