Sova
We make Sova, so read this with that in mind. FamilyWall does a lot, and for families who want one app for everything it can be the right choice. Facts about FamilyWall below come from its website, Premium page and App Store listing as of September 2026; check there for anything that may have changed.
The short version
FamilyWall is a family hub: a shared calendar, shopping and task lists, recipes, family messaging, a photo gallery and a contacts directory, with Premium adding things like budgets, documents and a family locator. Sova is an everyday planner for iPhone: notes, to-dos and calendars in separate groups, one Today view and one large Home Screen widget, and sharing by link or QR. Sova does less on purpose.
Side by side
| FamilyWall | Sova | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A family hub: calendar, lists, messaging, gallery, and more | A planner: notes, tasks and calendars in separate groups |
| Devices | iPhone, Android and any web browser, per its App Store listing | iPhone, with widgets and Apple Watch |
| Structure | Circles for your family and other groups | Groups for each part of life, merged into one Today and widget |
| Messaging and photos | Family messaging and a shared gallery | None. Sova is for plans, not another chat |
| Location | Family locator and place alerts, listed as Premium | None. Sova doesn't track where anyone is |
| Price | Free; Premium $4.99 a month or $44.99 a year in the US and Canada, for the first five circles | Free, complete. Optional Pro $5.99 a month or $47 a year |
What FamilyWall does well
One app for the whole family. Its free features include a colour-coded family calendar, shared grocery lists you can browse offline in the store, task lists you can assign, recipes, family messaging, a gallery and important contacts. If you want to replace several apps with one, FamilyWall is designed for that.
Any device. The listing says the family can use a smartphone, a tablet or any web browser, and it is on both the App Store and Google Play. Mixed iPhone and Android households can all join.
A deep Premium tier. FamilyWall's Premium page lists Google and Outlook calendar sync, a meal planner, a budget tracker, a timetable planner, documents, the family locator and extra storage. Its listing says Premium applies to the first five circles you create.
Where Sova is different
A planner, not a social space. Sova has no feed, chat or gallery. It keeps the things you have to do, remember and attend: the grocery run, the dentist in March, the packing list, the work shift. That is the whole screen, so it stays calm.
Your day in one glance. Personal plans, family lists, work calendars and the trip with friends stay in separate groups, then meet on Today and on a large Home Screen widget you can tick from without opening the app.
Sharing that fits each group. You share one group at a time with a link or QR. People join with Sign in with Apple, no password, and you decide who can view or add. The friends on the trip never see the family list.
Privacy you can explain in one sentence. Groups you don't share stay on your iPhone and work offline. Shared groups are stored online with encrypted connections and account permissions. No ads, and no live location tracking.
What is free. Notes, Today, calendars (two Apple Calendar sources and two Reminders lists), widgets, six active groups, and two shared lists with up to 10 people and 100 items each. Pro adds Screenshot Scan, AI Dictate, unlimited shared lists and people, photo and file attachments, and more.
Choose FamilyWall if…
You want one family app that also handles messages, photos, budgets or knowing when the kids get home, or someone in the family is on Android or prefers the web. FamilyWall covers far more ground than Sova tries to.
Choose Sova if…
Your household already has a chat app and a photo app, and what is missing is one calm place for the plans themselves. Everyone is on iPhone, and you want family, work and friends kept apart yet visible in one day, with the widget doing most of the work.
Trying Sova next to FamilyWall
Start small: make one shared group for the list that causes the most friction, usually groceries, and invite one person. Sharing takes a link or a QR code. If groceries are the main job, compare the grocery list options first.
The honest line: FamilyWall wins on breadth and on devices. Sova wins when you want less: the plans you share, your own calendars beside them, one widget, and nothing else competing for attention.
Sources, as of September 2026: FamilyWall, FamilyWall Premium, FamilyWall on the App Store, Sova Free and Pro. More comparisons on the blog.