RoomieSplit

Fee-free rent and utility splitting for college roommates – split, track, and settle in seconds.

Score: 8.1/10MexicoMedium BuildReady to Spawn
Brand Colors

The Opportunity

Problem

College students are frustrated by high fees on student banking apps that lack built-in tools for easily splitting rent and utilities with roommates.

Solution

RoomieSplit lets students create roommate groups to instantly split rent and utilities without banking fees. It tracks who owes what, sends payment requests via links, and confirms receipts automatically. No more Venmo fees or awkward spreadsheets – everything's in one app built for dorm life.

Target Audience

College students living with roommates who manage shared rent and utilities

Differentiator

Student-verified users only (via .edu email), zero transaction fees using virtual IOUs settled via any payment app.

Brand Voice

friendly

Features

Group Creation

must-have8h

Create or join roommate groups with invite links

Bill Splitting

must-have12h

Add rent/utility bills and auto-split by equal/unequal shares

Payment Requests

must-have10h

Generate shareable payment links for Venmo/PayPal/Zelle

Balance Dashboard

must-have8h

Real-time view of who owes what in the group

Receipt Upload

must-have6h

Upload proof of payment to mark splits as settled

Auto-Reminders

nice-to-have10h

Email/SMS nudges for overdue payments

History Export

nice-to-have6h

Download CSV of past splits for taxes

AI Split Suggestions

future20h

Suggest splits based on past usage patterns

Total Build Time: 80 hours

Database Schema

users

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
emailtextNo
nametextNo
is_verified_studentboolNo
created_attimestampNo

Relationships:

  • groups.creator_id -> users.id

groups

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
nametextNo
creator_iduuidNo
invite_codetextNo

Relationships:

  • members.group_id -> groups.id
  • bills.group_id -> groups.id

members

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
group_iduuidNo
user_iduuidNo
joined_attimestampNo

bills

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
group_iduuidNo
descriptiontextNo
total_amountintNo
split_typetextNo
statustextNo

Relationships:

  • payments.bill_id -> bills.id

payments

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
bill_iduuidNo
user_iduuidNo
share_amountintNo
paid_amountintYes
receipt_urltextYes

API Endpoints

POST
/api/groups

Create new group

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/groups/:id/join

Join group with code

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/bills

Create bill in group

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/bills/:id/payments

Get bill splits

🔒 Auth Required
PUT
/api/payments/:id/confirm

Mark payment with receipt

🔒 Auth Required

Tech Stack

Frontend
Next.js 14 + Tailwind + shadcn/ui
Backend
Next.js API routes + Supabase
Database
Supabase Postgres
Auth
Supabase Auth
Payments
Stripe (for subs)
Hosting
Vercel
Additional Tools
Resend for emailsUploadthing for receipts

Build Timeline

Week 1: Auth and core setup

40h
  • User signup/verification
  • Basic dashboard

Week 2: Groups and members

40h
  • Group CRUD
  • Invite/join flow

Week 3: Bills and splitting

40h
  • Bill creation/splitting
  • Payments tracking

Week 4: Polish and launch

30h
  • Receipt upload
  • Landing page
  • Payments integration
Total Timeline: 4 weeks • 160 hours

Pricing Tiers

Free

$0/mo

No reminders, 3 members max

  • 1 group
  • Unlimited bills
  • Basic splitting

Pro

$4.99/mo

No exports

  • Unlimited groups/members
  • Reminders
  • Receipts

Premium

$9.99/mo
  • All Pro + exports
  • Priority support
  • Analytics

Revenue Projections

MonthUsersConversionMRRARR
Month 12002%$20$240
Month 61,5005%$375$4,500

Unit Economics

$5
CAC
$120
LTV
8%
Churn
92%
Margin
LTV:CAC Ratio: 24.0xExcellent!

Landing Page Copy

Split Rent & Bills Fee-Free with Roommates

Ditch high fees and spreadsheets. RoomieSplit makes shared expenses effortless for college crews.

Feature Highlights

Zero fees ever
Auto-splits & tracking
Student-verified groups
Payment reminders

Social Proof (Placeholders)

"'Saved us $20/mo in fees!' - Alex, UCLA"
"'Roomie drama solved.' - Sarah, NYU"

First Three Customers

Post in 5 college subreddits like r/UCLA, r/college with free Pro access for first group. DM student org leaders on Instagram for dorms. Offer beta to friends' roommates via group chats.

Launch Channels

Product Huntr/colleger/SaaSIndie HackersCollege Facebook groups

SEO Keywords

split rent with roommatesroommate bill splitter appfree utility split collegestudent rent sharing tool

Competitive Analysis

Splitwise

splitwise.com
Free with premium upsell
Strength

Established user base

Weakness

Fees on transfers, not student-focused

Our Advantage

Zero fees + student verification

3% fees
Strength

Easy P2P

Weakness

No group splitting/tracking

Our Advantage

Built-in group bills

🏰 Moat Strategy

Network effects from campus-specific roommate groups that lock in users

⏰ Why Now?

College enrollment up 5%, housing costs +20% post-pandemic, students seek fee-free tools amid inflation.

Risks & Mitigation

marketmedium severity

Low adoption if not viral on campuses

Mitigation

Target specific universities first

technicallow severity

Email verification fails

Mitigation

Fallback to manual .edu check

Validation Roadmap

pre-build7 days

Interview 20 students on pain

Success: 15+ confirm willingness to pay $5/mo

mvp14 days

Get 50 signups via Reddit

Success: 10 active groups

Pivot Options

  • Expand to non-students/shared apartments
  • Add grocery splitting
  • White-label for universities

Quick Stats

Build Time
160h
Target MRR (6 mo)
$1,000
Market Size
$50.0M
Features
8
Database Tables
5
API Endpoints
5