The project dashboard is a free tool that is only available to verified hoteliers to make adopting new technology easier by streamlining their research and simplifying their communication workflow.
TLDR
We analyzed 373 verified hotelier reviews, compared feature sets, pricing, and real-world case studies to break down where each platform delivers. The right choice depends on your property type and priorities:
eTip shines in ease of use and customer support — especially for brand properties (0.0/5) , with exclusive features like Employee tip reporting and Credit & Debit Card Payments.
Evention LLC shines .
Side-by-side ratings based on 373 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Starting Price | From $100/mo | Contact sales |
| Verified Reviews | 373 | 0 |
After analyzing 373 verified reviews, eTip users most value its increased tips and employee morale, guest convenience, data analytics and guest feedback, while Evention LLC users highlight . Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
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Increased Tips and Employee Morale
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Guest Convenience
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Data Analytics and Guest Feedback
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Ease of Use
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Challenges with Group Tip Management
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How each product ranks among Digital Tipping Solutions vendors for different property sizes, types, and regions — based on verified reviews from hoteliers in each segment.
By Hotel Size
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| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | #2 6 reviews | — |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | #2 180 reviews | — |
| Large (75-199 rooms) ▾ | #1 93 reviews | — |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) ▾ | #1 86 reviews | — |
By Property Type
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| Boutique ▾ | #2 138 reviews | — |
| Luxury ▾ | #2 105 reviews | — |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | #2 291 reviews | — |
| Extended Stay ▾ | #2 43 reviews | — |
By Region
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| North America ▾ | #2 365 reviews | — |
Choosing between eTip.io and Instatip hinges on your hotel’s specific needs. While both aim to streamline financial processes, only eTip.io directly addresses digital tipping in the hospitality sector. Instatip, by contrast, functions as a financial management system designed for broader revenue and accounting optimization.
eTip.io boasts a comprehensive suite tailored for guest and staff engagement, whereas Instatip focuses on revenue accuracy and data-driven decision-making. Which of these aligns better with your current priorities?
eTip.io and Instatip serve fundamentally different functions, with eTip.io specializing in guest-to-employee digital tipping and Instatip acting as a revenue management system. eTip.io’s core value lies in boosting employee tips and morale through its user-friendly, cashless platform, supporting hotel staff engagement and guest satisfaction.
Instatip, on the other hand, emphasizes financial accuracy, real-time analytics, and revenue optimization, helping hotels refine pricing strategies and streamline accounting processes. Both platforms integrate into hotel operations, but their primary goals diverge sharply.
eTip.io’s 364 reviews and recent 77 reviews in the last six months reflect strong, current user confidence. In contrast, Instatip’s lack of reviews signals limited recent user feedback, making eTip the clear choice for hotels seeking active, proven solutions.
If your hotel needs a platform to increase tips, improve guest experience, and motivate staff through cashless, contactless payments, go with eTip.io. Its features—like employee tip reporting, payroll integration, contactless payments, and NFC scanning—are tailored for hospitality environments and backed by 5-star ratings.
If your focus is on optimizing revenue, managing financial data, and automating complex accounting tasks, Instatip may seem appealing. But without recent reviews or a proven hotel-specific track record, it’s less suited for frontline guest services.
For hoteliers aiming to enhance staff incentives, guest satisfaction, and operational transparency, eTip.io’s recent reviews and high NPS score make it the more reliable choice. Meanwhile, Instatip’s niche lies in financial management outside the direct guest-facing sphere.
eTip.io’s user interface is rated 4.84 out of 5, praised for its simplicity and quick setup, which staff find easy to adopt. The onboarding process is rated 4.72, with many reviews mentioning how helpful and responsive the support team is, making staff training straightforward.
Since Instatip has no available usability ratings or recent reviews, it’s impossible to assess its ease of use confidently. Its focus on financial automation hints at a more complex, back-end system likely requiring specialized training.
Edge: eTip.io.
eTip.io offers 17 unique features tailored for hospitality, including employee tip reporting, automatic tip distribution, NFC scanning, QR codes, contactless payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and credit card processing—all designed to increase tips and streamline staff incentives.
Instatip provides core revenue management tools but lacks detailed feature descriptions or a comparable feature count. Its primary strengths lie in data analytics and financial automation, not in guest or employee engagement.
Given its suite of 17 hotel-specific features, eTip.io clearly leads in providing functionalities directly impacting staff motivation and guest experience.
Edge: eTip.io.
eTip.io’s customer support is rated 4.85 out of 5, with recent reviews emphasizing their proactive, helpful approach. Guests mention that the support team is quick to resolve issues, with one reviewer stating, "They are only an email or call away," reflecting high satisfaction.
Since Instatip lacks recent reviews or publicly available support ratings, it’s difficult to gauge its customer service quality. Its newer or less visible presence in the market suggests support may not be as established or responsive.
Edge: eTip.io.
eTip.io seamlessly integrates with five verified partners, including Stripe, Visa, Oracle Hospitality, and Amadeus, offering a variety of payment and property management integrations. This extensive partner network enhances operational flexibility in hospitality settings.
Evention LLC has three verified partners, including Shiji Group and Book4Time, but its integrations are fewer and less hotel-specific. For hotels relying on multiple systems, eTip’s broader integration ecosystem is more advantageous.
Edge: eTip.io.
eTip.io’s reviews are recent, totaling 364, with 77 in the last six months, and a high likelihood to recommend of 96%. Its overall rating is 5/5, with users praising its ease of use, support, and effectiveness in boosting tips.
