The Howie Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Howie in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Howie
The Insider’s Guide
AI assistant that schedules meetings over email and text
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among calendar and scheduling apps, read from Howie’s own pages.
Made by 3030 Labs, Inc. · checked Oct 6, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Howie’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Howie’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 6, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.0
GPA, above 1 of the 74 other calendar and scheduling apps we grade
Howie is an AI scheduling assistant from 3030 Labs, Inc. that you loop in on an email thread or message by iMessage or SMS. It reads the conversation, checks your calendars, offers times, handles replies and sends the invite, and it can also hold focus time, add buffers and send reminders. Pricing is a monthly pool of credits shared by a whole workspace instead of a fee per seat.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Howie, taken from its own pages and our grades.
- 1
Best for handing meeting back-and-forth to an AI over email
Howie is an AI assistant you copy in on an email or text: it reads the thread, offers times and sends the invite, with one $25 pool of credits for the whole team.
- 2
Paid plans start at $25 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $25 per month for 1,250 shared workspace credits.
- 3
You can try it first
$25 in free credits to get started
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
Scheduling over email and text
Add Howie to a thread and it reads the conversation, checks availability, offers times, handles the replies and creates the calendar event.
- 6
Group threads and follow-ups
It finds a time across group threads and follows up when people go quiet, using a rule you set such as two nudges 48 hours apart.
- 7
Booking links
Besides negotiating by message, Howie can create booking links for different kinds of meetings.
- 8
A 2.0 GPA, above 1 of 74
That is against the other calendar and scheduling apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Howie you would be making an AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Howie at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $25 per month for 1,250 shared workspace credits
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- $25 in free credits to get started
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- 3030 Labs, Inc.
- Category
- Calendar & Scheduling
- Our grade
- 2.0 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for handing meeting back-and-forth to an AI over email
Howie is an AI assistant you copy in on an email or text: it reads the thread, offers times and sends the invite, with one $25 pool of credits for the whole team. Its pricing doesn't say how many credits a meeting uses, so you can't price a month, and Outlook isn't among the integrations shown on its site. An address at your own domain is $20 a month extra, and there's no app.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D | The smallest plan is $25 a month, which is exactly where the dearest tenth of this category begins, and the middle is $6. It does cover unlimited teammates on one credit pool, but the page never says how many credits a meeting eats, so you can't price a real month. |
| Free plan and trial | C | No free plan. You get $25 in free credits to start, which is a month of the smallest pool, and the listing doesn't say whether a card is needed to claim them. After that it's credits or nothing. |
| Features | C | The scheduling job: negotiating by email or text, chasing people who go quiet, booking links, holds for focus time, buffers and travel. But it's a smaller job than a calendar, and the mail and calendar logos on its own site are Gmail and Google Calendar, with no Outlook. |
| Ease of use | C | No rating on record, and while adding Howie to a thread is easy, first you connect Gmail and Google Calendar and set the rules it works to, such as two nudges 48 hours apart. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | You reach it by email, iMessage and SMS, and it ties into Gmail, Google Calendar, Zoom, Granola, Notion, Todoist and Linear. No phone or desktop app is listed at all. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Howie is for
- Fits if you set up many meetings over email and would rather message an assistant than open an app
- Works for teams that want one shared pool of credits instead of a fee per seat
Who it is not for
- Skip it if your work runs on Outlook, which isn't among the logos on its site
- Not for you if you need to know the monthly bill up front, as credits per meeting aren't stated
- Pricey if you want the assistant on your own domain, which is $20 a month extra
- Watch out: there's no free plan, only $25 in starting credits, and it isn't stated whether a card is needed
- Watch out: no mobile or desktop app is listed; you reach it by email, iMessage and SMS
Good to know
Good for
- Founders and executives who arrange many meetings over email
- People who would like to message an assistant by iMessage or SMS
- Teams that want one shared credit pool with unlimited teammates
Worth knowing
- Pricing is by shared credits, from $25 a month for 1,250; the pricing section does not say how many credits a meeting uses.
- An assistant email address at your own domain costs an extra $20 a month.
- The mail and calendar integrations shown on the site are Gmail and Google Calendar; Outlook is not among the logos.
- Howie is used through email, iMessage and SMS; no mobile or desktop app is listed.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$25
A month to start
Howie is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $25 per month for 1,250 shared workspace credits.
Team
$25
per month for 1,250 shared workspace credits
Unlimited teammates on one credit pool. Larger pools run up to 150,000 credits for $2,500 a month, and a custom assistant email adds $20 a month.
Enterprise
Custom
A tailored credit pool with invoicing and custom billing terms, security review support and a DPA, an SLA and dedicated onboarding.
Trying it first
$25 in free credits to get started
Read from howie.com on Oct 6, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
AI assistant that schedules meetings over email and text. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, time blocking, booking links, AI agents.
The scheduling job: negotiating by email or text, chasing people who go quiet, booking links, holds for focus time, buffers and travel.
