Alternatives › Poppy
vs
Ciao! vs Poppy
Poppy: Connection Keeper, by Deepa Lokwani
A free reminder app that shows the people you want to stay close to as a garden, with a check-in schedule for each person.
14 ratings in the App Store, October 2026. Also on Android. Last updated in August 2026.
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Ciao!
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Poppy
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| What it costs | One payment $9.99 |
Free, with no subscription |
| Free tier | 3 friends | Everything, with no limit on people |
| Account needed | None | None |
| Where it runs | iPhone | iPhone and Android |
| Where your notes live | Your phone and your own iCloud | Your phone only, with an export you can run |
| A creature for each friend | 15 animals, 6 moods | No. A garden that shows each person’s status and blooms as you check in |
| A weekly swipe deck | Yes | No. A reminder for each person, at the time you choose |
Every row comes from Poppy’s own App Store listing or website, read on 2 October 2026. Nothing here is taken from another app’s reviews.
Sources: Poppy on the App Store · Poppy on AlternativeTo · Poppy’s website
Where Poppy wins
- •It is completely free. Every feature, no limit on people, nothing to buy. Ciao! is free for 3 friends and then $9.99.
- •It runs on Android as well as iPhone.
- •You pick the time of day each reminder arrives, and you can export your data whenever you want.
Where Ciao! wins
- •Each friend gets an animal of their own, with 6 moods. Poppy shows your people together in one garden.
- •One deck on Sunday with everyone who is due. Poppy sends a separate reminder when each person comes up.
- •A copy of your notes sits in your own iCloud, so a new phone gets them back. Poppy keeps them on the phone you are holding.
Which one should you actually get?
If you want to pay nothing, or you are on Android, get Poppy. It is free with nothing held back, and it is gentle in the same way Ciao! tries to be. Ciao! is for people who would rather check once a week than get a reminder per person, and who like the idea of an animal for each friend.
