Can chores alternate between two roommates automatically?

Yes. Turn on “alternate between us” on a repeating card; each time it comes back it's assigned to the other person.

Does it remind my roommate?

If a card is waiting on them, they get one short email at 8am. Nothing on days nothing is waiting, and it never comes from you.

What about three or four roommates?

Simpleban is built for two people only. For bigger flats, look at a group chore app.

Does the other person need to pay or install anything?

No. They open your invite link, type a name and an email, and they're on the board. Installing it as an app on their phone is optional. Simpleban is free forever for two: you and the one person you invite get every feature, unlimited boards and cards, no trial and no credit card. The promise is written into the Terms: nothing that is free today will ever move behind a paywall, and your +1 never pays. If you need more people or want to share boards beyond your +1, we'll soon introduce subscription tiers — a flat rate, never per seat.

Roommates

A roommate chore chart app that doesn't need a passive-aggressive note

Updated 20 October 2026 · by the Simpleban team

In short

The fridge chart fails because someone has to update it and someone has to enforce it, and both jobs make you the bad guy. Simpleban is a free shared board for two roommates: every chore is a card with an owner, the recurring ones (bins, bathroom, kitchen floor) come back on schedule and can alternate between you automatically, and a short 8am email nudges whoever has something waiting — so the app is the bad guy, not you.

Simpleban, a kanban board for two people: a shared “Our home” board with This week, Doing, Waiting and Done columns, cards marked Mine or assigned to a partner, due dates, repeating chores and a moving-day countdown.

Set it up once

List every shared chore, including the ones that only get noticed when they're not done: bins, recycling, bathroom, kitchen floor, hoovering, shared groceries, bills admin.
Set each to repeat on its real cadence. Bins every Tuesday. Bathroom every two weeks. Hoover every Sunday.
Turn on “alternate between us” for the ones nobody wants. Each time one comes back it's handed to whoever didn't do it last.
Leave one-offs as normal cards: fix the lamp, call the landlord, buy a plunger.

How it runs week to week

Every card has an owner: you, your roommate, or either of you — so “who is on this?” is answered before anyone asks.
Hand a card to your roommate and it moves to the top of their board under “waiting on you”. If they're not on the app, Simpleban emails them a few minutes later, and the next morning's 8am email mentions it once if it's still waiting — never every day. You never press a “remind” button.
When your roommate is done, they hand it back and it reappears at the top of your board.
Repeating cards come back on their own schedule — daily, weekly, chosen weekdays, every N days, monthly — and can alternate between the two of you.
Due dates with a calm Today / This week filter, a private calendar feed for Google, Apple or Outlook, and a countdown on the board for the date that matters.
Notes, checklists and comments live inside each card, so the context travels with the task.
Your roommate joins from your invite link with a name and an email — no password, nothing to pay. Both of you have the full app on your own phone; it installs like an app and works offline for reading.

Honest limits

Simpleban is free for two people. For a flat of four, flat-rate plans for more people are coming soon. It also doesn't split bills — use the board for the task (“pay the internet — 1st of the month, alternates”), not the money.

Templates to start from

Questions, answered

Can chores alternate between two roommates automatically?: Yes. Turn on “alternate between us” on a repeating card; each time it comes back it's assigned to the other person.
Does it remind my roommate?: If a card is waiting on them, they get one short email at 8am. Nothing on days nothing is waiting, and it never comes from you.
What about three or four roommates?: Simpleban is built for two people only. For bigger flats, look at a group chore app.
Does the other person need to pay or install anything?: No. They open your invite link, type a name and an email, and they're on the board. Installing it as an app on their phone is optional. Simpleban is free forever for two: you and the one person you invite get every feature, unlimited boards and cards, no trial and no credit card. The promise is written into the Terms: nothing that is free today will ever move behind a paywall, and your +1 never pays. If you need more people or want to share boards beyond your +1, we'll soon introduce subscription tiers — a flat rate, never per seat.