# Howbout vs Bubble Play

The clearest difference is rating: Howbout at 4.8 against Bubble Play's 1.4. Howbout also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (52K vs 9). Bubble Play's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Howbout sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Bubble Play asks for nothing beyond the download.

Howbout holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Howbout has 52K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 42% of Howbout's written reviews are positive against 20% of Bubble Play's.

Howbout ships an update weekly, Bubble Play every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Howbout | Bubble Play |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (52K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/howbout-shared-calendar/id1477248221/reviews)** | [1.4 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bubble-play/id1594207855/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **52K** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | **42.0% of reviews** | 20.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Ad-supported** |
| Best chart rank | **#61** | — |
| Size | 159 MB | 162 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Howbout Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1477248220) | [Marmalade Game Studio Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/988365603) |

## What reviewers say

### Howbout

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/howbout-shared-calendar/id1477248221)

**Currently charting:** #61 Top Free · Social Networking, #106 Top Grossing · Social Networking (US App Store)

Effortlessly coordinate plans with friends, family, and partners. This app simplifies scheduling by showing everyone's availability, centralizing event details, and providing real-time updates. It aims to reduce communication overhead and help you connect with the people who matter most.

**Highlights:** See everyone's availability, Centralize plan details, Share calendars or availability, Real-time notifications, Sync multiple calendars, Home screen widgets

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Howbout+ Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Howbout+ Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Howbout+ Monthly | $5.99 | per month |
| Howbout+ Annual | $39.99 | per year |
| Howbout+ Annual | $39.99 | per year |
| Howbout+ Annual | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive
- 🚀 Helps with planning and organizing
- 💡 Useful features like polls, countdowns, and event chats
- 🤝 Facilitates sharing calendars and coordinating with friends

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional glitches and bugs
- 🔀 Difficulty syncing with other calendars
- 📢 Overwhelming notifications
- 🔒 Forced to add friends to use the app

**Reported bugs**

- Calendar sync issues causing duplicate events
- Notifications not working as expected
- App crashing or freezing
- Inability to edit events without resending invites

**Requested features**

- Add widget support
- Allow customization of event colors
- Improve recurring event handling
- Add option to only share with specific people


### Bubble Play

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bubble-play/id1594207855)

Connect with friends and family for classic board game fun, no matter the distance. Enjoy multiplayer games with integrated video chat, playable across all your devices.

**Highlights:** Create free account, Invite friends, Group chats, In-game video chat, Play on multiple devices, Ad-free games

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Howbout free?

Howbout is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Bubble Play free?

Bubble Play is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Howbout or Bubble Play?

Howbout is rated higher. Howbout averages 4.8 out of 5 from 52K ratings, while Bubble Play averages 1.4 from 9 ratings.

### Do Howbout or Bubble Play have ads?

Neither Howbout nor Bubble Play shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Howbout or Bubble Play?

Howbout ships an update weekly, and Bubble Play every 3 months. Most recently, Howbout was updated on November 10, 2026 and Bubble Play on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*