# HootBoard vs Circle Communities

The clearest difference is rating: Circle Communities at 4.9 against HootBoard's 3.5. Circle Communities also leads on ratings volume (88K vs 4) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Circle Communities holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Circle Communities has 88K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of HootBoard's written reviews are positive against 65% of Circle Communities's.

HootBoard ships an update every 2 months, Circle Communities fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HootBoard | Circle Communities |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.5 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hootboard/id1141706263/reviews) | **[4.9 (88K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circle-communities/id1509651625/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **88K** |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | **65.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | **#86** |
| Size | 64 MB | 60 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.4** | 17.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [HootBoard](https://appshunter.io/developer/1141706262) | [CircleCo Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1509651624) |

## What reviewers say

### HootBoard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hootboard/id1141706263)

Stay updated and contribute to your organization's digital bulletin board. Post announcements, events, and job notices on the go. Receive notifications and engage in discussions.

**Highlights:** Post updates from anywhere, Receive push notifications, View and manage board content, Add events to your calendar, Comment and engage in discussions, Filter content with collections, Admin approval and management

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Circle Communities

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circle-communities/id1509651625)

**Currently charting:** #86 Top Free · Social Networking (US App Store)

Stay connected with your online communities on the go. This app lets you join and host live streams, track events, and manage discussions for any Circle.so community you're a part of. It's designed for seamless interaction with your network.

**Highlights:** Join and host live streams, Track upcoming events, Manage discussions, Receive messages, Access multiple communities

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🤍 Very Clear
- 💫 Great layout and easy to understand
- 👍 Simple and easy to navigate
- 🤸‍♂️ Great community and networking platform
- 🥰 Supportive and helpful community

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unstable software with crashes and bugs
- 🤔 Non-intuitive and unintuitive design
- 🔒 Limited admin functionality on mobile
- 🤯 Frustrating text editing and cursor issues
- 🤖 Glitchy video playback and freezing issues

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Disappearing messages and notifications
- Inability to access certain communities
- Malformed data errors and login issues
- Compatibility problems with older devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to save draft posts and comments
- Improved text editing and cursor control
- Better video playback controls and functionality
- Syncing notifications and activity across devices
- More customization and personalization options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HootBoard free?

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

### Is Circle Communities free?

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

### Which has better reviews, HootBoard or Circle Communities?

Circle Communities is rated higher. HootBoard averages 3.5 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Circle Communities averages 4.9 from 88K ratings.

### Do HootBoard or Circle Communities have ads?

Neither HootBoard nor Circle Communities shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HootBoard or Circle Communities?

HootBoard ships an update every 2 months, and Circle Communities fortnightly. Most recently, HootBoard was updated on November 13, 2026 and Circle Communities on November 15, 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.*