Getting friends together for drinks, a birthday, or a weekend away. It starts with a message in the group chat, followed by twenty messages about who can make it when. Howbout wants to replace that chaos with one place where you share calendars, create polls, and chat directly about your plans.
Who is behind Howbout?
Howbout Ltd was founded in 2019 by Neil Tanna, Jake Jenner, and Duncan Cowan in London. The three had a relatable problem: after their college years, it became increasingly difficult to schedule plans with friend groups. Endless group chats asking “when can we meet?” got stuck in a tangle of messages, calendar screenshots, and confusion about who could or couldn’t make it.
They decided to streamline the planning process with an app that brings together calendars, availability, and communication in one place. The concept took off, especially with Gen Z. Howbout now has more than 4 million users and over 50 million events have been created through the app. The company raised a total of more than $1 million, including an $1 million Series A round. Investors include Goodwater Capital, ACF Investors, and Supernode Global. Notably, soccer player Harry Maguire also invested in the platform.
The app grew into the most popular social calendar app among young people and continues to focus on friend groups rather than business use. The headquarters is still in London.
Who is Howbout for?
Howbout is aimed at people who regularly make plans with friend groups. Students planning a weekend away, friends organizing monthly drinks, or a group going to festivals together. The app is all about social planning, not productivity or work calendars.
It’s less suitable for business teams or people looking for a project management tool. The focus is on making plans with friends fun and easy, not on deadlines, tasks, or professional collaboration. If you mainly want to manage your own work calendar or schedule meetings with colleagues, there are better options.
What can Howbout do?
The free version offers all the core features you need to plan with friends. For cosmetic extras like custom themes and expanded widgets, you need a paid subscription. These are the main features:
- Shared calendars with friends: Create a calendar for your friend group and see at a glance what’s on the schedule. Everyone can add and modify events.
- Share availability (Smart Time Matching): Show when you’re free without having to send screenshots of your calendar every time. The app automatically finds times when everyone is available.
- Polls for dates and times: Create a poll with multiple options for when you want to do something. Friends vote and you immediately see which date works best.
- In-app chat per event: Each appointment has its own chat function. You no longer need to switch between your calendar and WhatsApp to discuss details.
- Calendar sync (Google, Outlook, iOS): Connect your existing calendars so Howbout knows when you’re busy. Your friends see that you’re unavailable, but no details about your appointments.
- Countdown widgets for homescreen: Put a widget on your phone with a countdown to your next event. Handy when you’re looking forward to a festival or vacation.
The app works on iOS and Android, but there’s no web version or desktop app. Everything happens on your phone.
What does Howbout cost?
Howbout has a free version that includes all core features. You can share calendars, create polls, chat, and sync your external calendars without paying. Most users do just fine with this.
For $1.99 per month, you get Howbout+. That gives you access to custom themes, expanded widget options, and priority support. If you pay annually, it costs $1.99, which works out to $1.17 per month. The paid version is mainly interesting if you want to customize the app visually, not for additional planning features.
There is no free trial for the paid version. You have to pay immediately to test the extra features.
What should you watch out for?
Howbout asks you to invite three friends before you can fully use the app. This can be annoying if you want to test whether the app is right for you first. It feels like a barrier that shouldn’t be necessary.
The app only works on your phone. There’s no web version or desktop app, which means you always need your phone to plan something or check. If you often work on your laptop, that can be inconvenient.
Users complain about notifications you get when someone indicates they’re not interested in an event. That can be annoying, especially in large groups where not everyone needs to be at every appointment.
The widget options are limited in the free version. You can place a countdown, but for more customization options you need to pay.
Howbout alternatives
If Howbout doesn’t quite fit what you’re looking for, there are other options that might work better:
- TimeTree: Choose this app if you’re looking for a shared calendar for your family or partner. TimeTree is better for couples and families, with less focus on social groups and more on daily planning.
- Doodle: Use Doodle if you need to schedule a one-time meeting with a business group. It’s purely focused on finding a suitable date, without a social network or chat feature.
- Google Calendar: Go with Google Calendar if you mainly want to manage your own productivity and work schedule. It’s more business-oriented and functional, but less visual and social than Howbout.
Frequently asked questions
Here are answers to frequently asked questions about Howbout:
Is Howbout free to use?
Yes, the core features like sharing calendars, creating polls, and chatting are completely free. There’s a paid subscription available for cosmetic extras like custom themes and advanced widgets, but those aren’t necessary to use the app.
Can I connect my work calendar?
Yes, you can sync external calendars like Google Calendar and Outlook. Your friends will then see when you’re busy, but they won’t see details about your appointments. This keeps your work calendar private while still showing when you’re unavailable.
Can people without the app participate?
You can share invitations via a link, but to vote on polls or fully use the calendar, friends need to download the app. That can be a barrier if not everyone in your group wants to install the app.
Conclusion
Howbout is a handy app for friend groups who plan regularly and no longer want endless group chats about availability. The combination of calendars, polls, and chat in one place works well and the free version offers enough functionality for most users. The app clearly focuses on social planning, not work or productivity.
The lack of a web version and the mandatory invitations are downsides that won’t appeal to everyone. If you mainly work on your laptop or want to test first without inviting friends, that can be frustrating. For students and friend groups who use their phone as their main device anyway, Howbout is a strong option. For business use or if you need a desktop app, you’re better off looking at alternatives.
