# Circles - Mental Health Groups — user reviews > 136 indexed App Store user reviews of Circles by CIRCLES WORKSHOPS LTD, rated 4.70/5 from 3,415 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circles-mental-health-groups/id1540905564/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circles-mental-health-groups/id1540905564.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 2,994 · 4★ 209 · 3★ 84 · 2★ 24 · 1★ 104 ## What do users think of Circles? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 🙏 Helpful support community - 🧘‍♀️ Therapeutic and healing experience - 🤝 Connecting with like-minded individuals - 💡 Innovative concept for mental health support **Cons** - 🐛 Buggy and unstable app performance - 💰 Paywall for core features - 🤷‍♀️ Inconsistent quality of group facilitators - 🚫 Lack of anonymity and privacy concerns **Commonly reported bugs** - Frequent app crashes and freezes - Issues with text chat and voice functionality - Billing and subscription problems - Compatibility problems on older devices **Most requested features** - Improved search and navigation within the app - Ability to review past session recordings - More robust moderation and vetting of group leaders - Integration with other mental health resources ## Newest reviews (11 of 136) ### 1/5 — My father Committed suicide and this app and its leadership has a part to play. *2025-08-25* My father, Wade Kenneth Halvorson III, was a kind and selfless man. He started using this app about five months ago, and it quickly became his passion. He loved helping people, running his circle groups, and putting others before himself. People truly loved and respected him. This app gave him life, hope, and purpose. Sadly, he was not informed about certain policies. As far as I know, he was simply spending time with friends in the group, but after an investigation he was asked to step down—with no warning and no understanding that he had done anything wrong. That broke him. He already struggled with anxiety and depression since he was 14, but the app had been helping him immensely. Losing it sent him into a spiral of hopelessness. After several attempts at suicide, he ended his life in a collision with a semi truck on August 24, 2025. I can’t say this was the only reason, but I know it played a huge role. Being forced to step down without compassion or clarity was the trigger that pushed him over the edge. I am heartbroken. My father was a good man who loved helping others, and the way this was handled cost him the hope he had left. ### 1/5 — You get what you pay for! *2025-08-20, version 2.162* The circles mental health app is by far more affordable than personalized therapy and even group therapy. However, the sessions are not held by professionals as they are referred to as facilitators. Many of them are very nice people. However, many of the participants are in very early stages of their healing process and often discuss their same problems over and over, going from one room to the next. Many of them are having issues for beyond. What an online facilitated group chat. Can’t even begin to address. ### 1/5 — Billing *2025-08-18, version 2.162* Before the end of my free trial period they charged my card for a full year of service. It has been impossible to get anyone to follow up on this. Beware! ### 1/5 — Be careful with the subscription! *2025-08-07, version 2.160.0* I’m being charged even when cancelled and it’s expired. ### 1/5 — Fraud *2025-07-11, version 2.154.0* Hi. I signed up for a free 7 day trial on 7/4. I chose to pay monthly after that. Now it charged me today 7/11 for the first month but is saying that I will be charged again on 8/4 which is only 3 weeks. If a 7 day free trial is free as advertised, you cannot charge me for that time. You also cannot state that I am paying for a monthly service if you I am paying a monthly premium for only 3 weeks. I feel scammed. ### 1/5 — I can’t sign in *2025-07-02, version 2.152.0* This app I can’t rate yet because error messages keep coming on my screen that don’t make no sense at all how can yall fix the problem I have and account I’m trying to sign in and a message that don’t make no sense keep come up that don’t have nothing to do with me or what I’m trying to do ### 1/5 — Victimizers *2025-06-30, version 2.152.0* IG lured me to download this app, I did and fell asleep never to create an account. One week later I was charged $197. I reached out to circles telling them I can’t affrd this on disability for cptsd and that I didn’t even create an account. I asked if they could charge me for a month and refund the rest. I get an automated response several times telling me to cancel through apple because they did it. I’d already canceled through apple. They don’t care about who is on the other side. Clearly DO NOT CARE about the survivor. If they did, this company would resolve the issue and have a customer service number. DO NOT DOWNLOAD THIS SCAM! ### 3/5 — Sickening *2025-06-21, version 2.151.0* For a group of professionals that are wanting to help people recover from narc abusive they sure are charging a lot for this app. $38.00 a month? That’s insane! I don’t know about anybody else but my ex did not let me walk out of that relationship. I left my entire life to get away from him. Which means me and my three-year-old daughter are in a shelter as I try to rebuild our life. Go and pick up the pieces that it has been reduced to as a result of the narcissistic abuse. Sorry, I don’t think that the creators of this app wanna help anybody. I think that they are playing on people that are vulnerable and desperate to feel better. Sorry, but if they knew anything about narcissistic abuse they would know that when women, especially woman with children leave, more times and not they find themselves in a shelter, jobless, penniless, homeless, and with out a vehicle. Narcissists control literally everything as a way to make it impossible for you to leave. I stayed for a very long time after I knew I didn’t wanna stay anymore because I knew and