betweenus does one thing: a shared ledger for money lent between two people, with the interest worked out for you. Plenty of good tools overlap with that. Here’s an honest look at five of them, including where they do the job better.
01
Splitwise
Best for Splitting shared costs across a group
Splitwise is what most people reach for when money is shared: trips, flats, dinners out. It’s polished, it runs on iPhone, Android and the web, and the whole group sees the same running totals. If you’re splitting a holiday six ways, use it.
It isn’t built for a loan, though. There’s no interest rate and no compounding, so a loan logged as an expense never grows. You can’t ask what it’s worth today, or what it will be by the time it’s paid off.
Where it does better
Groups of any size, not just two people
Receipt scanning and card import on Pro
Splitting a single bill by shares, percentages or items
Where betweenus fits better
Interest accrues daily and compounds monthly, on a day you choose
One ledger per loan, which you each see from your own side
The other person can propose an entry, and nothing changes until you accept it
02
Tricount
Best for Splitting costs with friends, especially in Europe
Tricount does much the same job as Splitwise and is hugely popular across Europe, with more than 20 million people using it. It’s free with no ads, quick to set up for a trip or a shared flat, and it works out who should pay whom to settle up.
Like Splitwise, it’s built for splitting, not lending. There’s no interest, and no sense of a loan growing over time or shrinking as it’s repaid.
Where it does better
Free, with no ads and no limits
Groups of any size, with payment requests to settle up
Apps for iPhone and Android
Where betweenus fits better
Interest worked out for you, the same way every time
A running balance for one loan, from the first day to the last repayment
Runs in any browser, with nothing to install
03
National Family Mortgage
Best for Family loans secured on a home, in the US
National Family Mortgage is the best-known name in family lending. It prepares the promissory note and mortgage paperwork for a loan between relatives, has it recorded through a local settlement agent, and sets the rate in line with IRS rules. A third-party servicer can collect the payments and handle annual tax reporting. It says it has documented billions of dollars in family loans since 2010.
It’s built for house-sized loans secured on a property, with paperwork to match. If you’re lending for a house, start there. For a loan that isn’t tied to a home, such as help with a car, a course or a rough patch, it’s more than you need.
Where it does better
Legal documents, recorded against the property
Rates set to satisfy IRS rules
Optional servicing and annual IRS reporting
Where betweenus fits better
Loans of any size, for anything, in any currency
Free to start and ready in minutes, with no paperwork
You both see the balance and each repayment as it’s logged
04
ZimpleMoney
Best for Formal private loans where you want payments collected for you
ZimpleMoney is loan-servicing software for private lenders, from family loans to seller financing. It sets the repayment schedule, sends reminders, takes payments by bank transfer and posts them to the ledger, and produces US tax forms. The borrower reviews and accepts the plan and can log in any time.
That’s a lot of machinery, and it’s priced to match: plans start at $23 a month for up to three loans, plus a $23 setup fee per loan and a fee on each payment. For a large, formal loan that can be worth it. For a loan to your sister, it’s probably more than you need.
Where it does better
Collects repayments by bank transfer and records them automatically
Payment reminders and US tax forms
Built to run many loans, including for professional lenders
Where betweenus fits better
Free to start, and the person you invite never pays
No payment setup: pay each other however you like, then log it
Light enough for a loan between two people who trust each other
05
A spreadsheet
Best for People who like building their own
A spreadsheet is free, endlessly flexible and already on your computer. Add a loan agreement template and you have the paperwork too. Plenty of family loans run this way for years without trouble.
Trouble tends to show up later. Interest formulas are easy to get slightly wrong, especially with compounding and repayments partway through a month. Copies drift apart: one of you updates the file while the other looks at last month’s. And when the numbers disagree, there’s no record of who changed what.
Where it does better
Free, with no account to create
Shape it however you like
Nothing new to learn if you already live in spreadsheets
Where betweenus fits better
Interest is worked out for you, the same way every time
There’s one copy, and you both see each entry as it’s logged
Entries the other person suggests wait for your say-so
Side by side
betweenus
Splitwise
Tricount
National Family Mortgage
ZimpleMoney
Spreadsheet
Built for
A loan between two people
Splitting group expenses
Splitting group expenses
Documenting family mortgages
Servicing private loans
Anything
Interest worked out for you
Daily, compounded monthly
No
No
Rate set in the paperwork; a servicer can track it
Yes
Only if you write the formulas
Both people see the record
Yes, each from their own side
Yes, the whole group
Yes, the whole group
You each get the signed documents
Yes, through a borrower login
If you share the file
Collects payments
No, it keeps the record
No
Sends payment requests
Through an optional servicer
Yes, by bank transfer
No
Runs on
Any browser
iPhone, Android, web
iPhone, Android
Web
Web
Wherever your spreadsheet does
Cost to start
Free
Free, with a paid Pro tier
Free
A fee per loan
$23 a month, plus $23 per loan
Free
Checked against each product’s own site and app listing in October 2026.
Moving a loan across
Start a ledger, set the rate, and enter the original loan and each repayment with the date it happened. betweenus works out the interest from the very first day, so you can check its figures against your spreadsheet or your last statement. Then invite the other person, and they see the same history from their side.
Pairs well with a written agreement
A ledger records what happened; an agreement records what you promised. If you want a signed promissory note, legal-document services such as Rocket Lawyer and LegalZoom have promissory note and loan agreement templates. Sign the agreement there, and keep the running balance here.
How we put this together
We read each product’s own website and app store listing in October 2026. Prices and features change, so check with them before you decide. Splitwise, Tricount, National Family Mortgage, ZimpleMoney, Rocket Lawyer and LegalZoom are trademarks of their owners, and betweenus isn’t affiliated with any of them.
One loan, two people, one ledger between us.
Free to start, and free for the person you invite. Try it with one loan and see if it suits you both.