Grateful vs TabPref

Grateful8.9Visit TabPref8.5Visit

Higher score Grateful #5 in Restaurant Tip Management Software 8.9/10 Pricing on request ✓ 3 of 3 features Visit Grateful

vs

TabPref #9 in Restaurant Tip Management Software 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 3 features Visit TabPref

• Grateful fits best

  UK hospitality groups managing tronc compliance

• TabPref fits best

  Small teams wanting free tips plus workforce tools

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Side by side

Feature	Grateful 8.9/10 Visit ↗	TabPref 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.9	8.5
Ranking	#5 in Restaurant Tip Management Software	#9 in Restaurant Tip Management Software
Best for	UK hospitality groups managing tronc compliance	Small teams wanting free tips plus workforce tools
Pricing model	Paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Pricing on request	—
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile	Cloud, Mobile
Platforms	Web, Android	Web, iOS, Android
Compliance	GDPR	2FA
Integrations	20 integrations	14 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market
Features Grateful 3/3 · TabPref 3/3
Custom pool rules	✓	✓
Shift allocation	✓	✓
Employee app	✓	✓
Specs
Payroll export	Both	File
POS integrations	11 (best)	5
Record granularity	Shift	Shift
Our review
Pros	Configurable tronc rules across sites, roles and shifts Real-time employee earnings visibility with distribution breakdowns Direct cashless tipping, payroll exports and 11 POS integrations	Flexible hours-, points-, and sales-based tip distribution Shift-level calculations, audit trails, and manager sign-off Free starter plan includes scheduling and time-clock tools
Cons	Pricing requires a sales quote No free plan is available Its focus is UK hospitality tipping and tronc management	Payroll exports are limited to CSV and Excel files Paid plans use per-location monthly pricing Broader workforce features may exceed tip-only needs
Our verdict	Grateful is a UK hospitality tipping and tronc platform for restaurants, hotels, bars and other service operators. It automates tip and service-charge collection, allocation, compliance records, payroll flows and employee visibility.… Read the review →	TabPref is a hospitality workforce management platform for restaurants, bars, hotels, catering companies, spas, and casinos. It brings together tip pooling, staff scheduling, time tracking, labor analytics, team messaging, vendor… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Grateful — where it wins

  • Configurable tronc rules across sites, roles and shifts
  • Real-time employee earnings visibility with distribution breakdowns
  • Direct cashless tipping, payroll exports and 11 POS integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing requires a sales quote
  • No free plan is available
  • Its focus is UK hospitality tipping and tronc management

• TabPref — where it wins

  • Flexible hours-, points-, and sales-based tip distribution
  • Shift-level calculations, audit trails, and manager sign-off
  • Free starter plan includes scheduling and time-clock tools

  Where it doesn't

  • Payroll exports are limited to CSV and Excel files
  • Paid plans use per-location monthly pricing
  • Broader workforce features may exceed tip-only needs

• Grateful8.9/10 · Pricing on request

  A UK-focused platform for compliant tronc rules, transparent earnings and payroll flows.

  Visit GratefulFull verdict →
• TabPref8.5/10 · Free plan

  A free, broad workforce platform with detailed tip rules and payroll exports.

  Visit TabPrefFull verdict →