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    Home Poker Apps vs Spreadsheets: A Host’s Comparison (2026)

    4 min read

    Choose a tool for running your regular cash game—not just tracking your own results. Compare HG Poker, Chipup, Poker Boss, personal trackers, and spreadsheets.

    Home Poker Apps vs Spreadsheets: A Host’s Comparison (2026)

    If you run poker night for a regular group, compare tools by the job you do at the table: recording rebuys while playing, reconciling chip counts, settling the night, and keeping the group’s history. A personal bankroll tracker answers a different question: how am I performing across my own sessions?

    Good to Know

    Disclosure: this guide is published by the team behind HG Poker. It is not an independent ranking or hands-on test of every competitor. Competitor descriptions below come from their official product pages reviewed September 12, 2026. Features, pricing, and availability may change; verify them before choosing.

    Choose by the job—not a universal winner

    Scroll table horizontally →

    OptionUseful whenWhat to check
    HG PokerYou host recurring in-person games and want buy-ins, chip counting, settlement, and group history together.Try a complete game; check the free allowance and paid plan.
    ChipupYou want a home-game platform advertising buy-ins, cashouts, private groups, and rankings.Confirm current plans and the group workflow on your devices.
    Poker BossYou want a browser-based cash-game ledger with code-based player viewing.Its site says it is cash-game focused, not a tournament tool.
    Personal session trackerYou want your own bankroll, session history, and performance reports.Do not assume it also operates the whole table’s bank.
    Spreadsheet or paperYour group already maintains a reliable ledger and someone will update it live.Test the formulas, payment status, early cashouts, and shared access.

    HG Poker: one workflow for the recurring host

    HG Poker brings roster setup, buy-ins and rebuys, chip counting, settlement, and saved group results into one app for iPhone and Android. The host can run the table from one phone; connected player accounts add access to their identity and history.

    New hosts can try real games free before deciding; the app shows their current allowance. The site lists a $5.99 Game Pass covering 3 additional games, Pro at $14.99/month, and Pro annual at $79.99/year. Confirm current purchase terms in the app. HG Poker does not move money; payments happen outside it.

    Check HG Poker’s current pricing

    Chipup: another home-game management option

    Chipup’s official site advertises buy-in and cashout tracking, who-owes-whom information, private groups, rankings, and support for recurring games and tournaments. It links to iOS and Android downloads. Those claims make it a relevant option for hosts to evaluate; this guide does not independently verify its features or rank its usability.

    Source: Chipup’s official product overview

    Poker Boss: cash-game tracking in a browser

    Poker Boss describes a cash-game ledger for buy-ins, rebuys, chip counts, and settle-up. Its site says other players can follow with a code and that it does not support tournament structures. It also says it does not move money. Consider it if a browser-based cash-game workflow fits your group.

    Source: Poker Boss’s official product overview

    Stop doing the math manually.

    HG Poker logs buy-ins and rebuys and suggests who pays whom after the chip count. Players pay each other outside the app. Try it on iPhone or Android.

    Personal session trackers: a different primary job

    Poker Analytics describes itself as a session tracker and bankroll manager with hand recording and reporting. That is relevant when you want to study your personal results. Before choosing any personal tracker to host a group, verify whether it also handles everyone’s buy-ins and outstanding settlement; do not infer those capabilities from the word “tracker.”

    Source: Poker Analytics’s official product overview

    A spreadsheet can work—if you can keep it current

    A spreadsheet can store history, calculate results, and include settlement formulas. Paper can preserve a useful record too. The tradeoff is the host’s work: entering rebuys during hands, checking formulas, recording early cashouts, and distinguishing already-paid amounts from what is still owed.

    If your current sheet works well, you do not need to replace it just because an app exists. Try a dedicated host app when keeping the ledger current interrupts your game or your group needs a more repeatable workflow.

    Compare with one six-player test

    1. 1Enter six players and their first buy-ins.
    2. 2Record two rebuys while the game is in progress.
    3. 3Cash one player out early and check how the record distinguishes cashout value from actual payment.
    4. 4Reconcile closing chip values with all issued buy-ins.
    5. 5Check who owes whom without charging someone twice.
    6. 6Save the game, then see how easily you can return to the roster and results.

    Use our checked six-player settlement walkthrough

    Check the example with the free settlement calculator

    Our recommendation

    For the recurring host, evaluate the complete night—not a screenshot or a long feature list. HG Poker is worth trying if you want live tracking and your group’s history together. A cash-game browser tool, personal tracker, or maintained spreadsheet may be a better fit for a different job. Use your first complete game to decide.

    See how HG Poker works

    Try the free buy-in tracker

    Ready to run a cleaner poker night?

    HG Poker is free to download. Setup takes 2 minutes.