Comparison

Sotheby's vs HOFA

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Sotheby's

Access extraordinary art, precious objects, wine, and jewelry from auctions worldwide. Track bids, register for auctions, and explore past and upcoming sales with expert insights.

Highlights
  • Bid in live and online auctions
  • Track bids and registrations
  • Browse open, upcoming, and past auctions
  • Search past and present lots
  • Manage profile and view purchases
  • Access favorite auctions and lots
Read full description

Extraordinary auctions. Exceptional finds. Anytime, anywhere. The Sotheby’s iOS app provides collectors with exceptional access to the world’s most extraordinary art, precious objects, wine and jewellery, together with the unparalleled expertise of our world-class specialists. Track your bids and registrations effortlessly. Bid in live and online auctions. Browse open, upcoming, and past auctions. Browse fixed price retail items in search results. Quickly access your favorite auctions and lots. Search past and present lots. Manage profile, view purchases, and customize your settings.

About

HOFA

Explore and collect contemporary art from established and emerging international artists. This app makes a diverse range of fine art accessible globally, allowing users to buy, sell, and trade traditional and digital art. Stay updated on upcoming exhibitions and auctions.

Highlights
  • Discover contemporary art
  • Collect, sell, and trade art
  • Access traditional and digital art
  • Stay updated on events and auctions
  • Global art accessibility
Features
Read full description

The HOFA Gallery (House of Fine Art) specialises in contemporary art by established and emerging international artists. HOFA is determined to feature a multitude of artistic disciplines with an intent focus on exceptional talent, diversity and cultural relevance. In releasing the HOFA app, we are reiterating our goal of reaching a global audience to whom our diverse range of art will be made readily available. Dedicated to supporting rare talent and making their work globally accessible, the gallery works closely with all of its artists to ensure the highest level of excellence and integrity across its locations in London, Los Angeles and Mykonos. HOFA Gallery represents acclaimed painters, sculptors, photographers and multidisciplinary artists from all over the world including China, Korea, America, Italy, France, Argentina and Australia amongst many others. Since its inception in 2012, HOFA Gallery has provided government institutions, museums and private collectors access to some of the most sought after and collectable works of contemporary art. With a unique selection of highly collectable artworks of appreciative value and an uncompromising dedication to art world innovation, the gallery is committed to its mission in cultural leadership. In 2018, HOFA Gallery was the first art gallery in the world to make their entire collection available in cryptocurrency. Using new technologies and digital innovations, HOFA pledges an accessible entry point to the market and inclusivity to art collectors on all levels. The HOFA App strengthens our ability to make art accessible to a diverse audience across the world, and enables our users to swiftly and seamlessly collect, sell and trade both traditional and digital art. Our users will also be notified about upcoming events, exhibitions and auctions (both virtual and physical). Whether you’re already a collector, keen to become one, or simply interested in receiving the latest updates on trending art, download the app today and have a browse of our latest collection of front-running works.

Screenshots

Sotheby's4 screens
HOFA3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: HOFA at 100% against Sotheby's's 24%. HOFA also leads on rating (4.3 vs 3.4) and ads (none vs shown). Sotheby's's advantage is ratings volume (95 vs 3) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HOFA holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sotheby's has 95 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of Sotheby's's written reviews are positive against 100% of HOFA's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sotheby's ships an update every 2 weeks, HOFA every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Sotheby's versus HOFA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSotheby'sHOFA
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (95 ratings)4.3 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews24.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings95 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.4 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB91 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperSotheby'sThe House Of Fine Art Limited

Customer experience

Sotheby's

All ratings95 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral3.2%
Negative36.8%
Written reviews74 reviews
Positive24.3%
Neutral2.7%
Negative73.0%

HOFA

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews107 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

User reviews

Sotheby's

From 95 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Beautiful photography and content
  • 👍 Easy to navigate (for some)
  • ✅ Great for browsing and viewing auctions
  • 🤩 Interactive and engaging
  • 🖼️ Elegant design

Room to improve

  • ❌ Core functionality missing
  • 📉 Poor user experience
  • 🚫 App is useless for many
  • 😵 Confusing new format
  • 📱 Not compatible with older phones

HOFA

From 3 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
  • 🌍 Diverse global collection of contemporary artists
  • 🔔 Helpful notifications for events and auctions
  • 💰 Cryptocurrency payment option for art purchases
  • 🎨 Comprehensive artwork descriptions and artist profiles

Room to improve

  • ⏱️ Slow loading times occasionally
  • 🔍 Limited search filters and filtering options
  • 📋 Insufficient detailed artist profiles
  • ⚙️ Lack of customization options
  • 💡 Limited interactive features

Bugs and requests

Sotheby's

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Cannot sort auction lots
  • Cannot follow, view, or bid
  • App crashes on launch
  • ID verification camera not focusing
  • Photo upload issues
Show 5 more
  • Saved objects not displaying correctly
  • App freezes or crashes during use
  • Lot details never load
  • AppleTV app fails to open
  • App thinks it's on an iPhone on iPad

Requested features

8 requests
  • Allow sorting of auction lots
  • Improve search functionality
  • Enable calendar integration
  • Make app landscape compatible
  • Simplify personalization options
Show 3 more
  • Improve account integration
  • Allow file uploads for ID verification
  • Fix AppleTV app issues

HOFA

Reported bugs

1 issue
  • Occasional slow loading times

Requested features

6 requests
  • Advanced search and filtering capabilities
  • More detailed and comprehensive artist profiles
  • Enhanced customization options for user experience
  • Additional interactive features for community engagement
  • Clearer pricing details for artworks
Show 1 more
  • More interactive features for user engagement

In-app purchases

None

Sotheby's

No in-app purchases

None

HOFA

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sotheby's free?
Sotheby's is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is HOFA free?
HOFA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Sotheby's or HOFA?
HOFA is rated higher. Sotheby's averages 3.4 out of 5 from 95 ratings, while HOFA averages 4.3 from 3 ratings.
Do Sotheby's or HOFA have ads?
Sotheby's shows ads; HOFA does not.
Which is updated more often, Sotheby's or HOFA?
Sotheby's ships an update every 2 weeks, and HOFA every 6 weeks. Most recently, Sotheby's was updated on October 9, 2026 and HOFA on October 2, 2026.

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