- Scheduling over email and text
- Add Howie to a thread and it reads the conversation, checks availability, offers times, handles the replies and creates the calendar event.
- Group threads and follow-ups
- It finds a time across group threads and follows up when people go quiet, using a rule you set such as two nudges 48 hours apart.
- Booking links
- Besides negotiating by message, Howie can create booking links for different kinds of meetings.
- Calendar protection
- Finds blocks for deep work or errands, adds holds, buffers, commutes and travel time, and watches for conflicts and overloaded days.
- Reminders and daily briefings
- Manages reminders, to-dos and follow-ups, briefs you on the day ahead and tracks who you are waiting on.
- Assistant with your own identity
- The assistant can have a name and signature you choose. An email address at your company's domain is a paid add-on.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Gmail
- Google Calendar
- Zoom
- iMessage
- Granola
- Notion
- Todoist
- Linear
Howie is made by 3030 Labs, Inc.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
1/74
Other calendar and scheduling apps it is graded above
Howie's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 1 of the 74 other calendar and scheduling apps we grade, and level with 3.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 25 of 74) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $25 a month, against a middle price of $6 for the category: 49 of the 52 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 34 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 75 calendar and scheduling apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Howie’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 74
- CFree plan and trialAbove 3 of 74
- CFeaturesAbove 3 of 74
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 74
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 25 of 74
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 67 calendar and scheduling apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Howie is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Howie you would be making an AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 70 of the 74 other calendar and scheduling apps grade higher. It costs $300 a year.
What you could make
- Time blocking: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
- Booking pages that read and write other people's calendars and send the emails.
- It plugs into other products, Gmail, Google Calendar and Zoom among them.
What this rests on. Howie’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Clara, Blockit, Skej, Reclaim.ai and Calendly
The 5 tools Howie is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 1.8GPA
Clara
Free trial · from $80/mo
AI scheduling assistant you CC on email to book meetings.
- Howie also covers time blocking and booking links.
- 2.2GPA
Blockit
Free plan · from $83/mo
AI scheduling agent you loop in on email and Slack threads.
- Blockit has a free plan. Howie does not, though it has a free trial.
- Howie also covers time blocking and booking links.
- 2.2GPA
Skej
Free plan · from $15/mo
AI scheduling assistants you CC on email, plus a chat booking link.
- Skej has a free plan. Howie does not, though it has a free trial.
- Howie also covers time blocking.
- 2.0GPA
Reclaim.ai
Free plan · from $10/mo
AI scheduling layer for Google Calendar and Outlook.
- Reclaim.ai has a free plan. Howie does not, though it has a free trial.
- Howie also covers AI agents.
- Reclaim.ai also covers tasks, auto-scheduling, calendar and habit tracking.
- 2.8GPA
Calendly
Free plan · from $10/mo
Booking links and team scheduling for external meetings.
- Calendly has a free plan. Howie does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Calendly lists iOS and Android apps.
- Only Calendly lists a browser extension.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Howie free?
No, Howie is a paid product, but you can try it first. $25 in free credits to get started.
How much does Howie cost?
Howie lists 2 plans. Team: $25 per month for 1,250 shared workspace credits.
What platforms does Howie work on?
Howie is available on Web.
Does Howie have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. Howie is listed for Web.
Does Howie have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. Howie is listed for Web.
Is Howie open source?
Howie is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 6, 2026.
What does Howie integrate with?
Howie's listing names Gmail, Google Calendar, Zoom, iMessage, Granola, Notion, Todoist and Linear.
Who makes Howie?
Howie is made by 3030 Labs, Inc.
What are the alternatives to Howie?
The closest alternatives to Howie in our directory are Clara, Blockit, Skej, Reclaim.ai and Calendly.
How does Howie compare with other calendar and scheduling apps?
Howie's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 1 of the 74 other calendar and scheduling apps we grade, and level with 3.
Is Howie good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Howie D for value for money. Its paid plans start at $25 a month, against a middle price of $6 for the category: 49 of the 52 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Howie?
To replace Howie you would be making an AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Howie’s own pages on Oct 6, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Howie's own pages on 6 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-06-09.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by 3030 Labs, Inc. Prices change, so check howie.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Howie, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/howie
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Howie: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 6, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/howie
Know someone choosing between calendar and scheduling apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/howie/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded calendar and scheduling apps after Howie, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Calendar & Scheduling Insider's GuideEvery one of the 75 calendar and scheduling apps we grade, compared
- Notion Calendar Insider's GuideFree calendar app that connects to Notion databases3.6 GPA
- Google Calendar Insider's GuideOnline calendar from Google, free with a personal account3.4 GPA
- World Time Buddy Insider's GuideVisual time zone converter and world clock for planning calls3.4 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Howie’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Howie is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by 3030 Labs, Inc. Prices and plans change: check howie.com before you buy.