The New Tools of Togetherness: How Partiful and Howbout Are Changing the Way We Plan

We’ve all been there—“Let’s hang soon!” turns into weeks of back-and-forth texts, mismatched calendars, and vague half-plans. For a generation raised on instant messaging and group chats, planning should be easier than this.

That’s where two apps—Partiful and Howbout—are stepping in. They’re not just making it easier to coordinate. They’re making it fun again.

Partiful: When Invites Became a Vibe

Partiful didn’t just modernize the RSVP—it rebranded it. It turned event invites into mini-parties of their own, with playful designs, chaotic energy, and meme-worthy copy that makes you want to click “attending.” Whether it’s a rooftop rager, Friendsgiving, or a themed dinner party, Partiful makes hosting feel cool again.

The app has exploded in popularity because it speaks Gen Z fluently. It’s design-first, web-based, and socially fluid. You can track RSVPs, add polls, post updates, and set the tone—all before anyone even shows up.

But it’s more than just aesthetics. It solves the fundamental problem of getting people together by making the first step—the invite—actually fun. And in a sea of boring group texts and chaotic email chains, that alone feels like a revelation.

Howbout: The Social Calendar That Actually Works

If Partiful is the party starter, Howbout is the plan keeper.

Where most calendars are built for meetings and work, Howbout is built for your social life. It lets you share your availability with friends, vote on dates, and chat about plans in one place—without the usual chaos of trying to juggle everyone’s schedule manually.

What makes Howbout powerful is its balance. It’s deeply functional but never boring. There’s no algorithm, no feed, and no pressure to post. It’s not a social network. It’s a shared calendar. And in that simplicity, it becomes incredibly useful.

Want to know when your roommates are free? Done. Planning a group trip? Easy. Howbout helps you get from “we should do something” to “it’s in the calendar” faster than anything else.

They’re Not Competing—They’re Complementary

This isn’t a battle of apps. It’s a new stack for modern social life.

• Partiful makes it fun to throw events and send out invites.

• Howbout makes it easy to plan time with people you already care about.

They serve different moments—one’s about the spark, the other’s about the follow-through. And together, they represent a shift away from broadcast culture and into a new era of intentional connection.

The Bigger Shift

We’re moving away from “social media” as we’ve known it—feeds, followers, and scrolling—and toward tools that help us live better. Less performance. More presence.

Partiful and Howbout aren’t trying to dominate your attention. They’re trying to help you spend it wisely. Not by creating more digital noise, but by helping you make real memories.

Because at the end of the day, showing up matters more than showing off.