The Roommate App: Shared Kitty, Chores and Shopping in One Place

Every shared flat has one: the list on the fridge that nobody has ticked off for weeks. The flatmate who always buys the toilet paper and quietly resents it. And the group chat where, somewhere between party photos, someone asked who still needs to be paid back for the internet.

Living together is great, but it comes with a lot of small stuff. Most flatshares handle it with a mix of notes, chat messages and two or three apps. In this post we show how Kithora works as a roommate app that brings all that small stuff into one place, and why that is about more than convenience.

Why things get tense in so many shared flats

Arguments between roommates rarely start with big issues. Usually it is small uncertainties that build up over weeks:

• Who paid the last electricity bill, and has everyone sent their share yet?
• Was it the bathroom or the kitchen this week, and who cleaned last?
• Is washing-up liquid already on the list, or will two people buy it again today?

None of this is dramatic. But when these questions get lost in the chat or only one person keeps track, it quickly feels like not everyone is pulling their weight. That is exactly where the bad mood starts.

One app instead of four: how Kithora works

In Kithora you create a shared space for your flat, called a Kora. If you pick the Flatshare template, the right areas are set up straight away. All roommates see the same thing: the same kitty, the same chore plan, the same shopping list. Anything you do not need can be hidden.

The house kitty: split costs fairly

Whoever pays for something for the flat adds it in a few seconds, whether it is the weekly shop, cleaning supplies or a new pan. Kithora keeps track of who owes whom and suggests as few transfers as possible when you settle up. Nobody has to maintain spreadsheets or keep receipts in a drawer anymore.

Fixed costs like internet, electricity or streaming subscriptions are set up once as recurring expenses and then appear every month by themselves. If not everyone should pay the same, for example because the rooms are different sizes, you split by percentage or fixed amounts. A long receipt? Just take a photo and the app recognises the individual items.

A chore plan everyone can see

Jobs like the bathroom, kitchen or bins are assigned directly to individual roommates, with due dates and reminders. Finished chores get ticked off, and everyone can see what is still open. If you like, you can collect points for it. A small leaderboard often motivates more than any note on the fridge.

With Premium, single chores become recurring ones: the bathroom comes back every week by itself, and little things like emptying the dishwasher can be done again and again as quick on-demand tasks.

The shared shopping list

Everyone writes on the same list, and whoever is in the supermarket sees right away what is missing. Ticked-off items disappear for everyone, so double purchases become rare. Things you always need, from washing-up liquid to coffee, go into a library and back onto the list with one tap.

The Chronicle: more than just organizing

A shared flat is also a home. In the Chronicle you share photos and short posts, from moving-in day to game night to the flat party. Along the way you build a shared memory that does not vanish in a chat history.

Moving in, moving out and new roommates

Hardly any living arrangement sees people come and go as often as a flatshare. New roommates join via link or QR code and see the current state immediately. When someone moves out, it is best to settle up once more beforehand. Shared expenses stay traceable afterwards, while the person's name and personal details are anonymised as soon as they leave the Kora. The flat keeps its accounts, the former roommate keeps their privacy.

Privacy matters in a shared flat too

Who pays how much, who buys what, which photos from the last party exist: that is nobody's business but the flat's. That is why every Kora is end-to-end encrypted, and even we as the provider cannot read your data. Nobody needs an account with an email address, and the app works offline too, say in the basement next to the washing machine.

Set up your flat in five minutes

1. Download Kithora from the App Store or Google Play and create a profile with a name and avatar.
2. Create a Kora and pick the Flatshare template.
3. Invite your roommates via link or QR code.
4. Add fixed costs like internet and electricity as recurring expenses.
5. Hand out the first chores and fill the shopping list.

What comes next

This post gives you the overview. In upcoming articles we will look at individual topics in more detail: how to run a fair house kitty, how to split rent and utilities when rooms differ in size, how to keep a chore plan working after three months and what to think about when people move in or out. If there is a topic your flat is struggling with, let us know.