PantryPool is a shared breakroom pantry ledger that turns a communal fridge into a scan-to-log micro-market, tracking who took which drink and settling the tab on payday. It runs entirely in a mobile browser with no app download.
What is PantryPool?
PantryPool takes two inputs — coworker taps on a web kiosk and photographed grocery receipts — and produces a running per-person balance for a shared pantry. The physical anchor is a printable QR poster taped to the office fridge door; scanning it with any phone camera opens a browser kiosk where a member taps an item to debit the pool cost. Balances are settled directly through Venmo, Cash App, or cash on payday.
What makes PantryPool stand out?
- Zero-app QR kiosk — scanning the printable poster opens a web kiosk on iOS or Android Safari/Chrome; members log an item in about 2 seconds with nothing installed.
- Multimodal receipt scanning (Gemini 2.5) — photograph a supermarket receipt and PantryPool extracts line items, unit pack prices, and sales taxes, then credits the restocker (for example a 12-pack of nitro cold brew at $18.99 plus oat milk and KIND bars totaling $55.48).
- Printable fridge poster generator — creating a pool generates a custom poster with a scannable QR code and a join code (formatted like ACME26), plus shelf tags, ready for an acrylic frame in under 60 seconds.
- Transparent per-member tabs — running balances such as -$12.50 per member are visible to the whole pool, with one-tap settling via Venmo or Cash App.
- Wholesale price comparison — the pool stores its own per-item cost, so a $4.50 vending nitro cold brew shows as $1.65 from the pool, a $2.85 saving per drink.
- Slack alerts and CSV exports — hosted Standard adds Slack channel alerts and digests; Plus adds CSV accounting spreadsheet exports and audit logs.
Who should use PantryPool?
- Office managers and "pantry champions" — restock in bulk from Costco or similar, snap the receipt, and get reimbursed without chasing colleagues for cash.
- Small startups and agencies — set up a shared coffee and cold-drink pool in about 60 seconds and settle everyone's tab on payday.
- Households and shared flats — the free Community tier covers up to 3 cloud members, and self-hosting lifts the member limit entirely.
- Multi-floor offices and campuses — the Plus and Enterprise tiers raise limits to 15 pools and 250 members, then custom SAML 2.0/Okta SSO and invoiced billing.
What can you do with PantryPool?
- Replace an overpriced vending machine: pool wholesale drinks, price each item at pool cost, and show members the per-drink saving against hallway vending.
- Run an honor-system fridge: post the QR sheet on the door and let coworkers self-log chilled drinks instead of writing names on a paper sheet.
- Track a bulk grocery run: scan the receipt to convert one shopping trip into individual stock items with unit prices and taxes split out.
- Close the month cleanly: export a CSV of the accounting once balances are settled, or post digests to Slack so nobody is surprised on payday.
How does PantryPool work?
- Create a free pool; PantryPool generates the printable fridge poster with your QR code and join code.
- Tape or frame the poster on the fridge; members scan it with a phone camera and tap the item they took.
- Whoever restocks, photographs the receipt, and the AI scan credits their balance for the full amount.
- On payday, members settle negative balances directly through Venmo, Cash App, or cash.
Pricing
PantryPool is freemium, with annual billing saving 20%. Community is free forever (up to 3 cloud members, unlimited self-hosted, poster generator, Venmo/Cash App settle). Hosted Standard is listed at $49 but shown as $0 and free in 2026, covering up to 5 pools and 50 members, 50 Gemini receipt scans per month, daily cloud backups, and Slack alerts. Hosted Plus is $119 per year for 15 pools, 250 members, 250 scans per month, multi-admin roles, audit logs, and CSV exports. Enterprise is custom pricing with SAML 2.0/Okta SSO and invoiced billing.
FAQ
Do coworkers need to download an app?
No. Members scan the fridge poster with any smartphone camera, which opens a browser kiosk on iOS or Android in Safari or Chrome. Logging a drink takes about 2 seconds. There is no App Store or Play Store download at any tier.
What happens when a member's balance goes negative?
Balances accumulate transparently in the pool's tab. When payday arrives, members settle what they owe directly to the person who fronted the money using Venmo, Cash App, or cash — PantryPool does not hold or move funds itself.
How does the AI receipt scanner work?
The scanner uses Gemini 2.5 to read a photographed supermarket receipt, extracting line items, unit pack prices, and sales taxes. The restocker receives full restock credit for the total. Scan quotas are 50 per month on Standard and 250 per month on Plus.
Is PantryPool free for small teams?
Yes, up to a point. The Community tier is free forever for up to 3 members on the hosted cloud, and self-hosting removes the member limit. Larger offices need Standard (up to 50 members) or Plus (up to 250 members).
