Comparison

eNeighbor vs Hi, Buds

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

Head to head
About

eNeighbor

Read full description

eNeighbor™ lets you stop wondering about someone who lives on their own - and lets them get on with their day. Nothing to wear, nothing to charge, and no daily call either of you has to make. HOW IT WORKS You and the person you're looking out for become neighbors, and each of you sets the time you're usually up and using your phone. After that, there's nothing to do. Ordinary phone habits are the signal that the morning is under way. If there's no sign of someone by the time they set, eNeighbor nudges them first, so they can settle it themselves - the person they chose gets a gentle heads-up only if there's still no answer. WHAT YOU GET • See at a glance that they're up, right from your home screen • Look out for someone without adding another task to your day • It works with the phone they already have - nothing new to buy or carry • Let them keep their privacy: eNeighbor never shows their location and never records which apps they use • Set it up together in a few minutes, then forget it's there WHERE THE NAME COMES FROM Before smartphones, neighbors had a simple arrangement: every morning you raised your window shade, and so did the person next door - a quiet signal that said "I'm up, I'm okay." Most of us don't have that neighbor anymore. eNeighbor brings it back. Whether it's a parent living alone, a student far from home, a friend who lives by themselves, or your own mornings, eNeighbor turns a daily worry into something you no longer have to think about. PRIVACY Whether you've been up and about is shared only with the person you chose during setup. It only works if you turn it on, and you can turn it off anytime. eNeighbor asks for notification and background access so it can notice you're up without you doing anything. Where the system uses location to wake the app, eNeighbor records only that the wake happened - the coordinates never leave your phone, and location is never stored, tracked, or shown to anyone. The person you pair with sees whether you've been active and whether your setup is finished - never your location, and never which apps you use. Account deletion is available in the app and at https://eneighbor.app/delete-account. Full details: https://eneighbor.app/privacy. IMPORTANT eNeighbor is a general wellness product, not a medical alert or emergency response system. In an emergency, contact your local emergency services. Please see our Terms of Service at https://eneighbor.app/terms for important safety information. QUESTIONS Email support@curlewlabs.com or visit https://eneighbor.app/support.

About

Hi, Buds

Transform your living things into charming characters that thrive in a cozy digital world. Care for them, send them on adventures, and build a kingdom together. This gentle experience prioritizes well-being with no pressure or failure states.

Highlights
  • Create characters from photos
  • Gentle care mechanics
  • No failure states
  • Unified 'Sunshine' currency
  • Character-specific personalities
  • Build a growing kingdom
Features
Read full description

The plant care app that takes care of you, too. Take one photo of a plant you love. A windowsill monstera, the fern on your desk, a supermarket succulent you couldn't leave behind. Hi, Buds turns it into a little felt-and-wool character with its own name, voice, and personality. It settles into your cozy world and remembers the time you spend together. What you do here • Photograph the plants in your life and watch each one wake up as its own character • Care for them gently: water, mist, feed, or just drop in to say hi, and earn Sunshine for every act • Get cared for back. Your buds check in on you, too ("did you drink water today?") • Send buds on tiny adventures and see what they bring home • Build a calm little kingdom that grows as you do No pressure, ever There's nothing to fail here. Nothing wilts if you take a day off. Nothing scolds you, nags you, or makes you feel guilty. Your buds wait patiently and greet you when you come back, even if it's been a while. One pool of Sunshine for everything Caring for a plant and caring for yourself fill the same well. A few slow breaths, a quick check-in, a tuck-in at night: it all counts. There's no separate score for you and your plants. Small and slow on purpose This is a tiny, hand-felt world. No leaderboards, no battle passes, no streak to defend. Just buds, quietly thriving, glad to see you. (Got a pet or a garden friend you love too? They're welcome here.) Bring the plants in your life into one warm place, and say hi.

Screenshots

eNeighbor4 screens
Hi, Buds4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Hi, Buds at every 5 days against eNeighbor's fortnightly. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

eNeighbor ships an update fortnightly, Hi, Buds every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
eNeighbor versus Hi, Buds: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametereNeighborHi, Buds
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.8 (23 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—23 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB159 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperCurlew LabsNCOM d.o.o.

In-app purchases

None

eNeighbor

No in-app purchases

None

Hi, Buds

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is eNeighbor free?
eNeighbor is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hi, Buds free?
Hi, Buds is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do eNeighbor or Hi, Buds have ads?
Neither eNeighbor nor Hi, Buds shows ads.
Which is updated more often, eNeighbor or Hi, Buds?
eNeighbor ships an update fortnightly, and Hi, Buds every 5 days. Most recently, eNeighbor was updated on October 31, 2026 and Hi, Buds on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons