Sotheby's vs HOFA
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
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.
- Discover contemporary art
- Collect, sell, and trade art
- Access traditional and digital art
- Stay updated on events and auctions
- Global art accessibility
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Sotheby's | HOFA |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.4 (95 ratings) | 4.3 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 24.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 95 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.4 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 54 MB | 91 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sotheby's | The House Of Fine Art Limited |
Customer experience
Sotheby's
HOFA
User reviews
Sotheby's
From 95 App Store ratingsWhat 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 ratingsWhat 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
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- 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 moreShow fewer
- 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 moreShow fewer
- More interactive features for user engagement
In-app purchases
Sotheby's
No in-app purchases
HOFA
No in-app purchases









