Howbout

What Howbout is

Howbout is a social planning and calendar management app for coordinating time with friends, family, roommates, and other groups. Its shared calendar helps users see whether friends are free, busy, or possibly available on a date they are considering. Users can make plans with a name, place, time, RSVP details, and reminders. Each plan includes a chat for messages, photos, videos, GIFs, tickets, and other details. Privacy settings let users share plans with Friends, Close Friends, or only themselves. Howbout sends notifications about invitations and plan changes, provides reminders, and offers home-screen widgets. It can connect Google Calendar directly and sync calendars through a phone’s native calendar app, including Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, and Outlook. With export enabled, users can send Howbout events to their phone’s native calendar and share the calendar with apps such as Google Calendar, Outlook, or iCal. Howbout is available on Android and iOS. Its Free plan is listed as free and includes a shared calendar, availability sharing, plans and event details, and real-time notifications. Howbout+ Monthly and Howbout+ Annual add premium customization and additional planning features. Their prices vary by country and platform, and billing and refunds are handled through the App Store or Google Play. Howbout says it encrypts data in transit and at rest, and limits internal access to personal data to people who need it.

Who it suits

Howbout suits friends, families, roommates, and other groups who want to coordinate availability and plans in a shared calendar. It also fits people who want event chats, reminders, privacy controls, and calendar syncing or export on a phone.

Getting started

1. Download Howbout on Android or iOS
2. Create a shared calendar with your group
3. Add plans with a name, place, time, RSVP details, and reminders
4. Choose who can see each plan
5. Connect Google Calendar or sync through the phone’s native calendar app if desired
6. Enable export to send events to a native calendar

Verdict

Choose Howbout if your group wants a shared calendar that combines availability, event details, plan chats, and reminders. The Free plan covers core coordination, while Howbout+ is for people seeking premium customization and additional planning features. Consider another option if you need a fixed Howbout+ price across countries or platforms.