Instatip has no recent reviews or ratings, making it impossible to gauge hotel satisfaction. The absence of recent feedback indicates eTip.io’s stronger market reputation among hoteliers.
Edge: eTip.io.
eTip.io is priced at a flat $100 monthly fee, with no implementation or trial fees, offering transparent, predictable costs. Pricing details for Instatip are unavailable, suggesting it may be customized or not publicly disclosed.
Given eTip’s clear pricing model and proven ROI through various features, it provides better value for a typical hotel’s tipping needs. The lack of transparent pricing for Instatip complicates budgeting decisions.
Not ideal if your hotel primarily requires revenue automation with minimal guest interaction or tip management.
Not ideal if your priority is guest-facing tipping or staff engagement, as Instatip’s features are geared toward back-end financial accuracy.
eTip.io offers a targeted, feature-rich platform designed explicitly for hospitality, with proven results in increased tips, staff retention, and guest satisfaction. Its recent reviews, high ratings, and extensive integrations make it the more reliable choice for hotels seeking to boost employee morale and streamline tipping.
Instatip, while strong in revenue management and financial automation, lacks recent hotel-specific feedback and focus on guest-facing or staff incentive features. It’s better suited for hotels prioritizing financial analytics over guest engagement.
If your goal is to motivate staff, enhance guest experience, and see immediate operational benefits, eTip.io clearly outperforms. Choose eTip.io for a proven, hotel-centric solution that continues to garner top reviews and high satisfaction.
Digital Tipping Solutions pricing is rarely straightforward. Here is what we know from each vendor's public pricing data. Always request a custom quote for your property size.
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| Starting Price | From $100/mo | — |
According to HTR's product database, eTip.io and Tips+Gratuities share 0 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
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| 1099-K & Form 4070 issuing | ||
| Data Exporting | ||
| Employee Ratings Dashboard | ||
| Employee tip reporting | ||
| Payroll Integration | ||
| Satisfaction Surveys |
Showing top differences. 5 more features differ between these products.
What hoteliers love
Many reviews highlight how eTip has led to an increase in tips received by staff, contributing to a boost in employee morale. Guests are more likely t... Many reviews highlight how eTip has led to an increase in tips received by staff, contributing to a boost in employee morale. Guests are more likely to tip when the process is simplified and transparent, which helps in consistent tip distribution.
Reviews state that guests appreciate the convenience of being able to tip digitally when they do not have cash on hand. This aligns with a broader tre... Reviews state that guests appreciate the convenience of being able to tip digitally when they do not have cash on hand. This aligns with a broader trend towards cashless transactions, particularly emphasized in a digital era.
Users benefit from the analytics and feedback options provided by eTip, which allow hotels to gain insights into guest satisfaction and staff performa... Users benefit from the analytics and feedback options provided by eTip, which allow hotels to gain insights into guest satisfaction and staff performance. This feature is praised for facilitating better recognition and operational decisions.
Where hoteliers push back
There are some mentions of difficulties in managing group tip jars, indicating that this could be an area for potential improvement. Users expressed a... There are some mentions of difficulties in managing group tip jars, indicating that this could be an area for potential improvement. Users expressed a need for a simplified process or clearer instructions.
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. eTip.io and Tips+Gratuities share many core Digital Tipping Solutions features, but each has unique capabilities. eTip.io offers 5 verified integration partners, while Tips+Gratuities offers 3. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. eTip.io leads in ease of use at 4.8/5 vs 0.0/5. Look for transparent pricing and a trial or demo option. Filter reviews on each product page by property size to hear from hotels like yours.
eTip.io: No. Tips+Gratuities: No. Neither product currently offers a free tier. Most Digital Tipping Solutions vendors offer demos or trials — request one from each to evaluate before committing.
The HT Score is a composite ranking that considers 4 criteria groups and over a dozen variables to help hoteliers objectively compare hotel technology products. eTip has an HT Score of 95 and Evention LLC has 0. Here is how the score is calculated.
| Criteria Group | Weight | What It Measures |
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| Customer Ratings & Reviews |
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How highly do users recommend this product? Ratings Score, Review Volume, Share of Voice, Review Depth, Review Recency, Success Stories ▾ The most heavily weighted factor. Analyzes average satisfaction ratings (likelihood to recommend, ease of use, support, ROI), total review count relative to category peers, review recency (at least 20 reviews in the trailing 6 months), and share of voice across unique hotel clients to detect selection bias. |
| Partner Ecosystem |
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How highly do tech partners recommend this company? Partner Recommendations, Integration Quantity, Integration Quality ▾ Evaluates partner recommendations as expert votes of confidence, the number of verified integrations, and ecosystem quality — the average HT Scores of integration partners. Products with higher-quality integration ecosystems are more likely to deliver a connected tech stack. |
| Customer Centricity |
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How customer-centric is this organization? Certified Support, Review Consistency, Profile Completeness ▾ Assesses whether the company has earned HTR Customer Support Certification, maintains consistent review collection over time (an indicator of feedback-driven culture), and keeps product profiles complete with capabilities, screenshots, pricing, and features. |
| Reach, Staying Power & Resources |
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How extensive is this company's reach and resourcing? Geographic Reach, Staying Power, Company Resources, Trending Score ▾ Measures global presence (countries and regions served), years in business as a stability proxy, team headcount as a resource proxy, and a trending score based on trailing-twelve-month buyer inquiries, reviews, partner recommendations, and press activity. |
Customer ratings and reviews are by far the most important factor in the HT Score algorithm. HTR does not accept payment for higher rankings. All reviews are verified — only hotel industry practitioners with confirmed affiliations can submit ratings. View full HT Score methodology →
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