OurCalling vs GiveInstead
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
OurCalling
This app connects concerned citizens with homeless individuals, enabling them to report sightings and share local service information. It provides a nationwide database of resources like shelters and food pantries, facilitating help and support for those in need.
- Report homeless individuals with photos
- Search nationwide homeless services
- View resources on map or by distance
- Offline access to favorite resources
- Submit new resource information
- Report homeless camp locations
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You are driving when you see a homeless person on the side of the road. You want to help. You reach for your phone and open the OurCalling Homeless Service app. You click on “Identify” and quickly snap a picture, notifying outreach workers who will follow up with the individual. You want to do more, so you engage in conversation and begin helping the person by using the app and sharing what local services are available. Before you know it, you have just helped a complete stranger take a step in the right direction. Through the OurCalling Homeless Service app you are able to search for resources in every city throughout the country. Looking for the closest shelter, food pantry, domestic violence center or addiction recovery resource? This app will guide you. This app is funded by donations from people like you and helps homeless individuals all across the country. Click on the “Donate” button in the app and make an immediate impact. The data in this app is crowdsourced - Help more people by using the “Submit” feature to add a new resource. Features: • Gain access to the largest database of service providers for the homeless. • Search in any city and numerous categories (shelter, domestic violence, medical clinic, food pantry, rehab, etc...) • View listings on a map or sort the list by distance from your current location. · Share resource information to pass on a referral. · Offline access for services when you mark them as Favorite. • Report updates on resources in your area. • Report a homeless camp location. • Reporting for camp locations in Dallas, TX will be visited by OurCalling's Search and Rescue teams.
GiveInstead
This app facilitates charitable giving by allowing users to donate funds they would have otherwise spent on non-essential purchases. It offers a unique way for individuals to practice generosity and for charities to receive additional support.
- Redirect planned spending to charities
- Support favorite charities
- Track charitable giving
- Ministry-focused giving
- Simple donation process
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GiveInstead helps givers give and charities receive in a new, unique way. Anecdotes are best. I'm on my way to work and plan to stop by for a froofy coffee on the way. I know I'm called to give as God has given so generously, and to be a good steward of what He's provided. So, I decide to pop open the GiveInstead app, type $5.87 into the amount field and - because my favorite charity is already defaulted - I just touch "Give", and I move on. I just gave ... instead of buying something I wanted but did not really need. What a concept! GiveInstead is a simple app for giving, helping generous people give in moments where they planned to spend money either way, but wish to choose giving over consuming. Imagine the result... hundreds or dollars (thousands?) given each month rather than buying stuff, "where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal" (Matt 6:19). And if you're one of the charities involved, imagine receiving more donations, on top of one-time gifts and monthly recurring giving. This app - in short - is a ministry intended to prime our collective pumps for GIVING as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ gave so fully and sacrificially. GiveInstead is a ministry of HowGiving. Learn more at GiveInstead.app or HowGiving.org.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: GiveInstead at 5.0 against OurCalling's 4.5. OurCalling's advantage is ratings volume (28 vs 3). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
GiveInstead holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: OurCalling has 28 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | OurCalling | GiveInstead |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (28 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 90.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 28 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | OurCalling Inc | HowGiving LLC |
Customer experience
OurCalling
GiveInstead
In-app purchases
OurCalling
No in-app purchases
GiveInstead
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is OurCalling free?
Is GiveInstead free?
Which has better reviews, OurCalling or GiveInstead?
Do OurCalling or GiveInstead have ads?
Which is updated more often, OurCalling or GiveInstead?
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