leaving I would be in a shelter and I didn’t want to do that to my three-year-old. It wasn’t until he took her and would not bring her back to me. That is when I finally realized it’s better for us to be homeless. This app seriously sickens me. I cannot believe it is almost $40 a month! I guess maybe when I’ve gotten on my feet a little more and have already been in therapy for some time I might be able to afford this app. However I probably won’t need it at that point! ### 1/5 — It attempted to charge $198.01 for free trial *2025-06-09, version 2.150.1* Tries to charge me almost $200 for a FREE TRIAL?! It says right there that it won’t charge anything until free trial is over, yet its actions aren’t matching the words. Anyone on this app is going thru some really messed up stuff and attempting to charge $200 on any one of them without suggesting that is what is happening is incredibly messed up. We’re just tryna heal. Ugh ### 1/5 — immediately disappointed *2025-04-16, version 2.143.0* ive struggled for a long time with my mental health and i cannot afford formal therapy. i was recommended this app off of quora and i was so excited to finally be included in something to better myself and afford. as soon as i signed up it was only a matter of minutes that i realized yet another app i thought could help me, is completely useless without paying a monthly subscription ($15-$30). if it weren’t so much i would absolutely consider, but i am a single income young person who doesn’t have $30 to spend on an app. the app is such a good idea and it deeply saddens me that the potential of this app, in a sense, is not targeted for lower income people who may also be struggling. mental health should be for everyone and available for everyone to take care of. ### 1/5 — Misleading advertising *2025-04-04, version 2.142.1* I was excited to try the app after seeing an in feed recommendation (that I thought was from an individual but in retrospect…). It gave the impression that there would be many topics and ‘rooms’ for discussion and support. Yet the app offered Narcissistic Relationships and Divorce only. My issue didn’t fit neatly into either. What a friggin letdown. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — AI...more like AE *2026-08-09, version 3.0.2* AE as in artificial enabling...I spent 4 years on the app as a guide and have watched it go from good to outright harmful to those in need. Stick to human beings for interaction everyone ### 1/5 — Horrible direction this app headed in… *2026-08-07, version 3.0.1* This was an amazing app. Truly phenomenal the connection you could go and have with people. Moving to AI lead groups takes away the whole purpose of this app… human connection. I loved it. Sadly, I will not be returning. ### 1/5 — AI Only *2026-08-02, version 3.0.1* I had to change my review. I’ve also cancelled my membership. This app used to have real people hosting these sessions. Now it’s AI. It is not what it used to be. And AI is NO replacement for real people. ### 1/5 — Info grab *2026-02-09, version 2.171.0* After putting in info of mine, then it tells me it’s pay to play. ### 1/5 — Unauthorized charge on my card from this app *2025-11-19, version 2.171.0* I tried using their customer service to ask why I was being charged a weird amount after doing the free trail and they said it wasn’t from them. But Venmo just verified it was from them and is issuing me a new card immediately. So I would not trust this app unfortunately. Otherwise the conversation ls on there were actually very helpful and healing. Pretty unfortunate. ### 1/5 — 7day free trial *2025-11-10, version 2.171.0* Wouldn’t let me move past to the free trial , kept trying to charge full price, just deleted the app. ### 1/5 — Have to pay *2025-10-19, version 2.170.0* Why do I have to pay for help? ### 1/5 — Circles Mentally Depraves People *2025-09-07* My father got involved in circles this past year and quickly was promoted to leading groups. He had much success and was a blessing to many struggling individuals. The website advertises that all leaders are credentialed, yet my father was not. About a month ago, he was asked to step down from leadership. He poured his soul into helping people and was a kind & gentle man. What transpired after being asked to step down with no explanation, was my father became suicidal and ended his life a month later. I have emailed countless times asking for answers, but Jessmar is less than helpful and keeps stating “privacy rules”. This company is a scam that kill’s people, that gets people so down that they end up in the state of despair. What they’re doing is not right and should be looked into. Take this review as a warning that sketchy stuff goes within this community. My father is dead because of circles. My brother also wrote a review which they took down. They have blood on their hands and are sweeping it under the rug. ### 1/5 — Waited for the host for 20 mins *2025-08-31, version 2.164.0* Glad I didn’t pay for this ### 1/5 — Lack of guidance and mismanaged platform *2025-08-29* It was never fair to anyone to give regular members the power to facilitate rooms of up to 50 people without adequate training. Peer guides were neither paid or prepared themselves for navigating people’s emotional states. Circumstances of extreme abuse need better management training. A professional background in therapy and legally bound obligations of ethics and standards ought to be weighed over filling empty time slots with people who aren’t adequately prepared or vetted on any level. It isn’t fair to anyone. My opinion, Circles mismanaged this platform. And I hope the best for a platform that gave a lot in the beginning to so many. More and more members seem to be using the site to date and it has come back to hurt everyone involved. Members and Peer guides deserved better guidance by Circles support. **Developer response:** We’re sorry to hear this has been your impression, and we truly appreciate you sharing it. Circles is built around the belief that support should always feel safe and guided. Every group is closely moderated, with facilitators and peer guides who receive dedicated training, ongoing supervision, and direct support from our professional team. We stay in touch with both members and facilitators throughout, making sure conversations are carefully held and never left unmanaged. We remain deeply committed to upholding the highest standards of safety and care for every member who joins. