Tab is built for one job and does it well: point it at a restaurant or bar receipt, split it by item, and settle a single check without arguing over who had the extra drink. That's a different job than collecting a group fund. TableCash gathers a whole group's money upfront into one place: everyone chips in by card, it lands with one trusted organizer through Stripe, the organizer approves what leaves, and everyone sees every dollar. For splitting tonight's bill, use Tab. For collecting money before the thing happens, use a table.

Two different jobs, honestly

Tab is genuinely good at the thing it's for: you scan a single restaurant or bar receipt, it pulls out the line items, and everyone claims what they actually ordered so the check splits fairly down to the appetizer. For settling one shared bill at the end of a meal, that itemized approach beats splitting evenly and beats doing the math by hand. But it's built around one receipt that already exists. It doesn't collect a group's money ahead of time, it doesn't hold a balance, and it isn't meant to gather funds for a trip, a gift, or dues. That's not a flaw in Tab, it's just a different job.

What each one actually does

1. Tab splits one receipt. Scan a restaurant or bar check, split it by item, settle a single bill. It works off a receipt that already exists.
2. TableCash collects a group fund. Everyone chips in their share by card and the money lands with one trusted organizer through Stripe, before the thing gets booked or bought.
3. Tab is after-the-fact. It divides a cost that already happened at the table you're sitting at.
4. TableCash is upfront. The organizer holds the money and approves what leaves, and the whole group sees the balance, who chipped in, and what went out.

When it's a fund, not a check

Reach for Tab when there's one bill on the table and you want it split fairly by item, that's exactly what it's for, and it's faster than passing a card around. Reach for TableCash when the money has to be collected before anything happens: the group trip that needs a deposit, the shared gift that has to be bought first, the dues with a deadline. There's no receipt to scan yet, because the point is gathering the money into one place, held by one person, with everyone able to see it come in. TableCash never holds the money; it moves through Stripe to the organizer, and the app is the record everyone can open. If you're comparing group trackers more broadly, here's a Splitwise alternative that collects.