# Elba vs Circulous

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Elba at 100% against Circulous's 55%. Elba also leads on price (Free vs $1.99) and rating (5.0 vs 4.2). Circulous's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs monthly) and ratings volume (184 vs 2). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Elba is free to download; Circulous costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Elba holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Circulous has 184 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Elba's written reviews are positive against 55% of Circulous's.

Elba ships an update monthly, Circulous every 6 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Elba | Circulous |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elba/id1211137668/reviews)** | [4.2 (184 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circulous/id1468310817/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **184** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 54.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 131 MB | 985 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Steffen Diesing](https://appshunter.io/developer/1118654547) | [Chain Reaction Games LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/969795617) |

## What reviewers say

### Elba

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elba/id1211137668)

Embark on a text-based narrative adventure to uncover the secrets of an abandoned island. As you and an old friend explore, more questions arise about your shared past and the island's mysteries.

**Highlights:** Text-based gameplay, Narrative experience, Mystery uncovering, Story-driven, Chapter-based progression

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Circulous

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circulous/id1468310817)

Embark on an immersive first-person mystery narrative puzzle game. Solve challenging puzzles as Amanda Trouser, uncovering corporate espionage and conspiracy theories within a mysterious company. Experience a story-driven adventure with animated environments and intuitive in-game device interaction.

**Highlights:** First-person narrative gameplay, Mystery and conspiracy storyline, Challenging puzzles, Animated environments, Immersive parallax movement, Intuitive in-game device interaction

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🧩 Creative and clever puzzles with good difficulty balance
- 💡 Innovative in-game smartphone interface and mechanics
- 📖 Engaging mystery storyline that captivates players
- 🎵 Well-designed audio and music elements
- 👨‍💼 Responsive developer support and helpful hints system

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and game freezes throughout gameplay
- 🐛 Persistent bugs in Act 2 and later chapters
- 👀 Small text and UI elements difficult to read on mobile devices
- ⏳ Excessive real-time waiting mechanics (11+ hours to progress)
- 🔄 Unresponsive controls and laggy app switching

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashes when entering shifty.com/invisible or shifty.com/door/15
- Ryde app shows 'no routes available' preventing progression
- Text message reply interface fails to display responses
- Cloud save reloads prevent continuing gameplay
- Computer/app windows fail to open or display properly

**Requested features**

- In-game hints and walkthrough system accessible without Discord or email
- More frequent content updates and new chapters
- Skip or difficulty adjustment options for challenging puzzles
- Ability to disable music
- Improved hint system with escalating difficulty levels


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Elba free?

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

### Is Circulous free?

Circulous costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Elba or Circulous?

Elba is rated higher. Elba averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Circulous averages 4.2 from 184 ratings.

### Do Elba or Circulous have ads?

Neither Elba nor Circulous shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Elba or Circulous?

Elba ships an update monthly, and Circulous every 6 days. Most recently, Elba was updated on October 24, 2026 and Circulous on October 24, 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.*