Comparison

WateringHole vs Covalent

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

Head to head
About

WateringHole

This app facilitates casual, real-world networking for young professionals returning to the office. It helps users plan meetups, coordinate hangouts, and discover who is nearby to foster connections.

Highlights
  • Casual real-world networking
  • Plan coffee meetups
  • Coordinate post-work hangouts
  • Discover nearby connections
  • Quick event creation
  • Customizable professional profiles
  • Digital business card sharing
Features
Read full description

Welcome to WateringHole, your go-to space for casual, real-world networking. Designed for young professionals who are returning to the office and ready to reconnect, WateringHole makes it easier than ever to create moments that matter. Whether you're planning a coffee meetup, coordinating a post-work hangout, or just curious who’s nearby, WateringHole helps you interact with your network effortlessly. With features like quick event creation, customizable profiles that reflect both your personality and profession, and seamless digital business card sharing, WateringHole brings a fresh, modern approach to building relationships. It’s professional, but never stiff. Casual, but always intentional. Rebuild your social rhythm, reenter the world with confidence, and rediscover the joy of spontaneous connection—only with WateringHole.

About

Covalent

Read full description

Some things are easier with people who get it. Covalent matches you, by hand, with a small private circle of 4–6 people facing the same challenge you are. For 90 days, your circle is where you show up, say how it's really going and keep each other going. Covalent is not therapy, and we don't give advice. No diagnoses, no experts telling you what to do: just people going through the same thing, who listen and share what has helped them. Your circle forms around what you're going through: • Overcoming loneliness • Recovering from a breakup • Beating procrastination • Building discipline and habits • Getting back on track • Starting a business • Or simply making new friends who get you HOW IT WORKS 1. Tell us what you're going through, in your own words. No labels, no tests. 2. We read it and match you with people in a similar place who speak your language. 3. Talk as often as you like in a chat only your circle can see. YOUR CIRCLE • A private group chat with just 4–6 people, never a public feed • Kai, our guide, opens the conversation so nobody has to break the ice alone. Kai is written by the Covalent team: real people, not AI • Daily conversation prompts and quick polls to get everyone talking • Know when someone answers you, without the message showing on your lock screen • Circle streaks that grow when members show up for each other • Not clicking with your group? Ask within 10 days and we'll move you YOUR DIARY • A private page for what you're not ready to say out loud • Mark how the day felt and look back at how you've changed • Lock it with Face ID, so whoever holds your phone can't open it • A daily reminder at the time you choose YOUR PROGRESS • Earn avatars, frames and badges over your 90 days • Your badges are private unless you choose to show one SAFE BY DESIGN • Members are 18+ and use a username; your real name is never shown • Report any message or block any member in a couple of taps; our team reviews every report • Messages that share contact details or harass someone are held for review before the circle sees them • Crisis lines for your country, one tap away • No ads, no tracking, your data is never sold • Download your data or delete your account anytime, right in the app Covalent is peer support. It is not therapy or medical care, and it is not an emergency service. If you are in crisis, call your local emergency number or a crisis line in your country.

Screenshots

WateringHole4 screens
Covalent4 screens

Verdict

The call

WateringHole and Covalent are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
WateringHole versus Covalent: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWateringHoleCovalent
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (15 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings15 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS14 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size110 MB3 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperMB Partners, LLCFACUNDO SANSALONE GRASSO

In-app purchases

None

WateringHole

No in-app purchases

None

Covalent

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is WateringHole free?
WateringHole is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Covalent free?
Covalent is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do WateringHole or Covalent have ads?
Neither WateringHole nor Covalent shows ads.

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