Fishbowl vs Lately.
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Fishbowl
Connect with verified professionals in industry-specific groups for genuine conversations and career advice. Discover new jobs, get referrals, and stay updated on what colleagues are discussing in a remote-first environment.
- Industry, Community, and Company Bowls (Groups)
- Real-time industry and profession feed
- Direct messaging and networking
- Job discovery and referral opportunities
- Verified professional connections
- Career advice and insights
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Fishbowl is where professionals go to connect and talk in a new era of remote work. Choose from thousands of Industry, Community or Company Bowls ("Groups") and have genuine conversations with other verified professionals that are working in roles and industries similar to your own. You can join different bowls or professional groups with others from the same background as yourself to get real advice, share work stories, and network. Don't miss out on what your coworkers and colleagues are saying. FEATURES ----------- LIVE FEED See what similar professionals are saying right now with a real-time feed for your specific industry and profession. NETWORKING Network and direct message with professionals across your industry or meet others within your company by turning on networking mode. Discover new jobs and get a referral to companies. BOWLS (GROUPS) Start or join bowls with people in your industry about anything! You can create or join bowls to: • Have conversations about a specific interest or area of expertise. • Network with former work colleagues and classmates. • Connect with professionals that have similar backgrounds to yourself. • Exchange insights and advice with others working at your Co. or Org • Meet up and get to know other professionals similar to you • Create bowls (professional groups) for interests or networking! • Discover new jobs and opportunities through networking and get referrals. Join hundreds of thousands of professionals from various industries including management consulting, advertising, tech, accounting, finance, law, healthcare, and education. Have conversations with professionals from companies and organizations like McKinsey, Deloitte, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Accenture, EY, PwC, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Skadden, Ogilvy, Saatchi, Publicis, Wieden+Kennedy, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Skadden, UCSF, Mount Sinai, Teach for America, the National Education Association and many more. Get the help you need to climb the career ladder. www.fishbowlapp.com **LinkedIn Account or Work Email required** Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information: https://requests.hrtechprivacy.com/share/login?version=US&entities=INDEED&hl=en_US&from=lg-usprivset
Lately.
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Lately is the social app for your 20 closest friends. Most social media shows you the highlight reel: the vacation photos, the promotions, the wins. Lately shows you the real week. The messy Tuesday. The hard conversation with a parent. The small win nobody else would think to celebrate. The thing you're actually worried about. Once a week, you share what's really going on, not what looks good, what's true. Then you open one calm, chronological feed and catch up with the people who matter most: their ups, their downs, and everything in between. WHY ONLY 20 FRIENDS You can't be honest with 500 followers. You can be honest with 20 close friends. That's the whole idea behind Lately's cap: a circle small enough that people actually feel safe sharing the real stuff, not just the polished version of their life. No public follower counts, viral content, or algorithm deciding what you see. No performing for an audience. Just your people telling the truth about their week. WHAT YOU'LL ACTUALLY KNOW With Lately, you're not left guessing how a friend is really doing. You'll know when they're struggling, not just when they're celebrating. You'll know about the hard season before it becomes a crisis or about the good news before it's old news. You'll get context that helps you actually show up for the people you love. Reactions are private, quick, and meant for exactly one purpose of letting a friend know you're by their side. HOW IT WORKS Each week you share what your week actually looked like through real highlights, honest lows, reflections, favorites, or just a simple check-in. Then catch up on your closest friends' weeks in one feed, built to feel less like scrolling and more like sitting down with someone you haven't seen in a while and asking, "No really, how are you?". Lately is the social app for your 20 closest friends, built for honesty, not highlight reels.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Lately. at weekly against Fishbowl's every 2 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Fishbowl ships an update every 2 months, Lately. weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Fishbowl | Lately. |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (23K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 19.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 23K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 90 MB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Fishbowl Media LLC | Maret Moran |
Bugs and requests
Fishbowl
Reported bugs
4 issues- Inability to change job title or industry
- Verification process takes too long
- Keyboard overlaps text input fields
- Notifications disappear after viewing one
Requested features
5 requests- Improve search and browsing functionality
- Add option to post anonymously
- Implement better content moderation system
- Allow users to delete their own posts and comments
- Provide more industry-specific communities
Lately.
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Fishbowl
No in-app purchases
Lately.
No in-app purchases







