Technologies

Best Party-Planning Apps for 2023

Plan your party from start to finish with the help of these apps.

In the world of apps and smart devices, anyone can be an awesome party planner. From music and games to drinks and everything else, there’s an app that can teach you to throw the greatest shindig your friends and family have ever been to.

Check out these party-planning apps to throw a bash your guests will be talking about for the rest of the year.

Screenshot by Katie Conner/CNET

Pro Party Planner

Best all-in-one party planner

Pro Party Planner (download for iOS) serves as your event planner.

Once you know how many guests are coming, create a task list to get everything done before the big day. The feature also lets you set reminders, so you won’t fall behind. You’ll need to set a budget and start building your shopping list for the party. Track your budget for food, decorations and party favors.

Manage guests attending by sending them invitations and checking off RSVPs. If applicable, create a seating chart with Pro Party Planner’s augmented reality feature to better visualize what your party will look like.
Pro Party Planner costs $5 to download, plus $1 per month.

See at Pro Party Planner

Screenshot by Katie Conner/CNET

Evite

Best invitation maker

Before you begin planning an event, you need to get an idea of how many people will be there. You don’t want to plan for 50 guests only to have 10 show up and leave you with tons of uneaten food.

Use Evite (download for iOS or Android) to invite your guests with personalized invitations. Design templates with photos from your phone, and add the event name, time and location.

Send invitations via text or email. Track the RSVPs to see who has viewed your invitation, and who has accepted or declined. Nudge guests who haven’t responded and create polls for party and food ideas.

See at Evite

Screenshot by Katie Conner/CNET

Best for finding inspiration

Planning a party from scratch isn’t easy, so gather inspiration from Pinterest (download for iOS or Android). If you have an idea of what theme you want, search for it on Pinterest to see thousands of boards with party designs.

If you’re planning a low-key party, search for «simple party ideas» or if you’re planning a more upscale event, search for «fancy party ideas.» Sometimes people will post where they found the decorations and the cost.

See at Pinterest

Screenshot by Katie Conner/CNET

BigNight

Best for planning party meals

Begin planning the meals you’re going to cook for your event with BigNight (download for iOS). If you’re hosting a formal party, create a menu for your guests. Name the menu and organize by courses, like drinks, appetizers and the main dish.

Import recipes from Pinterest or your favorite recipe website by using the in-app browser. Then create a shopping list with the ingredients you’ll need. Check each item off the list as you shop.

Set reminders for each task, like bake the cheesecake the night before, and add whipped cream one hour before the party begins.

BigNight costs $4 to download.

See at BigNight

Screenshot by Katie Conner/CNET

Cocktail Flow

Best for becoming the party bartender

Your guests will be impressed with your bartending skills when you use Cocktail Flow (download for iOS or Android). The app gives you detailed drink recipes that you can make with ingredients you already have.

Plan ahead of time by having a cocktail menu for your guests and include classics like wine, beer or fun cocktails. You can customize the drinks for your event attendees by liquor, drink type (tropical, creamy, shot) and strength (light, medium, strong).

See at Cocktail Flow

Screenshot by Katie Conner/CNET

Spotify

Best for finding party music

A good party doesn’t last long without music. It puts people in a good mood and helps loosen them up.

Spotify (download for iOS or Android) is our music streaming service of choice, with more than 50 million tracks available and 232 million users, according to the company. Keep in mind what your guests like, and make or find a playlist with a good variety of songs, or find a station that will play fun party favorites from every decade.

Spotify is free to use if you listen with commercials. To listen commercial-free, subscribe to Spotify Premium. It’s $10 per month for an individual account.

See at Spotify

Screenshot by Katie Conner/CNET

Karaoke

Best for a karaoke party

Once everyone is feeling good, keep the party going with Karaoke (download for iOS or Android). Whether your guests like country, pop or rock, there’s a huge catalog of songs to choose from, ranging from 7 Rings by Ariana Grande to Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen and Tennessee Whiskey by Chris Stapleton.

Browse through categories like popular, recommended and genre to find a song. Tap Sing when you’re ready to begin your karaoke session.

