Cozi vs Hearth Display (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Cozi grades higher than Hearth Display: 2.8 against 1.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Cozi grades higher on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Cozi
Shared family calendar with shopping lists, to-dos and recipes
Hearth Display
Wall-mounted family touchscreen for calendars, routines and meals
Which one is for you
Pick Cozi if
- Fits if you want one calendar the whole family can see, color-coded by person
- Works for families of up to 12, since one $39 a year Gold subscription covers everyone
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want two-way sync with Google or Apple Calendar, since the feeds are read-only and can lag a day
- Tight if you're staying free: ads, events only 30 days ahead, one reminder per person and no month view on phones
- Not for you if the kids shouldn't be able to change everything, as everyone shares one password with full access
- Too light for work teams, with no file or photo attachments, no desktop app and no API
- Watch out: the Gold trial only exists on the website, and the AI tools cost $79 a year on Max
Pick Hearth Display if
- Fits if a family wants one screen in the hall showing everyone's week
- Works for households with kids and chore routines
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you add it up: $699 for the screen, then a membership of $5.76 to $9 a month
- Watch out: the display does not run without a Family Membership
- Skip it if you want software only, as there is no cheaper app version
- Watch out: the lowest rate needs a three-year commitment
- Watch out: companion app platforms are not stated on the pages read
How we grade them
| 2.8GPACoziGood | 1.4GPAHearth DisplayWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BGold is $39 a year for the whole family, up to 12 people, so $3.25 a month in total against a $6 middle per person in this category. Part of what it unlocks, though, like month view on your phone, is stuff free calendars give you anyway. | D$699 for the display plus $5.76 a month on a 3-year plan, far above the $5.99 middle one-time price of calendar tools, though it includes hardware. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe calendar, lists and recipes are free for everyone in the family, but you can only add events for the next 30 days. The dentist in six weeks won't go in. Add ads and one reminder per person and you'll hit the wall quickly. | FNo free tier: the first membership month is free and the display has a 120-day return window, which is not a trial. |
| Features | CColor-coded calendar, shopping and to-do lists, chores, recipes and a meal planner, all shared. The gaps are ones the site owns up to: other calendars connect as read-only feeds only, access is all or nothing, and you can't attach a photo or file to an event. | CShared calendar, a helper, routines and rewards, lists and meal planning. It needs the paid membership to run. |
| Ease of use | A4.8 from about 400,000 App Store ratings. One reviewer's teenage daughter suggested it, and another family's babysitter entered the whole summer. Undoing things, like clearing a recipe off the list, is fiddlier. | CNo store rating on record. You mount the screen and connect your calendars. |
| Platforms and integrations | BiPhone, Android and any browser, with links to Google, Outlook and Apple calendars. There's no desktop app and no API, though, and those three links are read-only feeds that can lag by hours. | COne device plus a companion app, and the platforms for the app are not stated. |
| Best for | busy families sharing one calendar | a wall-mounted family calendar screen |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Cozi and Hearth Display. How we grade
Price against what you get
Cozi starts at $3.25 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Hearth Display starts at $5.76 a month and scores 2.0.
Cozi scores higher and starts $2.51 a month lower. Of the other calendar and scheduling apps on the chart, 1 scores higher than Cozi for less, and 37 score higher than Hearth Display for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Hearth Display also covers habit tracking.
At a glance
| Cozi | Hearth Display | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $39 per year for the whole family (Cozi Gold) | $5.76 per month on a 3-year membership, plus a $699 display |
| Free plan | Free with ads: shared calendar, to-do and shopping lists and recipes for the whole family. Events can be entered for the next 30 days, with one reminder per attendee. | None |
| Free trial | Two-week free trial of Cozi Gold, only for subscriptions started on the Cozi website | First membership month free; the display has a 120-day return window |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Cozi Inc. | Hearth |
| Price read from | cozi.com | hearthdisplay.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Cozi
- The free version shows ads and only lets you enter events for the next 30 days; Cozi Gold gives unlimited future calendar access.
