Raft vs FriendsOver Shared Calendar Network vs. an Open Door Policy
Raft and FriendsOver both help close friends see when you're free, but they come at it from opposite directions. Raft is a mutual network: both people install the app, connect their calendars, and share events with each other. FriendsOver is one-directional: the host sets their weekly availability, shares a link, and any friend can check it and text — without installing anything, creating an account, or sharing anything back.
What Raft Does Well
Raft makes shared planning genuinely enjoyable between connected users. It syncs directly from your iPhone calendar (including work events), lets you selectively share individual events, and adds in-event chat so the conversation about a plan lives right next to the plan itself. The rich media support — photos and GIFs on shared events — gives it a warmth that most calendar apps lack. For couples or a small tight-knit group who all want to be in each other's schedules, it works well.
Where FriendsOver Is Different
No guest accounts...Raft requires everyone in the loop to have an account and the app installed. FriendsOver has no account requirement for guests at all. A friend gets a link, sees your open times, and texts you. Nothing to download, nothing to sign up for.
Mutual availability without accounts...Raft requires both people to have the app before availability can be shared either way. FriendsOver's "Find a Time" tool does the same thing — overlay multiple friends' weekly schedules and highlight when everyone is free at once — but friends don't need accounts or the app to appear in your list. They just need to have shared their FriendsOver link with you.
Availability, not events...Raft shares calendar events one at a time. FriendsOver publishes a standing weekly pattern — "I'm usually free Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons" — so friends can get a feel for your general availability without you entering anything new each week.
SMS-native coordination...Raft keeps the conversation in-app with event chat. FriendsOver doesn't have an in-app messaging layer at all: guests tap a date range and their phone opens a pre-written text already addressed to the host. Plans get made in the same place every other friend conversation happens.
Host profile with address...Raft is calendar-first: it shows what's happening and when, but has no concept of a physical place to visit. FriendsOver is visit-first: the host page includes an address, parking notes, and a personal message — context that matters when someone is actually coming over.
No guest data collected...Raft tracks its network: who's connected, what events are shared, what's been seen. FriendsOver stores nothing from guests. Not a name, not a contact, not a visit log.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | FriendsOver | Raft |
|---|---|---|
| No guest account or app required | ✓ | |
| Shareable public link | ✓ | |
| Recurring weekly availability | ✓ | |
| Time-of-day slots (morning / afternoon / evening) | ✓ | |
| Live calendar sync (Google, Outlook, Apple, iCal) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Best-times highlight for guests | ✓ | |
| Coordinates via SMS | ✓ | |
| Private / locked pages | ✓ | |
| QR code sharing | ✓ | |
| No guest data stored | ✓ | |
| Host address and visit context | ✓ | |
| Friend availability overlay and Find a Time | ✓ | |
| In-event chat | ✓ | |
| Rich media on events (photos / GIFs) | ✓ | |
| Two-way event sharing between accounts | ✓ |
Who Should Use Which
Use FriendsOver if...you want casual friends to check when you're around and text you about coming over, without asking them to install an app, create an account, or share their own calendar back.
Start Hosting →Use Raft if...you want a fun, visual way to stay in sync with a partner or a handful of close friends where everyone is in the app, sharing events both ways, and chatting around specific plans.
Start Hosting