# Howbout vs Hive Gather

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hive Gather at none against Howbout's 6. Hive Gather also leads on update cadence (daily vs weekly). Howbout's advantage is chart position (#73 vs unranked). On price, ads, device support 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. Hive Gather asks for nothing beyond the download.

Howbout ships an update weekly, Hive Gather daily. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Howbout | Hive Gather |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (51K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/howbout-shared-calendar/id1477248221/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **51K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 42.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#73** | — |
| Size | 155 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Howbout Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1477248220) | [Circle Of Bytes ApS](https://appshunter.io/developer/6785986657) |

## What reviewers say

### Howbout

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

**Currently charting:** #73 Top Free · Social Networking, #116 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


### Hive Gather

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hive-gather/id6787946435)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Howbout free?

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

### Is Hive Gather free?

Hive Gather is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Howbout or Hive Gather have ads?

Neither Howbout nor Hive Gather shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Howbout or Hive Gather?

Howbout ships an update weekly, and Hive Gather daily. Most recently, Howbout was updated on October 27, 2026 and Hive Gather on October 25, 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.*