Comparison

Handbid vs Drybar

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

Drybar

Book and manage professional blowout appointments at your favorite salon. Discover exclusive app-only promotions, join membership programs, and find style inspiration for your next visit. Rebook services and locations with ease.

Highlights
  • Book blowout appointments
  • Manage appointments
  • Exclusive app promotions
  • Barfly Membership management
  • Find salon locations
  • Style inspiration
Features
Read full description

At Drybar® shops, our philosophy is simple. Focus on one thing and be the best at it. For us, that’s blowouts. With that purpose in mind, we are focused on giving each and every client the premier blowout experience while providing professional quality products and tools to better help clients achieve and maintain the perfect blowout at home. Easily book a blowout appointment for you and all your friends. View, edit, or cancel your upcoming appointments on your personal home screen and seamlessly rebook your favorite service & location with just a few taps. You can find a Drybar location while on the go and become a Barfly with our Signature or Premium Memberships to ensure your hair is perfect on your most important dates throughout the month. 4 Reasons you'll love our new Mobile Booking App. 1. Get access to promotions and offers sent only to App users. 2. Book all your blowout appointments easily & frequently. 3. Join & manage your monthly Barfly Membership. 4. Find style inspiration for your next appointment.

Screenshots

Handbid4 screens
Drybar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Handbid at 71% against Drybar's 7%. Handbid also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.5) and ratings volume (27K vs 33). Drybar's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Handbid holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Handbid has 27K ratings behind it against 33, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Handbid's written reviews are positive against 7% of Drybar's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Handbid versus Drybar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHandbidDrybar
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (27K ratings) — better2.5 (33 ratings)
Positive reviews70.6% of reviews — better7.5% of reviews
Number of ratings27K — better33
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better14.4
Further details — not scored
Size126 MB52 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHandbidDrybar

Customer experience

Handbid

All ratings27,086 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral2.0%
Negative0.6%
Written reviews85 reviews
Positive70.6%
Neutral12.9%
Negative16.5%

Drybar

All ratings33 ratings
Positive36.4%
Neutral3.0%
Negative60.6%
Written reviews107 reviews
Positive7.5%
Neutral5.6%
Negative86.9%

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

Drybar

From 33 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to book appointments
  • 💡 Ability to rebook with same stylist
  • 🎯 Single platform for all booking needs
  • ✨ Modern and sleek interface design
  • 🔄 Remembers previous appointments

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Constant login issues and forced re-authentication
  • 📱 Unreliable location detection
  • 🔄 Doesn't save user preferences despite checkboxes
  • ⚠️ Excessive font size and UI scaling problems
  • 🔐 Frequent password reset requirements

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

Drybar

Reported bugs

20 issues
  • Login credentials not recognized despite being correct
  • App logs out user every time it's opened
  • Password reset emails not being sent
  • Server error messages during booking process
  • Scrolling issues on date selection screens
Show 15 more
  • Font rendering too large making content unreadable
  • Location search returns incorrect/distant locations
  • App crashes when entering zip code search
  • Payment processing fails with server errors
  • Appointment confirmation not syncing to salon systems
  • Membership credits showing as zero when they exist
  • Add-on requests not appearing at salon
  • Appointments not displaying in user schedule
  • App freezes on confirmation screen
  • Unable to add payment methods despite limit errors
  • Location detection fails on cellular networks
  • Password validation inconsistent between app and website
  • Account profile phone number validation errors
  • Customer not found errors for existing accounts
  • Automatic next screen progression inconsistent

Requested features

17 requests
  • Face ID or biometric authentication support
  • Remember login credentials between sessions
  • Show available times across multiple locations simultaneously
  • Search appointments by date instead of location
  • Save user preferences and settings permanently
Show 12 more
  • Ability to select specific stylists
  • Display location phone numbers in app
  • Cancel and modify appointments within app
  • Show membership credits and benefits clearly
  • Integration with calendar apps
  • Keyboard shortcut support for login fields
  • Better error messaging and explanations
  • View appointment history with stylist names
  • Search by date range across nearby locations
  • Saved favorite add-ons and services
  • Automatic location detection accuracy improvement
  • Show availability before answering all questions

In-app purchases

None

Handbid

No in-app purchases

None

Drybar

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Handbid free?
Handbid is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Drybar free?
Drybar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Handbid or Drybar?
Handbid is rated higher. Handbid averages 4.8 out of 5 from 27K ratings, while Drybar averages 2.5 from 33 ratings.
Do Handbid or Drybar have ads?
Neither Handbid nor Drybar shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Handbid or Drybar?
Handbid ships an update monthly, and Drybar monthly. Most recently, Handbid was updated on September 24, 2026 and Drybar on September 17, 2026.

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