TripCost – The Ultimate Expense-Sharing & Budget Management App

Managing shared expenses while traveling or living with friends can be a challenge, often leading to confusion and financial disputes. To solve this problem, I developed TripCost, a powerful and intuitive expense-sharing application similar to Tricount and Splitwise.

Built with React Native 0.72, Node.js, and MongoDB, this app allows users to split bills, track expenses, and settle payments effortlessly. It supports multiple currencies, various locales, in-app purchases, and Google Ads monetization, making it a feature-rich financial companion for individuals and groups.

Project Overview

TripCost is a comprehensive expense-tracking app designed to simplify cost-sharing for:
✅ Group travel (vacations, road trips, etc.)
✅ Roommates splitting household expenses
✅ Friends managing event expenses
✅ Business teams tracking shared costs

This app eliminates the hassle of manually calculating and dividing expenses, ensuring transparency and accuracy.

Development Highlights:

• Technology Stack: React Native 0.72, Node.js, MongoDB

• Development Duration: 2 months

• Key Features: In-app purchases, Google Ads integration, multi-currency & multi-locale support, customized user panel

• Scale: A large, feature-rich application for global users

Key Features of TripCost

1. Intuitive Expense Splitting

• Users can add expenses and split them equally or unequally among group members.

• Supports percentage-based, amount-based, and custom splits.

• Debt settlement tracking ensures users always know who owes what.

2. Multi-Currency & Multi-Locale Support

• Supports 20+ different currencies, allowing users to track expenses in their preferred currency.

• Features automatic currency conversion to simplify international travel expense tracking.

• Multi-locale support ensures a smooth user experience worldwide.

3. Customized User Panel & Dashboard

• Users get a personalized dashboard displaying total expenses, balances, and pending payments.

• Provides group-based and individual expense summaries.

• Intuitive charts and reports for better financial tracking.

4. In-App Purchases & Google Ads Monetization

• Offers premium features such as expense export, advanced analytics, and no-ads experience via in-app purchases.

• Integrated Google Ads for generating revenue while keeping the core features free.

5. Seamless Authentication & Data Security

• Secure user authentication using JWT & OAuth.

• User data is encrypted and stored securely in MongoDB.

6. Notifications & Reminders

• Real-time notifications for new expenses, pending payments, and reminders.

• Customizable reminders help users stay on top of their payments.

Technology Stack & Development Approach

1. Frontend – React Native 0.72

• Built a responsive and optimized mobile UI for Android and iOS.

• Used Redux Toolkit for state management, ensuring fast and smooth UI interactions.

• Implemented lazy loading and code splitting to improve app performance.

2. Backend – Node.js with Express

• Lightweight and scalable backend built using Node.js with Express.js.

• Designed a RESTful API to handle user authentication, expense management, and notifications.

• Optimized database queries using MongoDB indexing to ensure fast response times.

3. Database – MongoDB

• Chose MongoDB for scalability and flexibility in handling user expenses and transactions.

• Used Mongoose ORM for managing schema-based data models.

4. Monetization – In-App Purchases & Google Ads

• Google Play Billing and Apple In-App Purchases (IAP) integrated for premium features.

• AdMob ads placed strategically for non-intrusive revenue generation.

Challenges & Solutions

1. Managing Currency Conversions in Real-Time

• Challenge: Users needed real-time currency conversion for expense tracking.

• Solution: Integrated a third-party currency exchange API to provide live conversion rates.

2. Ensuring Smooth Synchronization Across Multiple Devices

• Challenge: Users needed their expenses to be synced across multiple devices in real-time.

• Solution: Used MongoDB Change Streams & WebSockets to ensure instant data updates.

3. Reducing Backend Load for Large-Scale Expense Tracking

• Challenge: Handling high traffic and large data sets without performance bottlenecks.

• Solution: Implemented query optimizations, caching (Redis), and load balancing to enhance performance.

4. Handling Different Locales & Date Formats

• Challenge: Different regions have different number formats, date styles, and currency symbols.

• Solution: Used Intl.js to dynamically format currencies, numbers, and dates based on user preferences.

User Impact & Benefits

✅ Saves Time & Effort: No need for manual calculations—TripCost does everything for you.
✅ Transparency & Accountability: Tracks who paid what and who owes whom with a clear breakdown.
✅ Perfect for Travelers & Roommates: Ideal for group vacations, road trips, shared rent, and event expenses.
✅ Works Internationally: Supports multiple currencies and automatic conversions.
✅ Premium Features for Power Users: Advanced users can unlock premium features for enhanced budgeting.

My Role & Contributions

As the lead developer of TripCost, I handled:

• Complete frontend & backend development (React Native, Node.js, MongoDB).

• App architecture & database design for performance and scalability.

• Implementation of multi-currency support & automatic conversions.

• Monetization strategy (In-app purchases, Google Ads integration).

• UI/UX design & optimization to ensure a seamless user experience.

• Security implementation (authentication, encryption, and data protection).

Conclusion

TripCost is a powerful, intuitive, and scalable expense-sharing app designed for travelers, roommates, and friends looking to manage shared expenses hassle-free. Built with React Native, Node.js, and MongoDB, it delivers a seamless, feature-rich experience with multi-currency support, in-app purchases, real-time notifications, and financial transparency.

With its global reach and user-friendly interface, TripCost stands out as a must-have financial management app for anyone looking to split bills quickly, accurately, and conveniently.