Record your songs and hear them played back. Don’t worry if singing isn’t your forte — the app uses sound effects to auto-enhance your voice.

See at Yokee

Screenshot by Katie Conner/CNET

Heads Up

Best party game

For guests not interested in singing karaoke, set them up with a game full of laughs, like Heads Up (download for iOS or Android). This game can be played with any number of people, so everyone can get involved.

The player selects a category and then holds the phone to their forehead so the other players can see the screen. The other players act out what’s on the screen so you can guess what it is. Category options are celebrities, animals, movies and more.

See at Warner Bros.

Technologies

Honor’s Shimmering Magic V Flip 2 Has Arrived to Outshine Samsung’s Galaxy Flip

The flip foldable, releasing in China, includes a limited edition model co-designed by Jimmy Choo.

Honor has unveiled a new flip phone in China, and the company is billing it as, «the ultimate selfie device.» The Magic V Flip 2 includes an ultra-wide portrait mode, AI photography features and a playful, sparkly design.

The Magic V Flip 2 adds another device to Honor’s increasing lineup of foldable phones. So far, it’s only releasing the Magic V Flip 2 in China, starting on Aug. 28. It will sell for RMB 5,499 or about $766 USD.

The Magic V Flip2 appears to be geared toward influencers and fashionistas — a limited edition version of the new phone is co-designed by fashion icon Jimmy Choo and is, «inspired by the subtle shimmer of crystals.» It comes in deep sea blue and has a crushed stardust design, according to Honor’s press release.

Honor is also touting the phone’s 5,500mAh battery, which it says is the largest on the market for a flip phone. The also phone features a 200-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 50 MP selfie camera. The Magic V Flip 2’s closest competition may be Samsung’s Galaxy Flip 7 FE, which is about $200 more expensive than the Magic V Flip 2.

Technologies

Silksong, Long-Awaited Hollow Knight Spinoff, Gets Release Date: Sept. 4

Announced in 2019, Team Cherry’s follow-up is coming sooner than expected, and it’s on Game Pass on Day 1.

Hollow Knight: Silksong is the follow-up, announced back in 2019, to one of the most beloved indie games of the last decade. In a special announcement video on Thursday, Australian developer Team Cherry revealed that the wait is almost over.

Silksong will be released on Sept. 4, according to the new trailer. The almost two-minute video reveals some of the new enemies and bosses in the upcoming spinoff and ends with the surprise release date.

Originally, Silksong was going to be a DLC for Hollow Knight. However, numerous delays resulted in it being pushed back again and again. Glimpses of the game would show up here and there over the years, but it was this year that it received the most attention from Nintendo as part of its Switch 2 lineup, and from Microsoft, which confirmed it would be available on Xbox Game Pass.

Hollow Knight: Silksong will be available on PC, Switch, Switch 2, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, PS4 and PS5. It will be available on Day 1 for Xbox Game Pass subscribers.

Technologies

PS5 Prices Go Up Today. Here’s How Much and Why

You can expect to pay more for a new PlayStation, thanks to «a challenging economic environment.»

Sony will increase the prices of its PlayStation 5 consoles in the US, starting today. This follows the trend of console manufacturers such as Microsoft and Nintendo raising prices for their hardware in response to tariffs.

The PlayStation-maker posted about the price change Wednesday. The jump in price is $50 more than the current price for each model.

The new prices are:

PlayStation 5: $500 to $550
PlayStation 5 Digital Edition: $450 to $500
PlayStation 5 Pro: $700 to $750

«Similar to many global businesses, we continue to navigate a challenging economic environment,» Sony said in a post about the price increase.

As of Thursday morning, retailers and Sony’s online store have yet to update the console prices. This jump in price also will likely affect recently released PS5 bundles such as the Astro Bot bundle and Fortnite Cobal bundle.

Sony says accessories have not been affected by the change and this cost hike only affects the US.

In May, Microsoft increased the price of the Xbox Series consoles and Nintendo hiked the original Switch console price and Switch 2 accessories this month.

While the companies didn’t point to the tariffs instituted by President Donald Trump as the reason for the hardware price jump, it would explain the trend in recent months.