01
Every bill split automatically
Splitwise style, and not forced into an equal share. Each housemate holds a percentage of a bill, the percentages total 100%, and each share is worked out from the real bill amount, so it updates when the bill does.
All comparisons
Homebox vs Taupia
Homebox bundles a home's bills into one monthly payment for a subscription fee. Taupia is free, keeps every household bill with its own provider and changes nothing until you approve.
Set up your home free
Free. Give your address for provider quotes in about two minutes, or upload a bill you already have. Then you pay each provider directly and Taupia splits and runs it, with nothing bundled.
- What you see
Homebox
One payment with a fee from £15 a month each
Taupia
Each provider's rate visible, with no subscription fee
- Setting up
Homebox
A free move-in checklist and supplier finder
Taupia
Provider quotes from your address in about two minutes
- After you move in
Homebox
A 12-month term that renews until cancelled
Taupia
Bills, contracts and changes kept in one view
01How Homebox works, and what Taupia does
What are you actually buying from Homebox?
Homebox does two things for people moving home. Its setup flow is free: it finds the gas, electricity, water and council tax providers for a new address, checks broadband and mobile signal, and compares energy and broadband. Its bills bundle puts gas, electricity, water, broadband and a TV Licence into one monthly payment, with a subscription fee on top, from £15 a month per resident.
Taupia sits between that bundle and a comparison site, which prices one bill and hands the result back. Taupia is free and compares energy, broadband and mobile, with two ways in: give it your address and provider quotes come back in about two minutes, or upload the bills you have and AI agents read the tariff, usage, contract end date and any exit fee. You see the full list, Taupia recommends one with its reasons, and nothing changes until you approve it.
Each bill then splits across the house on percentages totalling 100%, worked out from the real amount, and Taupia flags renewal dates before they arrive. Water, council tax and TV Licence stay in view, though Taupia does not compare or switch them, and it does not set up council tax.
Cross-check All eight packages, and what each one publishes
Who pays whom
02Supplier account setup
Taupia splits every bill automatically, and never moves the money.
A package divides the house for you and quotes one figure for it. Going direct keeps Taupia out of the supplier contract, so the division stays with the household. Here is what Taupia does with that, and where it stops.
02
Taupia does the chasing
So nobody in the house has to be the one who asks. Taupia allocates account-setup tasks, tracks completion, records and flags outstanding shares, and sends reminders while a share is outstanding. Everyone sees the same shares and who has settled. It does not move money: the housemates repay the person the bill is in the name of directly, outside Taupia, and the share reads as settled once it has been repaid.
03
One housemate is the person the supplier bills
A utility account is usually opened in one person's name. That one named account holder is who the supplier bills, and the obligation to the supplier stays theirs whoever in the house has paid their share. Taupia can send a request to add further people to the account, but the supplier decides. If a share is late, Taupia flags it and sends reminders. It never moves money between housemates, and nothing it records changes what the named holder owes the supplier.
03Homebox vs Taupia: pricing, liability and exit terms
What is actually different?
Start with the everyday question: what can you see before you choose, and who stays in control when a bill changes? Open any row for the provider's exact words.
