# Howbout vs My First Alert Pro

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: My First Alert Pro at none against Howbout's 6. Howbout's advantage is chart position (#65 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Howbout sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. My First Alert Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.

Howbout ships an update weekly, My First Alert Pro fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Howbout | My First Alert Pro |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (52K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/howbout-shared-calendar/id1477248221/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **52K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 42.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#65** | — |
| Size | 155 MB | 46 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Howbout Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1477248220) | [Nimika Karadia](https://appshunter.io/developer/1593854400) |

## What reviewers say

### Howbout

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

**Currently charting:** #65 Top Free · Social Networking, #114 Top Grossing · Social Networking (US App Store)

This app simplifies social planning by allowing friends to share calendars, coordinate events, and see each other's availability. It helps move plans out of group chats and into a centralized, customizable space with integrated communication features.

**Highlights:** Shared calendars for friends, Color-coded events, Plan details with notes and pictures, Share and view friend availability, Integrated group chat and DMs, Sync external calendars, Home screen widgets

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Howbout+ Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Howbout+ Monthly | $3.99 | 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 |

**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


### My First Alert Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/my-first-alert-pro/id6459057052)

**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 My First Alert Pro free?

My First Alert Pro is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Howbout or My First Alert Pro have ads?

Neither Howbout nor My First Alert Pro shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Howbout or My First Alert Pro?

Howbout ships an update weekly, and My First Alert Pro fortnightly. Most recently, Howbout was updated on November 5, 2026 and My First Alert Pro on October 27, 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.*