Comparison

Howbout vs CounterSpike

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

Head to head
About

Howbout

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
Read full description

The shared calendar for friends, couples, and family This is the app you’ve seen all over TikTok. 10M downloads, 200M+ plans made, and 1B+ views across social media. Howbout is how millions of people actually see each other more. Planning shouldn't take a hundred messages and a "when works for you?" thread that goes nowhere. Howbout fixes that. Find the gap, lock in the plan, actually see the people who matter to you. … WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH HOWBOUT SEE WHEN EVERYONE'S FREE No guessing, it's right there on the calendar. MAKE PLANS Add events, add details, and keep everything together, so plans don't fall apart. SHARE YOUR CALENDAR OR AVAILABILITY Choose what people see. Stay private or share with friends. KEEP ALL THE DETAILS IN ONE PLACE Plans, chats, locations, notes, photos… no switching apps or losing the details. REAL TIME NOTIFICATIONS Get updates when plans change or when your friends are up to something fun. MAKE YOUR CALENDAR YOURS Color-code and customize your calendar how you like. SYNC YOUR CALENDARS & TIMELINES Work, school, personal, social… it's all in one place, so nothing clashes. UP NEXT WIDGETS Stay on top of your upcoming plans and see what your friends are up to from your home screen. … BUILT FOR REAL LIFE For friend groups: check availability, lock in plans, actually see each other more. For couples: stay in sync, plan dates faster, stop double-booking each other. For families: track school runs, appointments, and weekends, all in one place. … HOWBOUT+ Unlock more customization like colors and app themes, smarter planning tools, and get an all around better experience. Your subscription will automatically renew unless turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage your subscription in your App Store settings. … Contact us: support@howbout.app · Follow @howbout_app Privacy: howbout.app/privacy · Terms: howbout.app/terms

About

CounterSpike

Features
Read full description

CounterSpike is a personal safety app built for one of the most urgent situations a night out can throw at you: a spiked drink.

Screenshots

Howbout4 screens
CounterSpike3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CounterSpike at none against Howbout's 6. CounterSpike also leads on device support (3 vs 1). Howbout's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and chart position (#53 vs unranked). On price, ads 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. Howbout sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. CounterSpike asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Howbout ships an update weekly, CounterSpike every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Howbout versus CounterSpike: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHowboutCounterSpike
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (50K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews42.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings50K — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#53 — better—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size155 MB81 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperHowbout Ltd.COUNTERSPIKE LIMITED

Bugs and requests

Howbout

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

CounterSpike

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Howbout

Subscriptions6
  • Howbout+ Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Howbout+ Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Howbout+ Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Howbout+ Monthly7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Howbout+ Annual7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Howbout+ Annual$39.991 Year
None

CounterSpike

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Howbout free?
Howbout is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CounterSpike free?
CounterSpike is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Howbout or CounterSpike have ads?
Neither Howbout nor CounterSpike shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Howbout or CounterSpike?
Howbout ships an update weekly, and CounterSpike every 3 months. Most recently, Howbout was updated on October 15, 2026 and CounterSpike on October 2, 2026.

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