Is PlanLos! a free Tricount alternative?
Yes. Splitting expenses, seeing balances, the bring list and To-dos cost nothing in normal group life, and there’s no subscription. PlanLos! runs in the browser and on Android; iOS is coming.
Group expenses without the subscription dance
Tricount alternative – lists next to the balances
Settle up. Bring stuff. Check things off.
Shared costs, who still owes whom, and what’s left to bring or buy – one group instead of three apps and a chat thread.
100% free No subscription
Tricount does the math. So who’s bringing the charcoal?
In plenty of friend groups Tricount is a given: one person covers the cabin, someone fills up the car, the big shop goes on a third card – and on Sunday the app says who transfers how much to whom. That works well. It’s everything else that lives somewhere else: “I’ll bring potato salad”, “Does anyone have a hammer?”, “Who picks up the key on Saturday?” Messages that are impossible to find in the group chat ten minutes later.
If you’re looking for a Tricount alternative that fills exactly that gap, PlanLos! is built for it. Expenses and balances work the way you’re used to. Next to them you get a bring list for everything people take from home, and a to-do list for shopping, keys and cleaning up. Whoever creates the group needs a free account. After that you send the link to the chat – anyone who opens it types a name and is in.
An old Tricount group can’t be imported. The settle-up from your last trip stays where it is, and for the next weekend you start a new group. For most friend groups that’s the natural cut anyway: new trip, new kitty.
Four weekends you know
Costs go into the kitty. Everything else that’s coming up gets its place right next to it.
Cabin from Friday to Sunday
Rent and groceries go under Costs. Bedding, board games and the first supermarket run have names on the lists – before two loaves of bread are sitting in the fridge on Friday night.
Festival with two cars
Both drivers add their gas stops, and you split the drinks among everyone who drinks. Canopy, camping stove and tent pegs go on the packing list, so nothing is missing at the campsite and nothing is there twice.
Birthday dinner for eight
You split the bill like always. Cake, decorations and playlist get owners, so three people don’t show up with the same dip.
Ski weekend with staggered arrivals
Whoever gets there first shops for everyone. Whoever arrives on Saturday opens the link and sees balances, open items and what’s already in the house – without scrolling up the chat.
Tricount and PlanLos! side by side
Both split expenses. The differences are in everything that happens around them.
| On the weekend | PlanLos! | Tricount |
|---|---|---|
| Expenses and balances | Add expenses, set shares, see the settle-up | That’s the core of the app |
| Who brings what? | Bring list in the same group | Not part of the app |
| Keys, shopping, cleaning up | To-dos: claim and check off | Not part of the app |
| Joining | In the browser via invite link, a name is enough | Mostly through the Tricount app |
| Price | Free, no subscription | Basics free, optional Pro subscription |
| Taking an old group along | No import, a new group per trip | History stays in Tricount |
Based on how each app is publicly positioned. Tricount may change its features. What PlanLos! stores is described in the privacy policy.
How to start fresh
1
Name the group after the trip
“Cabin May” or “Open Air” is plenty. The old Tricount round stays closed, and the new balances start at zero.
2
Drop the link in the chat
Same crew as always. Whoever taps the link types a name and immediately sees what’s already in there – on their phone, in the browser.
3
Add three things right away
Milk and bread under To-dos, charcoal under Bring, the cabin under Costs. After that, everything runs in one place.
Example: ski cabin with eight people
Last year the settle-up ran in Tricount, with a chat next to it full of “Does anyone still have a raclette pan?” This time Nora creates the group “Ski February” in PlanLos!. She adds the cabin deposit of €560 under Costs herself, Tim adds the lift passes. Under Bring: raclette, snow chains and mulled wine spices. Under To-dos: “share the key code” and “final cleaning Sunday”. On the day you leave, everyone looks at the same group and sees who still owes whom.
When switching makes sense
When it’s about more than one restaurant bill.
- ✓ You use Tricount and want packing and bring lists right next to it
- ✓ Cabin, festival or ski weekend, and everyone arrives at different times
- ✓ A few people in the group don’t want to install another app
- ✓ You start every trip with a fresh kitty anyway
Quick questions
Can I import my Tricount group into PlanLos!?
No, there’s no Tricount import. You close the old round in Tricount and start a new group for the next weekend. For most friend groups the settle-up ends with the trip anyway. Only Splitwise exports can be brought in as a CSV file.
Does PlanLos! replace Tricount?
For expenses, balances and settling up: yes, you do all of that in PlanLos! too. On top you get the bring list and To-dos in the same group – the things that stay in the chat with a pure settle-up app.
Does everyone have to install PlanLos!?
No. Joining works in the browser through the invite link: type a name, done. An account is only needed for whoever creates the group – and for finding it again on several devices.
How do we split costs when not everyone was at dinner?
For each expense you pick the people involved. The cabin can cover everyone, the restaurant only those who ate.
Where is the data stored?
The servers are in the EU (hosted at Hetzner). What gets stored and how to delete your account is explained in the privacy policy.
Try it on your next weekend
Create a group, drop the link in the chat, add the first shop. Then you’ll see for yourselves whether kitty and lists work better in one place.