| The question that matters | Homebox | Taupia |
|---|---|---|
| What the monthly price shows | Homebox Bills plus a fee from £15 a month per resident; some tariffs carry commission.Their exact words Homebox's residential terms list a subscription fee of £15 a month per resident, £180 per resident over 12 months, on top of the bills it bundles, and set it by how many bills it manages and how many residents there are. Where it bills energy from a supplier or tariff not available through Homebox, an energy billing fee of £1 a day per property applies, and some tariffs it offers may include a commission it receives from the supplier. Source help.homebox.co.uk Checked 13 October 2026 | Taupia Nothing charged to the household. A provider pays Taupia commission instead.In Taupia's words Taupia compares available energy, broadband and mobile rates before you choose, and charges the household nothing. A provider pays Taupia commission when a switch completes, which this page sets out below. More on this Why Taupia is free |
| If someone misses a payment | Homebox Jointly and severally liable: an unpaid share moves onto the others' next bill.Their exact words Clause 5.3 makes each resident jointly and severally liable with the others to pay Homebox its fees. If a resident still has not paid after Homebox asks, the amount becomes payable by the other residents as part of the next bill. A failed Direct Debit left unpaid for ten working days can add a £10 late charge. Source help.homebox.co.uk Checked 13 October 2026 | Taupia Percentage shares totalling 100%. Taupia tracks, but never collects.In Taupia's words Each housemate holds a percentage of the bill and the percentages total 100%. Supplier accounts default to one named account holder. Taupia can send a request to add further people, but the supplier decides whether to add them. Taupia records and flags outstanding shares, sends reminders and does not move money. It does not change the named holder's supplier obligation. More on this How Taupia works |
| How the monthly amount is built | Homebox An averaged estimate, revised over time, with a balance held for seasonal bills.Their exact words The quote is an estimate that can change with actual usage. Homebox estimates the average monthly household costs, shares them across the liable residents, revises the estimate from time to time with notice of any increase, and keeps a balance on the account for bills that rise and fall with the seasons. Source help.homebox.co.uk Checked 13 October 2026 | Taupia Each provider's own rate on real usage. Taupia flags rises it reads.In Taupia's words You pay each provider its own published rate on what the house actually uses. Taupia reads every bill you upload, compares energy, broadband and mobile against what you pay now, and flags the price rises it reads. |
| When the tenancy ends | Homebox Renews after 12 months. Leaving early: £15 per remaining month, up to £180.Their exact words The subscription runs for an initial 12 months, then renews automatically, with a reminder 30 days before the first renewal and the right to raise the fee at renewal. It ends at your tenancy end date if you give Homebox that date in advance. Otherwise cancelling takes 30 days' notice and £15 per property for each remaining month, up to £180. Source help.homebox.co.uk Checked 13 October 2026 | Taupia No Taupia contract to renew. Supplier exit charges can still apply.In Taupia's words There is no Taupia package contract to unwind or renew. Supplier exit fees and any mid-contract broadband charges can still apply, so Taupia flags key contract dates and the changes it reads. |
| What the service is designed to do | Homebox An intermediary managing the bills, with residents still liable for paying them.Their exact words Homebox calls itself a bills management service acting as a third party intermediary. It is not a party to your agreements with suppliers, can deal with them on your behalf, and may hold some bills in its own name, with the residents still liable for paying those bills in full. Source help.homebox.co.uk Checked 13 October 2026 | Taupia An intermediary too, but no bill or money ever passes through Taupia.In Taupia's words Taupia is an intermediary too: it compares energy, broadband and mobile, carries out the switches you approve, and keeps every household bill in one view. The supplier accounts stay in a housemate's name, and no bill or money passes through Taupia. More on this How Taupia works |
04Homebox ownership, funding and disclosures
What does Homebox publish, and what does it not?
Free home setup
Homebox says its setup service is completely free for movers. It finds the gas, electricity, water and council tax providers for a new property, shows broadband availability and mobile signal, runs a moving checklist, and compares energy and broadband.
Source homebox.co.uk Checked 13 October 2026
Who pays whom
Residents pay Homebox the bundled bills and its subscription fee, and Homebox deals with the suppliers. Its terms say it is not a party to the agreements between you and a supplier, and that some tariffs may include a commission Homebox receives from the supplier.
Source help.homebox.co.uk Checked 13 October 2026
What one Reading house paid direct
Reading Students' Union priced nine unlimited packages in March 2025 for one four-bedroom, four-occupant Reading house covering energy, water and broadband. Reading notes that guidance from Ofgem, the energy regulator, would treat a four-bedroom property as high usage, and on that band the house paid about £281 a month direct against the £408 the packages averaged: a premium of about £127 a month. Reading also ran a medium band, because students are away for long stretches, and there the direct figure is £223. Which one applies depends on how lived-in the house is. It is useful context for a Homebox bundle quote, not a price for every household.
Source reading.ac.uk Checked 13 October 2026
4 more from Homebox's own site, each with its source
Renewal reminders Homebox says it sends a reminder 30 days before your agreement first renews, then a renewal notification every six months, and its terms let you cancel within 14 days of signing up or of any renewal date.
Source help.homebox.co.uk Checked 13 October 2026
If a housemate leaves Homebox divides the estimated household costs across all liable residents, and its terms count anyone living at the property as a resident. If the bills or the residents change, a supplementary service fee at the same rate can apply.
Source help.homebox.co.uk Checked 13 October 2026
Coverage Gas, electricity, water, broadband and a TV Licence in the bundle, with home contents insurance, removals, cleaning and furniture discounts alongside.
