Tip Pooling Software for Restaurants: Kickfin vs Gratuity Solutions vs 7shifts vs Homebase
By the HospitalityStack editors · written from hotel & resort F&B experience
What tip software does
It pulls tips from your POS, applies your pool rules (by role, hours or points), shows staff what they earned, and pays out tips or exports them to payroll, without a manager doing it by hand at close. Before you buy, check that your pool rules follow the federal (FLSA) rules and your state's tip laws; the software only applies the rules you set.
Kickfin: instant payouts, quote only
Kickfin focuses on paying tips out digitally and instantly to employees' bank accounts instead of in cash. Its pricing page offers a quote rather than a price list and says there are no contracts, setup fees or hardware (checked Oct 2026).
Gratuity Solutions: published per-location tiers
Gratuity Solutions covers automated tip pooling, same-day pay, payroll export, minimum-wage make-up and tip compliance. Its pricing page (checked Oct 2026) shows three tiers: You Drive (self-managed) at $49/mo and We Drive (white-glove) at $89/mo in its ROI calculator, plus custom-priced Enterprise. It advertises a free pilot, with no per-transaction or per-employee fees. Prices show differently for annual prepay vs monthly invoice, so confirm per-location pricing and billing terms in writing.
7shifts: tips inside a scheduling suite
7shifts is restaurant scheduling and payroll software with Tip Management and Tip Pooling features, and it has a free starting plan. Its plan prices are on its pricing page, but they load in the browser and we couldn't read them reliably, so we're not quoting numbers. Check which plan includes tip pooling before you sign up.
Homebase: tip add-on with a published price
Homebase sells Tip Manager for $25/month per location as an add-on to any plan. It pulls tips from your POS, works out the pool and adds it to timesheets. Homebase plans run from $0 (1 location, up to 10 employees) to $120 per location per month (checked Oct 2026).
How to choose
Already scheduling in 7shifts or Homebase: try their built-in tip tools first. One less system to maintain. Staff want same-day digital tips instead of cash: compare Kickfin and Gratuity Solutions' same-day pay. Multiple outlets or hotel departments with complex pools, or you need compliance features: Gratuity Solutions or a Kickfin quote. Whatever you pick, run one pay period alongside your current spreadsheet and check every payout matches. Use our free staff schedule template for hours, and see 7shifts vs Homebase.