Tipped

What Tipped does

Tipped operates two distinct consumer products under a single brand. The primary product, Tipped.co.uk (originally launched as Near.co.uk in 2007), is a UK-based local business directory and review platform built on a self-serve web architecture. It allows UK consumers to discover, review, and recommend businesses organized across 13 categories (Accommodation, Arts & Entertainment, Bars/Pubs/Clubs, Beauty & Spas, Food & Drink, Home Services, Local Services, Medical & Dental, Professional & Financial, Recreation & Sports, Restaurants, Shopping, Taxis & Transport) and 50+ UK cities, while businesses can add and advertise listings for free. The platform's content moat is built on user-generated reviews, with active contributors publishing hundreds of reviews each, and the distribution channel relies heavily on SEO-optimized category and city pages.

A second product, a mobile-based digital tipping application, targets South African service workers — specifically petrol attendants in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and Western Cape — enabling consumers to tip digitally via smartphone rather than cash. The platform reports average digital tips of R30 per transaction, materially higher than the R5-R10 cash tipping norm, which it attributes to convenience and reduced friction. South African petrol attendants using the platform reportedly earn approximately R8,200 per month, above the national minimum wage.

The company is privately held by Geoware Media Ltd (UK company number 7134453), registered in Rugby, Warwickshire. No external institutional investors, funding rounds, or acquisitions are disclosed. Headcount is 1-10, founder Randy Hucks is the named principal, and revenue is not publicly disclosed. The UK directory follows a freemium self-serve model with free listings and implied premium/featured monetization, while the South African tipping app earns transaction-based fees on each digital tip processed.

Name

Tipped

Legal name

Geoware Media Ltd

Website

https://tipped.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tipped operates a UK-based local business directory and review platform (Tipped.co.uk) enabling consumers to discover and review businesses across 13 categories and 50+ cities, while also running a separate South African mobile digital tipping app for service workers including petrol attendants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Business Directory

akta.pro primary industry

Creator Tipping, Donations & Micro-Payments (MPACAFAB)

Keywords

• Business directory listings
• User reviews platform
• Local business search
• Company review site
• Digital tipping app

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Digital Tipping Transaction Fees: Platform takes a commission or fee on each digital tip transaction processed through the app. Average digital tips of R30 per transaction significantly higher than traditional cash tips of R5-R10.
2. Business Directory Listings: UK business directory allowing businesses to list themselves for free. Revenue likely generated through featured listings, advertising, or premium business features.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Tipped operates Tipped.co.uk, a UK-based user-generated business directory and review platform where consumers can search, browse, and review local businesses organized by category (accommodation, restaurants, professional services, medical, etc.) and city. Businesses can add their listings for free. A separate mobile digital tipping app operates in South Africa, enabling customers to tip service workers such as petrol attendants digitally, with average digital tips of R30 per transaction compared to R5-R10 cash tips.

Product overview

Tipped.co.uk is a business directory and review platform that operates as a single unified web product. The platform enables users to search and browse UK businesses organized by categories (Accommodation, Arts & Entertainment, Bars/Pubs/Clubs, Beauty & Spas, Food & Drink, Home Services, Local Services, Medical & Dental, Professional & Financial, Recreation & Sports, Restaurants, Shopping, Taxis & Transport) and cities across the UK. Users can add businesses for free, advertise listings, and write reviews. The platform features user reviews and ratings, business listings with contact information and addresses, and tag-based browsing for specific services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tipped.co.uk Business Directory A UK-based local business directory and review platform that allows consumers to search, browse, and review businesses by category (Accommodation, Arts & Entertainment, Bars/Pubs/Clubs, Beauty & Spas, Food & Drink, Home Services, Medical & Dental, Professional & Financial, Recreation & Sports, Restaurants, Shopping, Taxis & Transport) and city. Businesses can add themselves for free, and users can write reviews and ratings for listed businesses.
• Tipped Digital Tipping App A mobile application enabling South African consumers to tip service workers digitally via smartphone, addressing declining cash tipping culture (43% of South Africans reportedly do not tip petrol attendants). The platform processes digital tip transactions averaging R30 per transaction versus R5-R10 in cash, with service workers such as petrol attendants earning approximately R8,200 per month.

Quantifiable outcome

• Digital tips average R30 per transaction vs R5-R10 cash tips - 3-6x higher tip amounts

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Tripadvisor: Tripadvisor is a global reviews and discovery platform with strong UK presence across restaurants, accommodation, and attractions. It overlaps with Tipped's review categories and competes for user-generated review content.
• Google Business Profile: Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is the dominant free local business listing and review platform globally, integrated with Google Search and Maps. It is the primary structural competitor to any standalone business directory.

Direct peers

• SnapScan: SnapScan is a South African QR-based mobile payment platform used for retail and service worker transactions including tipping. It is the most direct competitor to the Tipped South African digital tipping app in the same geography.
• FreeIndex: FreeIndex is a UK-based free business directory with user reviews, closely matching Tipped.co.uk's freemium model and UK local business focus.
• Thomson Local: Thomson Local is a UK online business directory offering local business search by category and location, directly comparable to Tipped.co.uk's directory functionality and geographic focus.
• Yelp: Yelp is the dominant global user-generated business reviews and directory platform. Tipped.co.uk operates the same core model (searchable business directory with user reviews and ratings) but focused on the UK market.
• Yell.com: Yell.com is the UK's leading online business directory, evolved from Yellow Pages. It directly competes with Tipped.co.uk in UK local business discovery, categories, and reviews, with greater brand recognition.
• Trustpilot: Trustpilot operates a global user-generated business review platform. Like Tipped.co.uk, it aggregates consumer reviews across business categories, though Trustpilot is more globally scaled and covers UK businesses extensively.
• Zapper: Zapper is a South African mobile payment platform enabling QR-code based payments at merchants and for service workers. It competes with Tipped's SA tipping product in the same digital payment/tipping use case.

Regional players

• Bark.com: Bark.com is a UK-based marketplace connecting consumers with local professional services. While more of a lead-generation platform than a directory, it overlaps with Tipped's 'Professional & Financial' and 'Local Services' categories in the UK.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kensington-continental-car-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tipped