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Vishal Shetty
Vishal Shetty

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I built a restaurant bill splitting app — here’s how it works (SplitMalple)

Splitting a restaurant bill sounds simple… until it isn’t.

You’ve probably been there:

  • Someone pays more than they should
  • Others underpay
  • And it ends with confusion or awkward conversations

I’ve faced this multiple times — and that’s what led me to build SplitMalple.


💡 How the idea started

The idea came up during a restaurant outing.

A friend casually said:

“Why don’t you build an app for this?”

That one line stuck with me.

Also, the name SplitMalple comes from my native language Tulu, where “Malple” means “to do” — making it simple, personal, and action-focused.


⚡ The problem

Splitting bills in groups is rarely fair:

  • People order different items
  • Some dishes are shared
  • Equal splitting doesn’t make sense

So what do we usually do?

  • Open a calculator 📱
  • Do manual math 🧾
  • Or just “adjust later” 😅

None of these are ideal.


🚀 The solution — SplitMalple

SplitMalple makes bill splitting simple, fair, and stress-free.

Instead of guessing, it lets you split based on actual consumption.


🔥 What it does

  • Add food items with price and quantity
  • Assign items to specific people
  • Handle shared items easily
  • Automatically calculate who owes what
  • Generate a clean summary
  • Share the final split instantly

It also enhances the experience by fetching food images dynamically using APIs.


🎥 Demo

Instead of explaining, here’s a quick look at how it works in real time:


🧠 What I learned while building this

1. Real-world problems are messy

Handling shared items, edge cases, and fairness is more complex than it seems.


2. UX matters more than logic

Even if calculations are correct, the app must feel effortless.


3. Small features can make big differences

A simple share feature significantly improved usability.


4. Building in public helps

Sharing progress keeps you accountable and helps you improve faster.


🌐 Try it out

👉 https://splitmalple.vercel.app


💭 Final thought

Great meals bring people together.
Fair bills keep them that way.


Pay only for what you actually ate.

Top comments (2)

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japandevtools profile image
japandevtools

This is fun to use. UI looks nice. The split menu is good. We always fight there. How many people do you expect to use it?

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vishalshetty profile image
Vishal Shetty

Haha yeah, that’s the exact spot where things usually go wrong 😄

I built SplitMalple mainly for groups like ours where this keeps happening. Starting small for now, but it’s one of those problems that shows up everywhere — so let’s see how far it goes.