Howbout vs Supershift
We give Howbout a 3.4 GPA and Supershift a 3.6, out of 4.0. Supershift grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on 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.
Howbout
Shared calendar app that shows when friends and family are free
Supershift
Shift work calendar app with rotations, reports and sharing
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAHowboutVery good | 3.6GPASupershiftExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | APro is $9.99 a year. A typical calendar app charges about $6 a month. Lifetime is $39.99 if you'd rather pay once. Just don't pay monthly: $3.99 a month comes to $47.88 over a year. |
| 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+. | AFree with no account. The Pro features the store listings name are calendar export, PDF export and external calendars. Rotations, sharing and reports aren't on that list, so most shift workers could stay free. The Android version has ads. |
| 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. | ATemplates, rotations like DuPont and Pitman, several shifts in a day, and reports that add up hours, overtime and pay. Add sharing, widgets, Apple Watch and offline use, and that's the whole job. Shift alarms are iPhone only. |
| 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. | A4.9 from about 5,600 App Store ratings. No sign-up, no internet needed, and a template drops a shift onto a day in seconds. |
| 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 Pro sending shifts to Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook. But that's phones and tablets only. The website offers no web or desktop app. |
| Best for | finding a date when all your friends are free | shift workers on rotating schedules |
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 Supershift. How we grade
Where they differ
- Howbout starts at $3.99 per month, or $39.99 per year (Howbout+, US App Store). Supershift starts at $3.99 per month, or $9.99 per year (Supershift Pro).
- Supershift can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Howbout also covers surveys.
- Supershift also covers reports.
At a glance
| Howbout | Supershift | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $3.99 per month, or $39.99 per year (Howbout+, US App Store) | $3.99 per month, or $9.99 per year (Supershift Pro) |
| 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. | The app is free to download and needs no account. The store listings name calendar export, PDF export and external calendar display as Supershift Pro features. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Howbout Ltd | Supershift GmbH |
| 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+)
Supershift
- Nurses, firefighters, drivers and other workers on rotating shifts
- Sharing a changing work schedule with family or coworkers
- Checking hours, overtime and pay against a payslip
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.
Supershift
- Exporting shifts to other calendars, PDF export and showing external calendars all need Supershift Pro.
- Shift alarms are marked iOS only on the vendor's site, and Google Play labels the Android app as containing ads.
- The website offers iOS and Android downloads only; the App Store also lets the iPad app run on Macs with an M1 chip or later.
- A Pro purchase made on iOS carries over to Android, or the reverse, only through a Cloud Sync account.
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+.
Supershift
- Shift templates and rotations
- Templates let you enter a work schedule in seconds, with several shifts allowed on one day. A rotation pattern such as 4-on-4-off, DuPont or Pitman can be applied up to 2 years ahead in a single entry.
- Calendar sharing
- Share a work schedule with family, friends or coworkers so they can check availability and arrange shift swaps.
- Hours and pay reports
- Reports total hours worked, shift counts, pay and overtime for a week, a month, a year or a custom range. Overtime is worked out from the regular hours you set.
- Alarms, widgets and Apple Watch
- On iOS a wake-up time can be assigned to each shift type so the right alarm is set from the schedule. Home screen widgets and Apple Watch complications show current and upcoming shifts.
- Calendar export and PDF (Pro)
- Supershift Pro sends shifts to Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook, shows events from external calendars beside shifts, and creates a PDF of the monthly schedule.
- Offline use and Cloud Sync
- The listings say data is stored on the device and no internet connection is required. An optional Cloud Sync account keeps several devices in step, including across iOS and Android.
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.
Supershift
Free$0
The app with no account needed. The store listings mark only calendar export, PDF export and external calendars as Pro. The Android listing says it contains ads.
Supershift Pro Monthly$3.99
per month, as an in-app purchase
Adds export of shifts to other calendars, PDF export of the monthly calendar and external calendars shown beside shifts.
Supershift Pro Yearly$9.99
per year, as an in-app purchase
The same Pro features, billed once a year.
Supershift Pro Lifetime$39.99
one-time purchase
The Pro features for a single payment. A current subscriber has to cancel and let the subscription expire before buying it.
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.
Supershift
- Annual discount
Yearly plan costs about 79% less than monthly
The US App Store lists Supershift Pro Yearly at $9.99 and Supershift Pro Monthly at $3.99, which comes to $47.88 over twelve months.
- Lifetime license
Supershift Pro Lifetime for $39.99
A lifetime plan is sold as a one-time in-app purchase, listed at $39.99 on the US App Store. The help page says an existing subscription must be cancelled first.
