Ranked · Apps
Best apps to plan activities with friends and family in 2026
Stop losing plans in the group chat. The best apps for picking dates, inviting people and keeping everyone on the same page in 2026.
Bitezine Editorial TeamRankings, reviews & guides 7 min read
AI generatedThe best activity planner apps pull a plan out of the group chat and give it one home that everyone can see. Without one, someone suggests a date, three people reply with different ones, the address gets buried, and on the day nobody remembers who is bringing what. A good app for planning activities with friends and family fixes that with dates, details and invites in one place.
We looked at the shared family calendar apps, group event planning apps, date polls and group trip planners that appear most often in current round-ups. We judged each one on how quickly you can set up an activity, how easy it is to agree on a date, whether you can add the details people need (place, cost, what to bring), how well it handles recurring activities, and how easy it is for less techy friends and relatives.
At a glance
#1 · Best for Households and friend groups that plan together regularly
Listub Activity Planner
Best for organised family and friend plans
Activity Planner keeps each plan in one structured place with its location, a link, the cost and a list of things to prepare. You can suggest several dates and confirm the one that works, pick exactly who is on each activity, and set recurring sessions to repeat on their own. Activities can be labelled Family, Friends, Sports, Events or Study and filtered by label, and they show up in Listub's Calendar next to every other dated item. You can also ask the Galveo AI assistant to create an activity in your own words.
- Location, link, cost and preparation notes on each activity
- Propose several dates and confirm one
- Choose participants per activity
- Recurring sessions and category filters
- Offline editing with sync across devices
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Web
- Pricing
- Freemium, Premium adds real-time sharing and multi-device use
#2 · Best for Friend groups finding a free evening
Howbout
Best social shared calendar
Howbout is a shared calendar for friends, couples and families that shows when everyone is free. It can pull in your Google or Apple calendar so busy times appear automatically, and it has polls and group chats built in for settling the details.
- See friends' availability at a glance
- Syncs with Google and Apple calendars
- Polls for dates and details
- Group chat alongside plans
- Platforms
- iOS, Android
- Pricing
- Freemium
#3 · Best for Birthdays, housewarmings and parties
Partiful
Best for party invitations
Partiful makes event pages with themed designs that guests open from a text link, without needing an account. It handles RSVPs, guest lists, reminders and a comment thread for each event. It is aimed at one-off gatherings rather than routines.
- Designed event pages shared by link
- RSVPs without an app install
- Text reminders and updates to guests
- Date polls and photo sharing
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, Web
- Pricing
- Free
#4 · Best for Couples, families and small clubs
TimeTree
Simple shared calendars for groups
TimeTree lets you create separate shared calendars for family, a partner or a club, each with its own members. Every event has its own comment thread, so questions stay attached to the plan. It is easy for people of any age to pick up.
- Multiple shared calendars with different members
- Comments on each event
- Shared notes and memos
- Colour-coded events
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, Web
- Pricing
- Freemium
#5 · Best for Busy families with kids
Cozi
Classic family organiser
Cozi combines a colour-coded family calendar with shopping lists, to-do lists and a recipe box. Each family member gets their own colour, and you can send reminders or a weekly agenda by email. The free tier includes ads.
- Colour-coded family calendar
- Shared shopping and to-do lists
- Recipe box and meal planning
- Email reminders and agendas
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, Web
- Pricing
- Freemium
#6 · Best for Groups that already use Google accounts
Google Calendar
Universal and free
Google Calendar is the default for many people, which is its main strength: most of your group can already accept an invite. You can create shared calendars, send invitations with a location and video link, and set up recurring events. It lacks date polls and planning extras.
- Shared calendars and event invitations
- Flexible recurring events
- Locations, attachments and reminders
- Works with most other calendar apps
- Platforms
- Android, iOS, Web
- Pricing
- Free
#7 · Best for Finding a date that works for a large group
Doodle
Best for agreeing on a date
Doodle does one thing well: you offer several time slots and people mark which ones suit them. Participants can vote from a link without signing up, and it can check your own calendar for conflicts. Once a date is chosen, you will want another app for the rest of the plan.
- Group polls for dates and times
- Voting from a link without an account
- Calendar connection to avoid clashes
- Booking pages for one-to-one meetings
- Platforms
- Web
- Pricing
- Freemium
#8 · Best for Weekends away and holidays with others
Wanderlog
Best for group trips
Wanderlog is a collaborative trip planner where everyone can add places, restaurants and activities to one itinerary. Each stop appears on a map, and the app can import bookings from your email and help split costs. It is built for travel rather than everyday plans.
