Hobson vs Cozi
Cozi is the shared family calendar most people have heard of: simple, proven, and used at a scale a new app can’t match. Hobson (gethobson.app) does a different job. It sits above the calendars you already have and tells you what needs doing.
Last verified: 2026-10-04
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| Capability | Cozi | Hobson |
|---|---|---|
| Shared family calendar | Yes, color-coded per person | Yes (syncs Google + Apple) |
| Shopping and to-do lists | Yes | Yes (shared lists) |
| Recipe box and meal planner | Yes | No |
| Carpool coordination (asks who's driving) | Not listed | Yes, 48h ahead |
| Nudges for things nobody has booked yet | Not listed | Yes |
| Photo of a paper flyer becomes events | Not listed | Yes |
| Free tier | Yes, with ads | Yes, no ads (Solo, 10 AI assists per month) |
| Paid plan | Cozi Gold, from $29.99/year | $8.99/month or $79.99/year, covers up to 6 people |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, web | iOS, with an Android beta |
| Track record | 4.8 stars from about 400K App Store ratings | New in 2026 |
Is Hobson a Cozi alternative?
It depends what you want the app to do. Cozi is a shared calendar with lists and recipes: everyone enters their events and everyone can see them. Hobson reads the calendars you already use and adds the part Cozi leaves to you: noticing what's missing, asking who's driving, and turning a paper flyer into events.
When is Cozi the better choice?
If your household reliably enters its own events and you mainly need one shared place to see them, plus shopping lists and recipes, Cozi does that simply and costs less. It has been around for years and hundreds of thousands of families rate it highly.
When is Hobson the better choice?
If the calendar is already full and the problem is the mental load around it: the carpool nobody claimed, the dentist visit nobody scheduled, the flyer on the counter. Hobson tells you what needs doing, not just what's already booked.
Cozi details are taken from Cozi website and Cozi on the App Store as of 2026-10-04. “Not listed” means we couldn’t find it there, not that it doesn’t exist. Hobson is not affiliated with Cozi; if something here is out of date, email developer@gethobson.app and we’ll fix it.
Get Hobson for your family
Download on the App Store