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — A lifesaving community *2025-12-07, version 2.171.0* There is no better resource for narcissistic abuse recovery. Learn from professionals and hear from a community that’s been through it. It helps people get clarity and understand what’s happened. A wonderful app. ### 5/5 — DV Survivor *2025-10-22, version 2.170.0* This is a great app, I wish it was not so pricey because it’s something I need right now more then anything, but the discussions, the people who share their stories that you can relate to, is everything a person struggling to find themselves after a toxic situation, this is the app for you. ### 5/5 — Lifesaver *2025-10-21* Circles has been the ONE thing that has helped me after leaving a toxic relationship. I’ve made friends and don’t feel alone in my experience when no one else in my life has understood. If you’re even considering downloading this app, I promise you won’t be disappointed. Well, at least I wasn’t. I am eternally grateful for this app and the facilitators on the app. This will forever be a significant part of my healing journey. It’s helped bring ME back to myself. 🩵 ### 5/5 — Nice! *2025-10-04, version 2.169.0* Great app because I am really wanting to learn more about a narcissistic and what they do because in the past year and a half with two guys two relationships and they both are narcissistic and I couldn’t deal with them so now I’m back to healing myself and this app really is great because it teaches me and makes me learn how to get myself back from all the damage ### 5/5 — Grateful *2025-08-27, version 2.164.0* Definitely enjoy the app! Especially with the new features and now they provided more professionals. Also there is now 1:1 sessions at a weekly reasonable rate and sessions with small number of groups which I appreciate. ### 5/5 — Pivotal Social Support for Victims of Narcissistic Abuse *2025-08-05* I cannot say enough, good things about Circles. The experience of being discarded by a narcissist is a break up like no other. The narcissist seems to move on with their life freely and easily while we stay trapped in the broken down cage in which they left us. Circles app helped me step out of that cage and into my power. Hearing my story echoed back to me from so many other people’s mouths made a huge difference. The facilitators are top-notch and compassionate. This is a special place online and they protect it. It’s worth every penny. **Developer response:** This means the world to us 💛 We’re so glad Circles could be a safe place for you to feel understood, supported, and empowered again. It takes so much courage to step out of that cage—and we’re honored to be part of your healing journey. ### 5/5 — Circles is AMAZING *2025-05-18, version 2.148.0* I can’t say enough good things about Circles. I don’t know where I’d be tonight if I hadn’t found the app. The support I’ve received from joining in the groups has given me the strength to keep moving forward. I’m going through major traumatic life changes and Circles is my life preserver. I never EVER leave reviews but I couldn’t sit quietly on this one. This is a game changer. ### 5/5 — Seriously it’s no wonder all narcs hate this app *2025-04-30, version 2.145* - my therapist has been telling me since age 13 …”group therapy would really be a game changer for you [me] …. “. I was always terrified of coming to a group therapy thing in person… when I found out about circles I finally got to get that game changing therapy! The therapist was right … groupp therapy was a game changer… and all my circles peers are also right …. They are the best !! They are so supportive and the therapists are alllll top notch ! (Jacqui , Leanzar, & Tina & Ashley & Miik !!! are my faves Also - for those who. Say. 29.00 a month is way to much ?!?! I know we alll have diff amounts we can do but consider that most therapists are 120-250$ a single HOUR session that u go to once a week - so times that by 4 or 5 and you would get a month of 4-5 hours therapy for 1000$ Yet circles is 29.00 and that’s for almost 24/7 continual round the clock therapy sessions you can join into at any hour ….. So I think what they ask is almost too good to be true! But it shows they really want everyone to have a chance at therapy ! ### 5/5 — Best App *2025-04-24* I looked for two years for help with the damage caused by the emotional, psychological and verbal abuse from my narcissistic, psychiatrist husband. I finally found Circles after I nearly took my life. Had I found it earlier I would never have reached that point. There are dozens of different groups each week. The facilitators are wonderful and the other members are supportive and helpful. This is a safe space to learn and share. I would suggest giving it a try. **Developer response:** Thank you so much for sharing your story and your strength with us 💛 We’re incredibly grateful that you found Circles when you did—and even more grateful that you’re here. Your courage to keep going and to share your experience will inspire others who are still searching for hope and healing. You’re not alone, and we’re honored to be part of your journey. ### 5/5 — Amazing *2025-04-03, version 2.142.1* All the groups has made such a difference in my mental health journey. Yamarie and Tina are my favorites. It’s amazing how much a community can help you heal. They are expanding beyond Narcissistic abuse into coping skills and other much needed mental health support. I have been here a year, and I can’t recommend an app more. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-06.*