Comparison

Handbid vs Ridwell

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

Head to head
About

Handbid

This app allows users to participate in silent auctions from their mobile devices. Bid on items, manage your bids, purchase items, and complete checkout and payment seamlessly. It's designed to enhance the silent auction experience for bidders and event organizers.

Highlights
  • Mobile bidding on auction items
  • Manage bids and proxy bids
  • Purchase items directly
  • Integrated payment processing
  • Digital receipts
  • iPad kiosk app for non-smartphone users
Features
Read full description

Mobile iOS Client for the Handbid® Silent Auction service. This client allows bidders who are invited to Handbid® powered silent auctions to bid on items from their mobile device, manage bids and proxy bids, purchase items, checkout, issue payment, and get a receipt. Handbid has powered hundreds of events and delighted thousands of bidders in the process. With native apps for iPhone well as a kiosk app available for the iPad for non-smartphone users, there is not a better experience and solution for running your silent auction or fundraising event. Here are 3 great reasons to use Handbid for your next event: 1. Our mobile app experience is second to none. Your bidders will love it! And yes, they WILL download an app on their phone! 2. Handbid is built for AUCTION HOSTS by AUCTION HOSTS. Handbid has been powering silent auctions since 2011 and we have been running auctions ourselves much longer than that. We know how hard it is and we have built this system to make it EASY for you, your volunteers, and your guests. 3. Our commitment to service is as great as our software. We get as many (if not more) compliments on our customer service as we do on our software. You can be assured we will do everything we can to make your experience as smooth and easy as possible. Common questions about Handbid: - Can people pay though Handbid Yes! We have integrated payments in the app so that at the end of the night, your guests can view and pay their invoice without having to stand in line. Our system supports all major credit cards as well as Apple Pay! Can you accept payments outside of Handbid? Sure (cash, check or your own CC system) - Do you provide on-site support? Yes we can do that. We have built Handbid to be easy enough to use where you can train and do it yourself, but we certainly do offer onsite experts who can do it all for you or even just provide extra "tech support" the day of your event. - How much does it cost? We offer a number of fixed price packages that are based on the size and number of events you run. Please contact us or visit our website to view all of our pricing. - It looks cool, but is it worth the investment? Absolutely. Sure, you expected to hear us say that. But remember, we run auctions for our own organizations. We know you are on a tight budget and you want to maximize dollars for your program services. Handbid more than pays for itself. Most of our clients see anywhere from a 30% to 50% increase over what they did before on paper. Some even higher. Put it this way, this is one investment that will generate more revenue at your event. You can't say the same for your caterer, venue or even the band. What are you waiting for? Download the app already? Sign up! It's free to check out. Just go into our demo auction and start to bid around. Trust us, we won't make you pay for what you bid on there! Check out our iPad kiosk app, also in the iTunes App Store. Play with both of them! Have fun, play around, then give us a call and lets get started! Your bidders are waiting for an awesome auction experience. Don't deny them what they deserve! With love - The Handbid Team

About

Ridwell

Easily dispose of hard-to-recycle items with convenient doorstep pickups. Schedule collections, track your impact, and feel good knowing your items are being reused or recycled by trusted partners.

Highlights
  • Schedule doorstep pickups
  • Collect hard-to-recycle items
  • Receive real-time notifications
  • Track community impact
  • Transparent item destinations
Read full description

Get rid of your stuff the right way with Ridwell. Seamlessly schedule your upcoming pickups, receive real-time notifications, and see the impact you’re making with the Ridwell community! Collect hard-to-recycle items in your Ridwell bags. We give you bags to store your plastic film, threads, and other hard-to-recycle things that might otherwise go to waste. Easy pickups from your front door. We come to your front door to pick up your stuff every two weeks. Just let us know when you have stuff to pick up! Feel great about where your stuff goes. You’ll always know where your stuff is going to be reused or recycled with one of our partners. Together, Ridwell members save tons from the landfill every year to support our community, keep our oceans clean, and build a brighter future. If you're in need of any support, please contact us at app@ridwell.com.

Screenshots

Handbid4 screens
Ridwell3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Handbid at none against Ridwell's shown. Handbid also leads on ratings volume (27K vs 8.2K) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Handbid against 4.9 for Ridwell. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 27K and 8.2K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of Handbid's written reviews are positive against 73% of Ridwell's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Handbid ships an update monthly, Ridwell every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Handbid versus Ridwell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHandbidRidwell
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (27K ratings)4.9 (8.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.6% of reviews73.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings27K — better8.2K
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size126 MB17 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperHandbidRidwell, Inc.

Customer experience

Handbid

All ratings27,154 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral2.0%
Negative0.6%
Written reviews85 reviews
Positive70.6%
Neutral12.9%
Negative16.5%

Ridwell

All ratings7,684 ratings
Positive97.8%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews247 reviews
Positive73.3%
Neutral6.9%
Negative19.8%

User reviews

Handbid

From 27K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Seamless and user-friendly experience
  • 💡 Innovative features like instant outbid notifications
  • 👍 Secure payment processing
  • 🚀 Detailed analytics and management tools

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and technical issues during high-traffic events
  • 🐛 Inconsistent login/registration experience
  • 🐛 Difficulty finding and accessing previously favorited items
  • 🐛 Dynamic island on new iPhones blocks auction time display

Ridwell

From 8.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💚 Excellent for the environment
  • 🙌 Convenient pickup service
  • 🤗 Helpful customer service
  • 👍 Easy to use app
  • 🎉 Reduces waste

Room to improve

  • 🚫 Missed pickups
  • 🤔 Inconsistent service
  • 💰 Overcharging for extras
  • 🏢 Inaccessible for apartment buildings
  • 🤷‍♀️ Unclear communication

Bugs and requests

Handbid

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Losing bids after auction closes
  • Inability to clear badge notifications after auction ends
  • Inconsistent login/registration experience across devices
  • Compatibility issues with older devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to favorite/save items for later
  • Clearer display of auction end times
  • More user-friendly error messaging during sign-up/login
  • Option to disable Dynamic Island time display on new iPhones

Ridwell

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Incorrect pickup status notifications
  • Drivers unable to access buildings

Requested features

3 requests
  • Advance scheduling for pickups
  • More recycling categories
  • Proactive notifications for missed pickups

In-app purchases

None

Handbid

No in-app purchases

None

Ridwell

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Handbid free?
Handbid is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ridwell free?
Ridwell is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Handbid or Ridwell?
Ridwell is rated higher. Handbid averages 4.8 out of 5 from 27K ratings, while Ridwell averages 4.9 from 8.2K ratings.
Do Handbid or Ridwell have ads?
Ridwell shows ads; Handbid does not.
Which is updated more often, Handbid or Ridwell?
Handbid ships an update monthly, and Ridwell every 2 months. Most recently, Handbid was updated on October 16, 2026 and Ridwell on October 15, 2026.

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