Comparison

Playpen Chicago vs avec

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

Head to head
About

Playpen Chicago

Connect with other boating enthusiasts and lake lovers on Lake Michigan. Discover and plan events, share experiences, and find local insights for social gatherings and adventures.

Highlights
  • Connect with boaters and lake lovers
  • Discover lakefront events and parties
  • Plan boating excursions and meetups
  • Share sailing stories and photos
  • Get local entertainment insights
Features
Read full description

Dive into the wave of excitement with Playpen Chicago, the ultimate social app connecting boating enthusiasts at Chicago’s Playpen on Lake Michigan! Whether you’re looking to mingle, set sail on a romantic date, or just find the hottest lakefront events, Playpen Chicago brings the vibrant spirit of Lake Michigan right to your fingertips. Join our community and anchor yourself in the thrill of local adventures and unforgettable social connections! Main Features: Connect Instantly: Meet fellow boating aficionados and lake lovers for fun, dating, and networking. Discover Events: Stay updated with the latest gatherings, parties, and exclusive events in The Playpen. Plan Meetups: Organize or join boating excursions, sailing lessons, and yacht parties. Share Experiences: Post your sailing stories, photos, and tips with a like-minded community. Local Insights: Get the inside scoop on exclusive entertainment happenings at the Playpen and beyond.

About

avec

This app simplifies coordinating travel plans with friends and family. It helps you see who is traveling to your city or when you'll be in theirs, making it easier to connect and make plans.

Highlights
  • Auto-import trips from calendar
  • Map view of network's travel plans
  • Set personal availability
  • Organize contacts into groups (Orbits)
  • Proactive trip notifications
  • Direct scheduling within the app
Features
Read full description

Removing the friction from actually getting together. Overlap what you're doing with who you know. See who's visiting your city, who's headed to the same event, and when your paths are about to cross. Whether you're traveling or staying put, avec keeps your whole network in view: the friend running a marathon this weekend, the colleague in town for one night, the person you didn't know was going to the same conference. It's not just knowing when paths cross. It's the tools to actually do something about it. avec moves the burden of connection off the busiest person. You both see the overlap, and whoever has capacity can make the plan first - the friend at home can say "come over" before the friend on the road has to ask. No back and forth. No mental math about who's where. Trips, made easy. Book a flight and avec picks it up from your calendar. Or add a trip you're thinking of taking, people will know you'll be out of town before you've even booked. Your network at a glance. See every city in your network, how many people you know there, and who's passing through right now. Connect your network. Bring in LinkedIn, Strava, and your contacts so the people you actually care about are the ones avec keeps in view. Orbits. Group your contacts so the right people see the right trips: close friends, colleagues, family, or your whole universe. Booking, without the back-and-forth. Open time on your calendar for 1:1s or group hangs, or let friends request time with you on your trip. No scheduling threads. No "does Tuesday work?" Events, together. Every event is hiding who you know. avec adds the network layer, so you walk in already knowing who'll be there. Year in Motion. Every trip you took, every connection you made, all the ground you covered. Share it so your friends know what you've been up to.

Screenshots

Playpen Chicago4 screens
avec4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: avec at 5.0 against Playpen Chicago's 4.6. avec also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 89%). Playpen Chicago's advantage is ratings volume (106 vs 14) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

avec holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Playpen Chicago has 106 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Playpen Chicago's written reviews are positive against 100% of avec's.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Playpen Chicago versus avec: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlaypen Chicagoavec
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (106 ratings)5.0 (14 ratings) — better
Positive reviews88.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings106 — better14
Update frequency—Every 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB144 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTHE PLAYPEN ENTERPRISES, LLCabiento, Inc.

Customer experience

Playpen Chicago

All ratings89 ratings
Positive88.8%
Neutral2.2%
Negative9.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%

avec

All ratings14 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Playpen Chicago

No in-app purchases

None

avec

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Playpen Chicago free?
Playpen Chicago is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is avec free?
avec is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Playpen Chicago or avec?
avec is rated higher. Playpen Chicago averages 4.6 out of 5 from 106 ratings, while avec averages 5.0 from 14 ratings.
Do Playpen Chicago or avec have ads?
Neither Playpen Chicago nor avec shows ads.

Other comparisons