Howbout vs Saturn
We give Howbout and Saturn the same GPA: 3.4 out of 4.0. Howbout grades higher on features. Saturn grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Howbout
Shared calendar app that shows when friends and family are free
Free plan · from $3.99/mo
Saturn
Free social calendar app built around school schedules and friends
Free
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAHowboutVery good | 3.4GPASaturnVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BHowbout+ is $39.99 a year, or from $3.99 a month on the US App Store, about typical for a calendar app. It buys themes, 30+ event colours, more widgets, Multi-add and Scan-to-plan. Nice extras, and they cover one account only. | AFree, with no paid plan on Saturn's site and no in-app purchases on the US App Store. There's nothing to buy, so there's no bad deal to make. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree with no limit on friends or groups: the shared calendar, availability, plans with chat, polls, bucket lists and calendar sync. Most people will never need Howbout+. | AThe complete app is free on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Android. No trial to run out and no locked features to trip over. |
| Features | ASee who's free, busy or a maybe on any date, turn a slot into a plan with its own chat, run polls and keep a bucket list for ideas with no date yet. Each plan can be shown to all friends, Close Friends only or no one. It covers group planning fully. | BIt handles rotating periods, block schedules, A/B days, lunch waves and flex blocks, compares calendars with friends, and takes events typed or spoken. For school life that's the lot. But Google Calendar is the only outside calendar the listings name. |
| Ease of use | A4.8 from about 51,000 App Store ratings. Tap a date to start a plan, and everyone can see who's coming. You do need a phone number to create an account. | A4.7 from about 68,000 App Store ratings. Type or say "Dinner with Dylan on Tuesday at 7" and it's on the calendar. Shared calendars are joined through a link. |
| Platforms and integrations | CiPhone and Android only. Google Calendar connects directly, and Apple Calendar or Outlook come in through your phone's own calendar app. No web or desktop version is listed. | CiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Android, with Google Calendar and Snapchat to connect. That's phones, a tablet and a watch. No web or desktop version is listed. |
| Best for | finding a date when all your friends are free | high school timetables shared with friends |
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: Howbout and Saturn. How we grade
Where they differ
- Howbout starts at $3.99 per month, or $39.99 per year (Howbout+, US App Store). Saturn is free.
- Howbout also covers surveys.
- Saturn also covers tasks and natural-language input.
In commonFree planiOSAndroidCalendar
At a glance
| Howbout | Saturn | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $3.99 per month, or $39.99 per year (Howbout+, US App Store) | Free |
| Free plan | Free on iPhone and Android with no limit on friends or groups: shared calendar, availability, plans with chat, polls and synced calendars. Howbout+ adds customization and planning extras. | Free on the App Store and Google Play. The US App Store listing shows no in-app purchases, and the vendor's site lists no paid plan. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Howbout Ltd | Saturn Technologies Inc. |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Howbout
- Friend groups looking for a date when everyone is free
- Couples, roommates and families who plan from their phones
- People who want each plan to carry its own chat and details
- Shift workers and students adding routines to many days (Multi-add needs Howbout+)
Saturn
- High school students with rotating, block or A/B day schedules
- Friends who want to see when each other are free without swapping emails
- Clubs and teams that need a shared calendar members join by link
Worth knowing
Howbout
- Phone apps only: the site and terms describe a mobile app for iPhone and Android, and the App Store listing is for iPhone only. No web or desktop version is listed.
- Howbout+ prices are not on the website. The US App Store lists monthly options at $3.99, $4.99 and $5.99 and an annual option at $39.99, and prices vary by country.
- Howbout+ is tied to one account, so its features are not shared with friends or groups.
- Creating an account requires a phone number, and the terms say the app is intended for people aged 13 and over.
Saturn
- Mobile apps only: iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Android. No web or desktop version is listed.
- The website still presents Saturn as the calendar built for high school, and the terms limit each school community to students of that school.
- Google Calendar is the only outside calendar the store listings name as a connection.
- The terms of use require users to be at least 13 years old.
Key features
Howbout
- Availability at a glance
- For any date, the app shows which friends are free, busy or maybe busy. A group's Availability view does the same for all members you are friends with, and tapping a date starts a plan.
- Plans with their own chat
- A plan holds the name, place and time, shows who is coming and sends reminders. Each plan has a chat for messages, photos, videos, GIFs and files such as tickets.
- Per-plan privacy
- Each plan can be visible to all friends, to Close Friends only (others see "Busy") or to no one. The same setting can be applied to a whole synced calendar or set as a default.
- Calendar sync and export
- Google Calendar connects directly, and other calendars such as Apple Calendar or Outlook come in through the phone's own calendar app. Howbout events can also be exported to the phone's calendar.
- Polls and bucket lists
- Polls can be created from any event, group or one-to-one chat. A bucket list saves ideas without a date and moves them to the calendar once a date is set.
- Home screen widgets
- Widgets on iOS and Android show upcoming plans, a week view with friends' events and countdowns to chosen events. The week view and unlimited countdowns are part of Howbout+.
Saturn
- School schedule formats
- Handles rotating periods, block schedules, A/B days, lunch waves, advisory and flex blocks. The listing says Saturn is in over 20,000 US high schools and can be carried on to college.
- Compare calendars with friends
- Shows when friends and family are free without needing their email address, so overlapping free time can be turned into a plan. Friends appear alongside your own calendar on the home tab.
- Shared and group calendars
- A shared calendar can be made for a trip, a household, a club or a team and joined through a link. Members get change and reminder notifications as events are updated.
- Typed or spoken event entry
- Typing or saying a phrase such as "Dinner with Dylan on Tuesday at 7" puts the event on the calendar. Events, to-dos and reminders can all be added by text or voice.
- Google Calendar and Snapchat
- Google Calendar can be connected so its events appear in Saturn. Connecting Snapchat brings in friends, birthdays and Bitmojis.
- Apple Watch app and widgets
- The Apple Watch app shows a countdown to the end of the current class or event, a schedule view of the day and watch face widgets, synced from the iPhone app.
Plans
Howbout
Howbout$0
Shared calendar, friend and group availability, plans with chat, polls, bucket lists and calendar sync, with unlimited friends and groups.
Howbout+ Monthly$3.99 to $5.99
per month; the App Store lists $3.99, $4.99 and $5.99
Calendar themes, 30+ event colors, unlimited color categories, the week view widget, unlimited countdown widgets, Multi-add and Scan-to-plan. Applies to one account only.
Howbout+ Annual$39.99
per year
The same Howbout+ features billed once a year through the App Store or Google Play.
Saturn
Saturn Calendar$0
The complete app for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Android, listed as free with no in-app purchases on the US App Store.
Ways to pay less
Howbout
- Annual discount
Annual Howbout+ costs less than twelve months
The US App Store lists Howbout+ Annual at $39.99 and Howbout+ Monthly from $3.99. Twelve months at $3.99 come to $47.88, so the annual option saves at least $7.89 a year.
Saturn
No public discounts listed.
