Howdy Mate! vs Garden
Garden: Stay in Touch hasn’t had an App Store update since June 2020. If you’re after a Garden alternative, Howdy Mate! does the same job for free, keeps your mates on your iPhone and is still being worked on.
Side by side
| Howdy Mate! | Garden | |
|---|---|---|
| Free | YesNo ads, tips or in-app purchases | YesNo in-app purchases listed |
| Still being updated | YesUpdated in 2026 | NoLast App Store update in June 2020 |
| Reminders to reach out | YesA rhythm per mate, counted from your last catch-up | YesAs often as you choose, from daily to quarterly or longer |
| Notes on each person | YesNotes, things to remember and gift ideas | YesA note per contact, for details or your last chat |
| A history of every catch-up | YesEach check-in, with its type and a note | Not mentionedNot in its App Store listing |
| Birthday reminders | YesThe day before and on the day | Not mentionedNot in its App Store listing |
| Your people stay on your phone | YesNo account, and your mates never leave your iPhone | NoIts privacy label lists contacts, name and email as data linked to you |
| Siri and a widget | YesSiri with nothing to set up, plus a Home Screen widget | Not mentionedNot in its App Store listing |
Garden facts are from its US App Store listing, checked on 18 October 2026. “Not mentioned” means we couldn’t find it there, not that the app can’t do it. Prices and features change, so check the listing before you decide.
What Garden got right
Garden was simple and free, and its nudges read like a friend tapping your shoulder: “Reminder to reach out to Jane S. (it’s been 3 months).” Its last update added an email option, and reviewers liked that it could open Facebook Messenger.
If it still runs well on your phone, there’s no rush to leave. Just know that its last update came out in the iOS 13 days, and iOS has had six major versions since.
Why move to Howdy Mate!
Howdy Mate! does what Garden did, a rhythm for each person and a note to jog your memory, then adds a history of every catch-up, birthday nudges, Siri and a widget. It’s free with no limit on people, needs no account and keeps your mates on your iPhone.
How to move from Garden
Garden has no export, so the quickest way across is your Contacts. In Howdy Mate!, add mates with “Find people in my contacts”, pick the people you had in Garden and give each a rhythm. Copy over the notes that matter as you go; it’s a fine excuse to text a few of them while you’re at it.
Kept your Garden people in a spreadsheet too? Copy the rows, header row included, and paste them into the search field on Add mates, and everyone comes across in one go, with when you last spoke if the sheet has a column for it.
Try Garden for yourself
We make Howdy Mate!, so weigh our take accordingly. Garden: Stay in Touch is by Meaning Labs on the App Store.
More comparisons
Try the friendly one.
Free on the App Store for iPhone. No account, no subscription, no catch.
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