# Circles vs Hexio

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Circles at none against Hexio's 3. Circles also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). Hexio's advantage is ratings volume (259 vs 26). On price, rating and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hexio sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Circles asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Circles against 4.8 for Hexio. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hexio has 259 ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Circles's written reviews are positive against 83% of Hexio's.

Circles ships an update weekly, Hexio every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Circles | Hexio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (26 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circles-pleasing-puzzles/id1082489368/reviews) | [4.8 (259 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hexio/id1378053163/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 26 | **259** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 82.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 63 MB | 69 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 11.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [jeroen wimmers](https://appshunter.io/developer/1082489367) | [Logisk Studio Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/796814064) |

## What reviewers say

### Circles

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circles-pleasing-puzzles/id1082489368)

Engage your mind with minimalist puzzles that evolve with each level. Discover elegant challenges, vibrant colors, and a calming soundtrack at your own pace. Unlock secret modes for an added layer of complexity after completing the main game.

**Highlights:** Evolving maze puzzles, Minimalist design, Vibrant color palettes, Calming soundtrack, Bite-sized levels, Secret game modes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Hexio

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hexio/id1378053163)

Engage your mind with a minimalist puzzle game featuring 96 handcrafted levels. Enjoy a serene piano soundtrack as you solve challenges. Hints are available for purchase to assist with difficult puzzles.

**Highlights:** 96 hand-crafted puzzles, Free access to all levels, Optional hint purchases, Automatic game progress saving, Relaxing piano soundtrack

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Hints | $1.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited Hints and No Ads | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Beautiful, minimalist design
- 🧠 Challenging yet relaxing puzzles
- 🧘‍♀️ Calming atmosphere and music
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to learn gameplay
- 💯 Highly recommended by users

**What reviewers complain about**

- ❓ Progress not saved correctly
- 📱 Scaling issues on larger screens
- 🎵 Inability to play background music
- 💸 In-app purchase issues
- 🌈 Colorblindness accessibility concerns

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes or crashes
- Progress not saving after level completion
- Scaling issues on iPad Pro
- Ads not loading properly
- In-app purchase not working

**Requested features**

- More levels
- Reset button for game progress
- Undo button
- Colorblind mode
- Improved iCloud/Game Center sync


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Circles free?

Circles is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Hexio free?

Hexio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Circles or Hexio?

Circles and Hexio are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 26 and 259 ratings respectively.

### Do Circles or Hexio have ads?

Hexio shows ads; Circles does not.

### Which is updated more often, Circles or Hexio?

Circles ships an update weekly, and Hexio every 2 months. Most recently, Circles was updated on June 1, 2026 and Hexio on September 20, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*