Grateful vs TabPref

Grateful provides direct tipping and tronc compliance services for hospitality businesses. Allocation rules can be set once and applied across shifts, team members and sites; different venues can use different rules managed from a central dashboard. Independent troncmaster oversight is intended to help schemes operate in line with HMRC requirements. Employees can view tronc earnings in the app, with a breakdown of distribution calculations, although Peer to Peer earnings are not visible on the platform. Customers can tip workers directly to their accounts without cash or business administration. STASH splits tips and tronc payments between spending and an FSCS-protected savings account, and is included with every Grateful customer at no additional cost. Tronc data can flow into payroll through API integrations including Xero, Sage and Fourth. Listed integrations and partnerships include 3SPOS, Bizimply, Deputy, Epos Now, Fourth Hospitality, Harri, Kobas, Oracle Simphony, Toast and workforce.com. Grateful is available on Android and the web. Pricing for tronc and compliance depends on the service and is available on request. Direct tipping has a small incremental transaction fee charged to the customer, with no business cost.

TabPref combines hospitality workforce management with professional networking for establishments, service professionals, vendors, and consumers. Scheduling includes AI assistance, drag-and-drop tools, shift swaps, and an open-shift marketplace. Mobile and kiosk time clocks support geofencing, while labor tools track costs in real time, alert at 1.5x overtime, and monitor Fair Workweek compliance. Tip pooling can distribute tips by hours, points, or sales; TabChat provides channels, direct messages, and shift coordination. Establishments can create and promote events with Google Calendar sync. Sales-to-labor analysis can use POS data from Toast, Square, and Stripe Terminal. Timecards export to CSV and Excel for payroll workflows, while direct payroll integrations are available on paid plans. TabPref runs as a responsive web app and native iOS and Android apps. The free starter plan includes scheduling, time clock, team chat, and basic labor analytics for small teams. Paid plans are billed monthly per location, but no exact amount is stated. Consumers can use a free account to browse and follow establishments, RSVP to events, and message professionals. TabPref says it stores data in U.S.-based PostgreSQL databases, uses TLS in transit and AES-256 at rest, and does not sell or share user data with third parties.