- Shared, real-time itineraries
- Map view of every stop
- Booking import from email
- Budget tracking and cost splitting
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, Web
- Pricing
- Freemium
#9 · Best for Formal or family celebrations
Evite
Traditional online invitations
Evite has sent online invitations for a long time and offers a wide range of designs for birthdays, showers and holidays. Hosts can track RSVPs, message guests and add a potluck-style sign-up list. Premium designs and ad-free invitations cost extra.
- Large library of invitation designs
- RSVP tracking and guest messaging
- Sign-up lists for what to bring
- Invites by email or text
- Platforms
- Web, iOS, Android
- Pricing
- Freemium
#10 · Best for Sports teams, clubs and large groups
GroupMe
Group chat with basic events
GroupMe is a free group messaging app from Microsoft that works over data or plain SMS, so everyone can join. Each group has a shared calendar where you can create events and collect RSVPs, plus polls for quick decisions. It suits teams and clubs that already coordinate by chat.
- Group chat that also works over SMS
- Events with RSVPs inside each group
- Polls for quick decisions
- Shared photo gallery
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, Web
- Pricing
- Free
How to choose
Think about the kind of plans you make. Weekly sports sessions and family routines need a shared family calendar with recurring events. One-off parties need good invitations and RSVPs. Weekends away need a group trip planner with an itinerary and a map. Some apps do one of these very well, others cover several.
Then consider your group. If everyone has to install an app before they can reply, some people will not. Check that the app works on both iPhone and Android, whether guests can reply from a link, and whether you can invite only the people each plan involves. A free group planning app is often enough to start, and you can upgrade later if you need more.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best app to plan activities with friends?
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For regular plans with the same people, Listub Activity Planner and Howbout work well: Listub keeps location, cost and preparation lists on each activity, and Howbout shows when friends are free. For one-off parties, Partiful is a popular choice, and Doodle is good for agreeing on a date.
What is the best free app for planning events with a group?
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Partiful, Google Calendar and GroupMe are free to use, and Howbout, TimeTree, Cozi, Doodle and Wanderlog all have free plans. Listub also has a free tier, with Premium adding real-time sharing across multiple devices.
How do I find a date that works for everyone?
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Use a poll instead of a group chat. Doodle lets people vote on time slots from a link without an account, and Howbout and Partiful have built-in polls. In Listub Activity Planner you can suggest several dates and confirm the one that works.
Which family activity planner works on iPhone and Android?
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Listub, Cozi, TimeTree, Howbout, Google Calendar, Wanderlog and Partiful all have apps for both iPhone and Android. Doodle is used through a web browser, which also works on phones.
Do guests need to download an app to RSVP?
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Not always. Partiful and Evite guests can reply from a link, and Doodle participants can vote without signing up. Shared calendar apps such as Howbout and TimeTree work best when everyone installs the app.
What is a good alternative to Cozi?
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TimeTree is a simple shared calendar that lets you create separate calendars for different groups. Listub combines an activity planner with shared lists, notes and documents, and its Calendar shows every dated item in one view. Google Calendar is a free option that most people can already use.
Can I set up recurring activities like weekly sports practice?
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Yes. Listub Activity Planner supports recurring sessions that repeat on their own, and Google Calendar, Cozi and TimeTree all support repeating events. Invitation apps such as Partiful and Evite are designed for one-off events instead.
What is the best app for planning a group trip?
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Wanderlog is built for it, with a shared itinerary, a map of every stop, booking import and cost splitting. For shorter outings with friends or family, Listub Activity Planner can hold the location, link, cost and packing notes for each activity.
The best app for planning activities with friends and family is the one your group will actually open. Match it to how you already make plans. Try Listub Activity Planner or Cozi for regular family activities, Howbout or Doodle for finding a date, Partiful or Evite for parties, and Wanderlog for trips. Put your next real outing in it with the place, time and what to bring, and send the invite. Once people see all the details in one place, they usually stop asking in the chat.
How we research: We compare each product on the same criteria, using makers’ documentation, independent reviews and owner feedback, and re-check the list when products change.
Written by
Bitezine Editorial Team
Rankings, reviews & guides
Our editors research every piece from makers’ documentation, independent tests and owner reports, and update it when products change.
