Samaritan vs HelpHaven
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Samaritan
This app provides a secure way to support individuals experiencing homelessness. You can send gifts for essential needs, invite them for coffee, or offer words of encouragement, ensuring your support directly aids their journey toward stable housing.
- Support individuals experiencing homelessness
- Send gifts for essential needs
- Invite for coffee or conversation
- Offer words of encouragement
- Track impact on user journeys
- Community expansion requests
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“When I got my first gift from a Samaritan, I was in the library crying at the thought that someone out there cares about me.” Samaritan is a dignified and secure channel to support the journey toward stable housing. There are plenty of reasons why the single mom with a car full of belongings, the veteran on the street corner, or the teen outside the supermarket experiencing homelessness are often overlooked: “I don’t have cash” “I don’t know if they will spend it on true needs” “I don’t know if it will make a real dent” Now, you know. Samaritan invites you to join their journey and feel confident that your social capital - both your talents and money - are going toward core needs. Send a $25 gift for food and medical bills, invite them to coffee, or message words of encouragement for greater accountability. Samaritan is currently serving members in Seattle, Oklahoma City, and Orange County and aiming to serve 100+ communities by 2025. Want your community supported, too? Contact us and let us know where you are!
HelpHaven
This app connects individuals experiencing homelessness or low income with immediate, local services like shelters, food banks, and medical care. It features a live map, service filtering, and direct contact options, working even without GPS.
- Live map of available services
- Filter by service type and radius
- Real-time open/closed status
- Contact information and directions
- One-tap emergency service access
- Offline functionality
- Community ratings for trusted help
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Help Haven – Real Help, Right Now Food, Shelter, Health — Anytime, Anywhere Help Haven connects homeless and low-income individuals with real-time, nearby services — including shelters, food, medical care, and job support — that are open and ready to help right now. No ads. No login. Just help. What’s Available Near You Emergency shelters Food banks, soup kitchens, and pantries Clinics, hospitals, and recovery meetings Job training programs and hiring events Key Features Live map with open/closed status Filter by service type and search radius See hours, contact info, directions One-tap access to 911 or 311 Optional sign-in to save favorites and get alerts Works Even Without GPS If your location is off, Help Haven still shows verified local resources so you’re never without support. Light and dark modes with local skyline visuals Community ratings to help others find safe, trusted help Help is out there — and now it’s always in your pocket. Download Help Haven and find support anytime, anywhere in the U.S.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: HelpHaven at 5.0 against Samaritan's 4.3. HelpHaven also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 74%) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Samaritan's advantage is ratings volume (43 vs 13). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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.
HelpHaven holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 43 and 13 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Samaritan's written reviews are positive against 100% of HelpHaven's.
Samaritan ships an update every 2 months, HelpHaven every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Samaritan | HelpHaven |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (43 ratings) | 5.0 (13 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 73.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 43 — better | 13 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 53 MB | 35 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Samaritan | Maxwell Mamoun |
Customer experience
Samaritan
HelpHaven
In-app purchases
Samaritan
No in-app purchases
HelpHaven
No in-app purchases
