# Howbout

> Shared calendar app that shows when friends and family are free

Howbout is a shared calendar app for iPhone and Android made by Howbout Ltd in London. Friends, couples, families and other groups see each other's plans and whether each person is free, busy or a maybe on a given date, then turn a free slot into a plan with its own chat. The app is free to use, and an optional Howbout+ subscription adds themes, extra colors, more widgets and tools such as creating events from a screenshot.

- **Category:** Calendar & Scheduling
- **Made by:** Howbout Ltd
- **Website:** https://howbout.app/
- **Runs on:** iOS, Android
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 9, 2026

## Pricing

Howbout has a free plan. Paid plans start at $3.99 per month, or $39.99 per year (Howbout+, US App Store).

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **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 trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. |

Read from https://apps.apple.com/us/app/howbout-shared-calendar/id1477248221 on Oct 9, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Howbout before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **Annual Howbout+ costs less than twelve months** (Annual discount): 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. Source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/howbout-shared-calendar/id1477248221

## App Store prices by country

"Howbout+ Monthly", as each country's App Store showed it on Oct 9, 2026. These are the app's prices, not the website's.

| Country | Price | In US dollars |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United States | $3.99 | |
| United Kingdom | £3.99 | about $5.27 (32% more) |
| Germany | 3,99 € | about $4.46 (12% more) |
| Canada | $4.99 | about $3.50 (12% less) |
| Australia | $5.99 | about $4.16 (about the same) |
| India | ₹ 599 | about $6.19 (55% more) |
| Brazil | R$ 24,90 | about $4.96 (24% more) |
| Mexico | $89.00 | about $4.94 (24% more) |
| Turkey | ₺179,99 | about $3.66 (8% less) |
| Indonesia | Rp 69ribu | about $3.85 (about the same) |
| Philippines | ₱ 249.00 | about $3.95 (about the same) |
| South Africa | R79.99 | about $4.80 (20% more) |

## Key features

- **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+.

## Good for

- 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+)

## Worth knowing

- 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.

## What people say

- **App Store rating of the iPhone and iPad app:** 4.8 out of 5 from 50,715 ratings in the United States, read Oct 9, 2026. This is the store's rating of the app, not a score from ToolGPA. Source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1477248221

## Works with

Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook

**Tags:** Calendar, Surveys

## Alternatives

- [TimeTree](https://toolgpa.com/tools/timetree): Shared calendar app for families, couples and groups. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/howbout-vs-timetree)
- [GroupCal](https://toolgpa.com/tools/groupcal): Shared calendars for groups, teams and public audiences. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/groupcal-vs-howbout)
- [Cupla](https://toolgpa.com/tools/cupla): Shared calendar, to-dos and date planning app for couples. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cupla-vs-howbout)
- [FamilyWall](https://toolgpa.com/tools/familywall): Family organizer with a shared calendar, lists and messaging. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/familywall-vs-howbout)
- [Google Calendar](https://toolgpa.com/tools/google-calendar): Online calendar from Google, free with a personal account. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/google-calendar-vs-howbout)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 9, 2026:

- https://howbout.app/
- https://howbout.app/about
- https://howbout.app/get-help
- https://howbout.app/get-help/what-is-howbout/
- https://howbout.app/get-help/is-there-a-free-shared-calendar-app-for-friends/
- https://howbout.app/get-help/import-calendars/
- https://howbout.app/get-help/export-calendar/
- https://howbout.app/get-help/who-see-calendar/
- https://howbout.app/get-help/group-availability/
- https://howbout.app/get-help/how-do-i-create-a-poll/
- https://howbout.app/get-help/how-does-the-bucket-list-work/
- https://howbout.app/get-help/how-many-friends/
- https://howbout.app/get-help/how-many-groups/
- https://howbout.app/get-help/widget/
- https://howbout.app/get-help/phone-number-verification/
- https://howbout.app/terms-and-conditions
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/howbout-shared-calendar/id1477248221

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/howbout
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).