Fair Division Tool
Distribute items fairly between people.
The Fair Division Tool spreads a set of items across a group of people as evenly as possible, using a random tie-break when things don't split cleanly. Use it for sharing chores, splitting loot, dividing tasks, or handing out shifts so no one feels shortchanged. Unlike a raffle, everyone walks away with a fair share rather than one winner taking all.
Enter. List the items to share and the people who will receive them.
Click Divide to see a result.
Options
Recent results
- No history yet.
How it works
- Enter. List the items to share and the people who will receive them.
- Divide. Click Divide to spread the items as evenly as possible.
- Review. See who got what, including any randomly assigned leftovers.
- Redo. Divide again for a fresh allocation if you want a different split.
Frequently asked questions
What if the items don't divide evenly?
Any leftovers are assigned at random, so every person's expected value comes out equal over time.
How is this different from a raffle?
A raffle gives everything to one winner. Fair division spreads the items so everyone gets at least one when there are enough to go around.
Are the random tie-breaks unbiased?
Yes. The tool uses your browser's Web Crypto API for the random assignment, so no person is favored.
Is my list of items and people private?
Yes. Everything is processed in your browser and works offline, so nothing you enter is sent to a server.
Related randomizers
Further reading
- Dividing things up when the numbers don't come out even
Splitting 17 items between 4 people means somebody gets a fifth one. Here is how a fair division tool deals items out at random, why it splits by count rather than value, and the one thing you should do to your list of people first.
- Who gets which prize? Let chance decide — and show your work
Picking winners is the easy half of a prize draw. The fight starts when someone has to decide who gets the good prize and who gets the mug. A random prize assigner matches people to prizes in one shuffle nobody chose.
- A chore roster that actually feels fair (and stops the arguments)
The same person always ends up on bathroom duty. Here's how a random chore roster — fresh shuffle each day, rotated across the week — spreads the jobs nobody wants without anyone keeping score, and how it handles having more chores than people.
- Matching two lists fairly: zip prizes, tasks, and partners at random
Assigning a list of people to a list of prizes, chores, or projects sounds trivial until you do it by hand and someone notices a pattern. Here's how a two-list matcher zips one list to a shuffled copy of another, what happens when the lists are different lengths, and when to reach for a different tool.