Splitting a restaurant bill is a tiny problem.
But it is also the kind of problem that can make you reach for a calculator, send multiple WhatsApp messages, and argue about who ordered what. π
As part of our Smarteyeapps micro-app experiments, we decided to build a simple Online Bill Splitter that solves this one problem without requiring users to create an account.
π Try it: https://smarteyeapps.com/smart-expense/online-bill-splitter
The idea
The goal was straightforward:
Enter a bill β split it β share everyone's amount.
We didn't want to turn it into another large expense-management application.
For a simple bill, users shouldn't have to:
Create an account
Remember a password
Install an application
Set up a group
Configure a complicated expense system
They should be able to open the tool and start immediately.
What can it do?
The current version supports:
Equal bill splitting
Unequal/custom amounts
Multiple participants
Individual shareable bill links
WhatsApp and messaging-app sharing
UPI ID or payment link information
Mobile-friendly interface
No login required
Equal splitting
For example:
Dinner: βΉ2,400
People: 4
Rahul βΉ600
Arun βΉ600
John βΉ600
Alex βΉ600
Unequal splitting
If everyone ordered different things:
Dinner: βΉ2,400
Rahul βΉ800
Arun βΉ600
John βΉ500
Alex βΉ500
This makes the tool useful beyond simple equal splitting.
The interesting part: sharing
One of the main things we wanted to make easy was sharing the result.
Instead of manually sending:
Rahul, you owe me βΉ800
Arun, you owe me βΉ600
John, you owe me βΉ500
the bill creator can generate individual shareable links and send them to the participants.
This is particularly useful for WhatsApp-based communication.
Why a micro-app?
This project is part of a bigger experiment we're working on at Smarteyeapps.
We're exploring the idea of building very small applications that solve very specific problems.
Rather than starting with:
"What huge SaaS application can we build?"
we're starting with:
"What small problem can we solve really well?"
Some tools may remain completely free. Others may eventually become features of larger products.
The important part is getting the tool in front of real users and learning what they actually need.
The technology
The application is built using our usual web stack:
Laravel
React
Inertia
Tailwind CSS
JavaScript
We're intentionally keeping the user experience lightweight and browser-first.
The tool doesn't require a traditional account-based workflow for simply splitting a bill.
What we're learning
Building a small application is surprisingly useful for product experimentation.
A tiny tool forces you to think carefully about:
What is the minimum functionality required?
Where can we remove friction?
What should happen in the first 10 seconds?
Does the user actually need an account?
These questions are sometimes more valuable than adding another 20 features.
What's next?
We're planning to continue experimenting with small online tools under Smarteyeapps.
The goal isn't to build every possible feature.
The goal is to build useful tools, put them in front of people, and see which problems have enough demand to justify building something bigger.
If you have a small everyday problem that you think could be solved with a simple web tool, let me know in the comments.
Maybe it will become our next micro-app. π
Try the Online Bill Splitter:
https://smarteyeapps.com/smart-expense/online-bill-splitter
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