FamilyWall vs Hearth Display (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, FamilyWall 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
FamilyWall grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
FamilyWall
Family organizer with a shared calendar, lists and messaging
Hearth Display
Wall-mounted family touchscreen for calendars, routines and meals
Which one is for you
Pick FamilyWall if
- Fits if you want the family calendar, shopping list and chat in one private app
- Works for households that plan meals and track a shared budget, on Premium
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free and live in Google Calendar, because sync is Premium only
- Pricey if you pay monthly through the US App Store, at $7.99 against $4.99 on the website
- Skip it if all you want is a calendar, since much of this is lists, messages and photos
- Watch out: the meal planner, budget tracker, documents and location sharing are all Premium
- Watch out: Premium covers only the first 5 circles an account made, and its pages contradict each other on ads
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
| 2.8GPAFamilyWallGood | 1.4GPAHearth DisplayWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPremium is $4.99 a month, or $44.99 for the year. That's the ordinary rate here: a quarter of the calendars in this directory start under $4.00 a month and a quarter above $10.00. Watch where you buy it, mind: the US App Store lists the monthly price at $7.99 against $4.99 on the website. | 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 | CStandard gives you the shared calendar, shopping and to-do lists, messenger and contact book. The cap you'll hit first is sync: Google and Outlook calendars are Premium, and so is going ad free. Premium has a 30-day trial. | FNo free tier: the first membership month is free and the display has a 120-day return window, which is not a trial. |
| Features | BThe family's whole admin pile: color-coded calendar, shopping lists you can browse offline in the shop, to-dos you can assign, a messenger, a private photo gallery. Premium adds a meal planner that writes the grocery list, a budget tracker and a map with arrival alerts. | 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 24,000 App Store ratings. Any family member can add or edit an appointment, and the calendar flips between one person's week and everyone's. | CNo store rating on record. You mount the screen and connect your calendars. |
| Platforms and integrations | BiPhone, Android and the web, on phones and tablets, with Google and Outlook sync and any public calendar by URL. There's no desktop app and no API, and the sync is Premium only. | COne device plus a companion app, and the platforms for the app are not stated. |
| Best for | one private app for the whole family's admin | 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: FamilyWall and Hearth Display. How we grade
Price against what you get
FamilyWall starts at $3.75 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Hearth Display starts at $5.76 a month and scores 2.0.
FamilyWall scores higher and starts $2.01 a month lower. Of the other calendar and scheduling apps on the chart, none scores higher than FamilyWall 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
- FamilyWall also covers file sharing.
- Hearth Display also covers habit tracking.
At a glance
| FamilyWall | Hearth Display | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $4.99 per month, or $44.99 billed annually (Premium) | $5.76 per month on a 3-year membership, plus a $699 display |
| Free plan | Standard plan: shared calendar, shopping lists, to-do lists, messenger and contact book. The Premium page marks ad-free use and every other feature as Premium only. | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial of Premium | First membership month free; the display has a 120-day return window |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Family & Co | Hearth |
| Price read from | familywall.com | hearthdisplay.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
FamilyWall
- The US App Store listing gives the monthly Premium price as $7.99, above the $4.99 on FamilyWall's website and Google Play listing. The yearly price is $44.99 on all three.
- Google and Outlook sync, the meal planner, budget tracker, timetables, documents and location sharing all need Premium.
- Premium applies to the first 5 circles an account created; any further circles stay on the free plan and cannot be chosen manually.
- The Premium page lists ad-free use as a Premium benefit, although the About page describes FamilyWall as ad-free.
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
FamilyWall
- Shared family calendar
- A color-coded calendar shows one person's schedule or the whole family's at once. Any member can add or edit appointments, and reminders can be set for events.
- Shopping and to-do lists
- Shared shopping lists can be browsed offline in the store. To-do lists can be private or shared, and individual to-dos can be assigned to chosen family members.
- Messenger, gallery and contacts
- Family members post messages in threaded conversations, share photos and videos in a private gallery, and keep contacts such as a babysitter or doctor in a shared directory.
- Calendar sync (Premium)
- Premium connects Google and Outlook calendars to the family calendar and can subscribe to any public or shared calendar through its URL.
- Meal planner and budget (Premium)
- The meal planner lays out the week's meals, imports recipes from the web and turns a plan into a grocery list. The budget tracker records shared bills and everyday expenses.
- Location and place alerts (Premium)
- A map shows family members' recent and real-time positions, and alerts tell you when someone arrives at a saved place such as home or school. Each member chooses who sees their location.
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
FamilyWall
Standard$0
Shared calendar, shopping lists, to-do lists, messenger and contact book. The Premium page does not mark this plan as ad free.
Premium$4.99
per month, or $44.99 billed annually
Adds Google and Outlook.com sync, meal planner, recipe box, budget tracker, timetable, documents, family locator and place alerts, without ads. One subscription covers a circle.
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
FamilyWall
- Annual discount
About 25% less with annual billing
The Premium page lists $4.99 per month or $44.99 billed annually. Twelve monthly payments come to $59.88, so paying for the year costs about 25% less.
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, FamilyWall or Hearth Display?
As of Nov 13, 2026, FamilyWall is cheaper to start with: $3.75 a month when paid by the year, against $5.76 a month for Hearth Display. FamilyWall starts at $4.99 per month, or $44.99 billed annually (Premium), and Hearth Display starts at $5.76 per month on a 3-year membership, plus a $699 display.
Which has a free plan, FamilyWall or Hearth Display?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only FamilyWall has a free plan. Hearth Display does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do FamilyWall and Hearth Display run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only FamilyWall 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.