How it works

Here’s the whole trick.

Three steps for you. Zero setup for your friends. And the receipts to prove you can trust it.

The Dibs promise:your money never passes through us, your friends never download anything, and the receipt photo never leaves your phone. This page shows how it works — and why you can trust it. Free to use.
For the one who paid

Dinner’s done.
Here’s the whole job.

One phone, about a minute, start to finish.

1

Scan the receipt

Point your camera at it. Dibs reads every line in about a second — items, tax, tip, total — and checks that the math actually adds up. Anything it’s unsure about gets flagged for a quick look, and a fix is one tap. The more receipts Dibs sees, the sharper it gets.

2

Text your friends the tab

Pick who was at the table and Dibs writes the text for you — sent from your own Messages, from your number, like a normal text. No app blasting your friends. Each person gets a link to a tab page in a look you picked.

3

They tap. You lock. Everyone pays.

Friends tap Dibs on what they had — you’ll see claims land live. When everyone’s in, lock the tab: Dibs splits shared items, spreads tax and tip fairly, and hands each person their exact number with a one-tap Venmo, Cash App, or PayPal link that’s already filled in. You check people off as money arrives.

Why claim first, then pay?Because “what did you have?” is a fun group moment, and “you owe me $47.30” is not. Dibs runs the awkward part for you: first everyone tags their items, then the math happens, then paying is one tap. You never have to be the debt collector again.
For everyone else at the table

No app. No account.
Just tap what you had.

Your friend texts you a link. That’s the whole setup.

1

Open the text

The link opens a tab page in your browser. Say which name at the table is you — no password, no signup, nothing to install.

2

Tap Dibs on everything you had

Your total updates as you go. Shared the fries? Split them in a tap. Something already taken? You’ll see it. Tax and tip get added fairly when the tab locks — no surprises.

3

Pay with the apps you already use

When the tab locks you get your exact share and a payment link that’s already filled in — Venmo, Cash App, or PayPal. Tap, send, done. Dinner’s settled.

The part most apps hope you won’t ask about

Built so you don’t have
to trust us much.

The safest design is one where there’s little to worry about in the first place. That’s the design.

Your money never touches Dibs

Payments go friend-to-friend through Venmo, Cash App, or PayPal — apps you already trust. Dibs fills in the amount and gets out of the way. We never hold, move, or see your money.

The receipt photo stays on your phone

Scanning happens on your device. The photo is never uploaded — only the receipt’s text is used to build the tab, and you review every line before anyone sees it.

Friends stay guests

The people you invite never need an account, an email, or a download. Their phone numbers are never shown to other guests. Tab pages carry no ads and no third-party trackers.

The math shows its work

Every split adds up to the printed total — to the cent, checked automatically. Shared items divide evenly; tax and tip spread in proportion to what you had. Anything uncertain is flagged before the tab ever goes out.

Your data, your call

Delete your account any time from Settings and your data goes with it. What we keep while you’re here is the minimum the product needs — spelled out plainly at getdibs.app/privacy.

Free means free

No paywalls, no premium math, no “unlock your total.” Splitting dinner with your friends is the product, and it’s free.

What if someone doesn’t claim their stuff?
The host sees exactly who’s done and who’s not, and can nudge with a normal text — or assign leftovers and lock the tab anyway. Nothing stalls the night.
What if the scan gets something wrong?
You review everything before sending, uncertain lines are flagged, and any fix is a tap. Every correction also teaches Dibs — it gets better with every dinner.
Next dinner, call Dibs on the check.

Join the beta · questions to hello@getdibs.app

Prefer a copy? Download the guide (PDF)