Common questions, answered honestly

FriendsWithTools is a private, invite-only platform for sharing tools within a trusted group — your neighbors, friends, coworkers, or family. You list tools you're willing to lend, browse what others have, and coordinate borrows in the app.

No. Anyone can sign up free and create their own group in minutes. Groups are invite-only — so when you start one, you choose exactly who's in it. That's how we keep sharing private and trusted, with no strangers and no public listings.

Yes. Creating a group, listing tools, borrowing, lending, and messaging are all free for everyone. Paid plans add features for larger or more active groups (calendar sync, maintenance tracking, advanced reservations), but the basic plan covers what most groups need.

No. You can use FriendsWithTools entirely from the web. The mobile app makes things faster on the go — push notifications when borrow requests come in, photo capture when adding tools, browse on the way to the hardware store. The mobile app is coming soon for iOS and Android.

Join a group (you'll need an invite from someone already in it, or you can start your own). Browse the tools your group has listed. When you find one you need, tap Request, agree on a pickup time with the owner in the message thread, and pick it up. Return it when you're done.

FriendsWithTools doesn't take a position on what happens if a tool gets damaged — that's a conversation between borrower and lender, just like it would be without our app. The norm in most groups is that if you break it through normal use, you replace it or get it repaired. We provide a message thread for the tool so any agreements are written down and easy to reference.

Every borrow has an expected return date you both agree on. If a tool is overdue, the app reminds the borrower. Beyond that, FriendsWithTools is built for groups that already trust each other — if someone in your group habitually ignores returns, you can remove them. Trust is the whole foundation; we don't override it.

No. You can borrow even if you don't have any tools to list. That said, groups work best when most members contribute something — even one or two tools you're willing to lend out helps the group function.

Only people in your group(s). Your tool inventory is never public, never on a marketplace, never indexed by search engines. We don't do public listings on purpose — that's the trust-first design.

A group is a private circle that you create or are invited to. The person who starts the group invites the first members; from there, members can invite others (or the group can require approval for new members — your call). Only members can see the group's tools and activity.

Your email, the tools you choose to list, your borrow activity within your groups, and basic analytics (how often you use the app, what device, etc.). We don't sell your data, we don't share it with third parties for advertising, and we don't profile you outside the platform. Full details are in our privacy policy.

NextDoor (and similar neighborhood apps) are public broadcast platforms — anyone in your area can see your post asking for a tool, and anyone can respond. FriendsWithTools is the opposite: only people you've invited or approved can see your inventory or your activity. See our compare page for a fuller breakdown.

Sign up for free, then create a new group from your dashboard. Give it a name (e.g. 'South Park Hill Tools'), choose whether new members need approval, and invite your first members by email or shareable link.

There's no rule, but groups of 8–25 households tend to work well — big enough that someone usually has the tool you need, small enough that everyone still knows everyone. You can run multiple smaller groups too (neighborhood + workplace + extended family).

Yes. Most people end up in a few — their neighborhood, their family, maybe their coworking space or congregation. Each group's inventory is separate.

FriendsWithTools works anywhere in the US — you can start a group with neighbors and friends from day one. Some cities have dedicated landing pages where we're actively building communities; see the full list (and request your city) on the cities page.