# Howbout vs CounterSpike

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 (#50 vs unranked). On price, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

Howbout ships an update weekly, CounterSpike every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Howbout | CounterSpike |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (50K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/howbout-shared-calendar/id1477248221/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **50K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 42.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#50** | — |
| Size | 155 MB | 81 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Howbout Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1477248220) | [COUNTERSPIKE LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1814825920) |

## What reviewers say

### Howbout

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

**Currently charting:** #50 Top Free · Social Networking, #121 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


### CounterSpike

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/counterspike/id6746042708)

**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 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 16, 2026 and CounterSpike on October 2, 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.*