- Month view on mobile, calendar search, change notifications and the birthday tracker need Cozi Gold.
- Everyone on an account signs in with one shared password and has full access to its data; Cozi offers no restricted-access option.
- Connections to Google Calendar, Outlook and Apple Calendar are read-only feeds, not two-way sync.
Hearth Display
- It needs the $699 display, which is sold at list price; the display alone does not run without a membership.
- The software is a Family Membership with no free tier; the cheapest rate needs a three-year commitment.
- A Black Friday discount code was advertised at 20% off the display; codes are not counted in the listed prices.
- Platform support for the companion app is not stated on the pages read.
Key features
Cozi
- Color-coded family calendar
- Each of up to 12 family members gets a name and a color. The calendar shows everyone at once or filters to one person, on a computer or a phone.
- Reminders and agenda emails
- Reminders arrive as push notifications or email, and each person can receive a daily or weekly agenda email. Free accounts get one reminder per attendee; Gold allows three.
- Shopping and to-do lists
- Shared grocery lists, chore lists and as many other lists as you want. The shopping list can be emailed to whoever is at the store.
- Recipes and meal planning
- Store recipes, plan dinners for the week and add a recipe's ingredients to the shopping list.
- Cozi Today
- A single daily view of upcoming appointments, current to-dos and recently added shopping list items.
- AI tools in Cozi Max
- AI Event Import reads invitations and calendar details from email and adds them to the calendar. Max also generates recipes and builds meal plans around your preferences.
Hearth Display
- Shared family calendar
- Daily, weekly and monthly views, with Google, iCal, Outlook and URL-based calendars (such as TeamSnap or school calendars) connected for free.
- Hearth Helper
- Turns invitations and uploaded school menus into events or meal plans that a parent approves.
- Routines, stars and rewards
- Kid-friendly routines with streaks, stars and custom rewards.
- Lists, to-dos and meal planning
- Shared lists, assignable recurring to-dos and a meal schedule that can be assigned per family member.
- Companion app
- Parents add events, meals and to-dos from a phone; private lists live in the app.
Plans
Cozi
Cozi (Free)$0
Shared calendar, automatic notifications, shared grocery and to-do lists, and recipes, supported by ads.
Cozi Gold$39
per year, one subscription for the whole family
No ads, month view on mobile, calendar search, up to three reminders per event, change notifications, birthday tracker and Shopping Mode.
Cozi Max$79
per year, one subscription for the whole family
Everything in Gold, plus AI Event Import, AI Recipe Creator and AI Meal Planner.
Hearth Display
Hearth Display$699
one-time
The 27-inch touchscreen with mount and power cord; a Family Membership is needed to run the software. Open-box units appear at $499.
3-Year Membership$5.76
per month, billed $207.36 every 3 years
Hearth Helper, routines, meal planning, lists, rewards, companion app and future updates.
2-Year Membership$6.48
per month, billed $155.52 every 2 years
Same membership, billed for two years.
Annual Membership$7.20
per month, billed $86.40 a year ($9 billed monthly)
Same membership, billed yearly.
Monthly Membership$9
per month
Same membership, billed monthly.
Ways to pay less
Cozi
No public discounts listed.
Hearth Display
- Annual discount
Longer membership terms cost less per month
The product page lists $9 monthly, $7.20 a month on annual billing, $6.48 on 2 years and $5.76 on 3 years.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Cozi or Hearth Display?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Cozi is cheaper to start with: $3.25 a month when paid by the year, against $5.76 a month for Hearth Display. Cozi starts at $39 per year for the whole family (Cozi Gold), and Hearth Display starts at $5.76 per month on a 3-year membership, plus a $699 display.
Which has a free plan, Cozi or Hearth Display?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Cozi has a free plan. Hearth Display does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Cozi and Hearth Display run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Cozi lists a web app. Both list iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.