Source homebox.co.uk Checked 13 October 2026
Who Homebox is Billing Better Limited, trading as Homebox, registered in England and Wales, company number 10444812, at 124 City Road, London.
Source help.homebox.co.uk Checked 13 October 2026
05Homebox's own claim, checked
Is Homebox free?
Claim check
Homebox says
“it's completely free for movers to use.”
What else it publishes
The setup flow is. The bills bundle is not: Homebox's residential terms list a subscription fee of £15 a month per resident, £180 per resident over 12 months, on a 12-month term that renews automatically until cancelled.
Source homebox.co.uk Checked 13 October 2026
06Who Homebox suits, and who Taupia suits
When is Homebox the better answer?
Choose Homebox if
You are moving and want one free flow to find every provider for the new address, including the water and council tax ones, with a moving checklist alongside.
You want every bill behind one predictable monthly payment and are happy to pay a subscription from £15 a month per resident for it.
You want contents insurance, removals and cleaning arranged from the same place as the bills.
Choose Taupia if
You would rather not pay for the admin: Taupia is free, where Homebox's bundle adds a subscription from £15 a month per resident on top of the bills.
The house wants its shares worked out from each real bill rather than an averaged estimate: each member holds a percentage totalling 100%, and the shares update when the bill does.
You want mobile compared too, and contract end dates flagged after move-in: Taupia compares energy, broadband and mobile and flags renewal dates before they arrive.
07Taupia's own limitations
What do you give up by choosing Taupia?
Taupia does not bundle your payment. It helps you set up directly with each provider, then splits and manages it all with the prices in view, which is why it costs you nothing. Here is what that route does not give you.
Taupia does not bundle your bills into one fixed monthly amount. You pay each provider its own published rate, so a heavy month costs more and a quiet one costs less. It only compares energy, broadband and mobile, and does not compare or switch water, insurance, credit, savings or mortgages.
A provider pays Taupia commission when a switch completes. On energy and gas the rate is the same whichever supplier you pick, so an energy recommendation does not pay Taupia more one way or the other. Broadband and mobile rates vary a little. The full list it recommends from is the suppliers Taupia supports, published on its supported suppliers page.
08Homebox questions answered
What else should you check before signing?
What does Homebox's bills bundle cost on top of the bills?
Its terms list a subscription fee of £15 a month per resident, £180 per resident over 12 months including VAT, set by how many bills it manages and how many residents there are. Where Homebox bills energy from a supplier or tariff not available through it, an energy billing fee of £1 a day per property applies too.
Who pays if a housemate stops paying Homebox?
The rest of the house can. Clause 5.3 of Homebox's residential terms makes each resident jointly and severally liable with the others to pay its fees. If a resident still does not pay after Homebox asks, the amount becomes payable by the other residents as part of the next bill.
How do you leave Homebox before the 12 months are up?
Give 30 days' notice and pay a cancellation fee of £15 per property for each remaining month, up to £180. If you give Homebox your tenancy end date in advance, the subscription ends then instead. You can also cancel within 14 days of signing up or of any renewal date. Homebox says cancelling it does not cancel every bill it manages for you.
09Deciding between Homebox and Taupia
So what should you do next?
Homebox's setup flow is free and its bills bundle is not. Weigh one predictable payment against a fee from £15 a month per resident and a 12-month term that renews, then price the same services direct.
Set up your home free
Free. Give your address for provider quotes in about two minutes, or upload a bill you already have. Then you pay each provider directly and Taupia splits and runs it, with nothing bundled.
- All eight packages, and what each one publishes
- What the unlimited premium cost one Reading house
- What 'capped' and 'unlimited' actually mean on an energy bill
- Run your house's numbers against a package quote
- Why Taupia is free, and who pays instead
- One Utility Bill vs Taupia
- Split The Bills vs Taupia
- Epic Student Bills vs Taupia
- Fused Bills vs Taupia
- The Bunch vs Taupia
- UniHomes vs Taupia
- Huddle vs Taupia
GET STARTEDReady to sort your home admin?
Ready to sort your home admin?
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Taupia is free to use. Add your first bill, or start from your new address, in minutes.
Available on iOS and Android.
- Taupia is free to use
- Takes minutes to begin
- Bills in one place
- You approve what happens