I've downloaded every roommate app I could find. Splitwise. OurGroceries. Tody. Chorebuster. Roommate. Some were great. Most were terrible. And a few were so overcomplicated that they created more conflict than they solved.
Here are the five apps that actually helped, and the three that made things worse.
**1. Splitwise (for bills).** This is the gold standard for splitting expenses. You enter a bill, select who paid, select who owes what, and it tracks everything. At the end of the month, it tells you who owes whom and how much. No math. No arguments about "but I paid for groceries last week." It's all in the app. We use this for rent, utilities, and shared groceries.
**2. Google Calendar (for schedules).** Not a roommate app, but the best tool for shared spaces. We have a calendar for the bathroom, the laundry room, and guest visits. It's free, everyone already has it, and it prevents 90% of scheduling conflicts.
**3. OurGroceries (for shopping lists).** Shared grocery lists that update in real time. If I'm at the store and I see we're out of milk, I add it to the list. If my roommate is already at the store, they see it and buy it. No more "I thought you were getting milk" conversations.
**4. Venmo (for payments, not rent).** I know I wrote an article about why you shouldn't Venmo rent money. I stand by that. But Venmo is fine for small, casual payments. "I got coffee for both of us, you owe me $4." That's what Venmo is for. Just don't use it for rent.
**5. Notes app (for agreements).** Not fancy. Not an app recommendation. But the built-in notes app on your phone is where you should store your roommate agreement, your guest policy, and your cleaning schedule. It's searchable, shareable, and everyone has it.
Now the three apps that made things worse:
**1. Chore apps with points and leaderboards.** These gamify cleaning and they're terrible. Nobody wants to be ranked on a leaderboard for doing dishes. It turns cooperation into competition and creates resentment when someone forgets to log their chore.
**2. Apps that require daily check-ins.** If your roommate app sends push notifications about "don't forget to wipe the counter," you will hate your roommate within a month. Technology should reduce friction, not add nagging.
**3. Apps with complex expense categories.** If it takes more than 30 seconds to enter a bill, you won't use it. I tried an app that required me to categorize expenses by type, location, and priority level. We used it for three days and then went back to Splitwise.
The best roommate technology is the technology you'll actually use. If an app requires training, daily maintenance, or constant notifications, it's not helping. It's just another source of conflict.
My current apartment uses Splitwise for money, Google Calendar for scheduling, and a shared note for agreements. That's it. Three tools. Zero arguments about logistics. And that's the whole point of technology in shared housing: it should make things simpler, not more complicated.