Comparison

NOVA vs Up n Around

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

Head to head
About

NOVA

This platform connects creative professionals with clients seeking talent. It allows artists to build their network, showcase their work, and find job opportunities. Clients can discover and hire top freelance creative talent.

Highlights
  • Build creative network
  • Display artwork
  • Access job opportunities
  • Hire freelance talent
  • Application-based platform
  • Community guidelines
Features
Read full description

NOVA is the curated freelancer platform for the next generation of creatives. Our mission is to provide Network, Opportunity, and Visibility to Artists. For creatives, NOVA is a first-of-its-kind multi application platform for artists to build their network, display their work, and easily access job opportunities. For clients, NOVA is the next evolution of creative hiring, providing a direct link to top freelance creative talent. _ At NOVA, our priority is community, which is why we are an application-based platform. Prospective members should download the mobile app here and submit an application. As a creative, we'll ask you to include information like skills and past project work. As a client, we'll ask you to include your company name and job title. Once you've submitted an application, it will be placed into the queue to be reviewed by our board of creatives and internal team. You could receive your acceptance at any time, so keep your push notifications on! Once admitted, creatives and clients will have full-access to the platform. Users must continuously abide by our community guidelines of integrity, professionalism, and privacy. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Up n Around

Easily see which friends are available for spontaneous meetups. Set your free time with a tap, and instantly create group chats to make plans. Focus on hanging out, not endless coordination.

Highlights
  • One-tap availability setting
  • Live view of friends' availability
  • Instant group chat creation
  • Lock screen and widget support
  • Private by default
  • Countdown timer for availability
Features
Read full description

Up n Around is the simplest way to turn free time into real plans. Set how long you’re free with one tap and your friends see you’re around. See who else is up for something right now — no endless texting, no “maybe later.” When a few people are free, spin up a group chat and go. • One-tap availability — show you’re free for 30 minutes or a few hours. It counts down and clears itself. • See who’s around — a live view of which friends are up for something right now. • Instant group chats — get the free people into one thread and make it happen. • Lock Screen & widgets — adjust your availability without opening the app (Live Activity, Dynamic Island, home widget, Apple Watch). • Private by default — you control who sees you’re free. No public feed, no follower counts. Stop planning. Start hanging out.

Screenshots

NOVA4 screens
Up n Around4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Up n Around at 100% against NOVA's 37%. Up n Around also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). NOVA's advantage is ratings volume (1.2K vs 5) and chart position (#168 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. NOVA sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. Up n Around asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Up n Around holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NOVA has 1.2K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 37% of NOVA's written reviews are positive against 100% of Up n Around's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NOVA ships an update monthly, Up n Around every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
NOVA versus Up n Around: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNOVAUp n Around
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (1.2K ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews36.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.2K — better5
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
Best chart rank#168 — better—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.416.4
Further details — not scored
Size170 MB62 MB
Age rating+124+
DeveloperNova Network Inc.David Pontes

Customer experience

NOVA

All ratings1,182 ratings
Positive83.1%
Neutral1.9%
Negative15.0%
Written reviews201 reviews
Positive36.8%
Neutral3.5%
Negative59.7%

Up n Around

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

NOVA

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes
  • Freezing
  • Buggy application process

Requested features

4 requests
  • Web Access
  • Saved filter settings
  • Notifications
  • Profile customization

Up n Around

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

NOVA

Subscriptions2
  • Nova Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • Nova Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$99.991 Year
One-time1
  • Nova Pro (Day Pass)$3.99
None

Up n Around

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NOVA free?
NOVA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Up n Around free?
Up n Around is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NOVA or Up n Around?
Up n Around is rated higher. NOVA averages 4.3 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Up n Around averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do NOVA or Up n Around have ads?
Neither NOVA nor Up n Around shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NOVA or Up n Around?
NOVA ships an update monthly, and Up n Around every 4 days. Most recently, NOVA was updated on November 7, 2026 and Up n Around on November 5, 2026.

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