Comparison

InPen Smart Pen vs Bionic Circle

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

InPen Smart Pen

This app automatically tracks insulin doses and provides personalized recommendations based on glucose levels, meals, and active insulin. It helps prevent over- or under-dosing and integrates with CGM data and Apple Health for a comprehensive view of your diabetes management.

Highlights
  • Automatic dose recording
  • Personalized insulin recommendations
  • CGM data synchronization
  • Active insulin tracking
  • Carb counting and meal estimation
  • Missed dose reminders
  • Therapy reports for healthcare providers
Read full description

The InPen™ smart insulin pen helps you take the right amount of insulin, at the right time, by automatically tracking your doses and providing personalized insulin recommendations.* YOUR INSULIN PEN SHOULD WORK HARDER FOR YOU Why are you still using an insulin pen that doesn’t track when you dose and how much you took? The InPen smart insulin pen records all of your doses automatically. The app provides personalized insulin recommendations based upon your glucose level, meal size, and the insulin still active from prior injections. Experience the freedom of pen therapy and save money. ALL YOUR DATA AUTOMATICALLY IN ONE PLACE* ● Automatically records every dose ● Automatically syncs to current Medtronic CGM data ● Automatically syncs to Dexcom CGM ● Automatically syncs Apple Health® integrated BG meters ● See the effect insulin and meals have on your glucose in a single integrated view ● View up to 90 days of data TAKE THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF INSULIN AT THE RIGHT TIME* ● Personalized dose recommendations based on blood glucose, carb intake or meal size, and active insulin from prior doses ● Recommendations for when to eat carbs to prevent low glucose ● Carb counting, meal estimation, and fixed dose modes ● Reduced stress of insulin stacking and under-dosing AVOID DANGEROUS LOWS AND FRUSTRATING HIGHS* ● Accounts for active insulin from prior doses to help prevent overcorrecting ● Helps you avoid missed doses with long-acting and missed meal dose reminders ● Helps you correct high glucose between meals with confidence ● Alerts you if your insulin has gotten too hot or too cold ADVANCED INSIGHTS FOR YOU AND YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER ● Easily view and share advanced therapy reports ● Helps you assess the effectiveness of your long-acting and meal doses INPEN SMART INSULIN PEN ● Supports Lilly Humalog®, NovoLog®, and Fiasp® cartridges (not included) ● Unlocks dose calculator and active insulin in the app when paired ● Works with multiple pens so you can keep one pen at home and one at school or work *WARNING: Glucose, carb values, and rapid-acting insulin administered from devices other than InPen must be logged manually into the InPen app or the dose calculator could recommend inaccurate insulin dosing, which could lead to hypo or hyperglycemia. See User Guide for full details. Humalog® is a registered trademark of Eli Lilly and Company. NovoLog® and Fiasp® are registered trademarks of Novo Nordisk A/S. The Bluetooth® Wordmark and logos are owned by Bluetooth® SIG, Inc. App Store® and the App Store logo are trademarks of Apple Inc. © 2025 Medtronic. All rights reserved. Medtronic, Medtronic logo and Engineering the extraordinary are trademarks of Medtronic. Third party brands are trademarks of their respective owners. All other brands are trademarks of a Medtronic company.

About

Bionic Circle

This app allows designated individuals to remotely monitor the diabetes management of an iLet user. It provides real-time access to crucial data like glucose levels, insulin status, and alerts, offering peace of mind for caregivers and family members.

Highlights
  • View CGM values
  • Monitor pump battery and insulin levels
  • See meal announcements
  • Track insulin doses
  • Receive critical alerts (low, high, no data)
  • Remote monitoring from anywhere
Read full description

Bionic Circle – Join the Bionic Circle and see your loved one's diabetes management - from anywhere! iLet users can invite up to 10 people to join their Circle. Loved ones can accept the invitation and download this Bionic Circle App to see: - CGM Values - Pump Battery and Insulin Cartridge Levels - Meal Announcements - Insulin Doses - Alerts - Urgent Low - Urgent Low Soon - Low - High - No Data Joining the Bionic Circle allows loved ones to monitor the iLet users from anywhere. With the secure wireless connection from the iLet App, the Bionic Circle allows you to follow glucose levels, meal announcements, insulin doses and trends throughout the day and night. If your loved one is at school, at a friend’s house, traveling or just at work or home, you’ll have confidence that the iLet is taking care of their diabetes management. If you have any questions about this app, please call our Customer Care team at 1-855-745-3800 option 1. WARNING: Dosing decisions should not be made based on this device. Users should follow instructions on the iLet Bionic Pancreas System.  Please note that any changes made to your iLet therapy settings should be done under the guidance and supervision of a qualified healthcare professional. Before making any adjustments, it is important to consult with your doctor to ensure that the changes are appropriate for your individual needs and health status. For iLet Bionic Pancreas safety information, visit www.betabionics.com/safety

Screenshots

InPen Smart Pen4 screens
Bionic Circle4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Bionic Circle at 4.8 against InPen Smart Pen's 3.9. Bionic Circle also leads on review sentiment (77% vs 40%) and ads (none vs shown). InPen Smart Pen's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Bionic Circle holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 184 and 70 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of InPen Smart Pen's written reviews are positive against 77% of Bionic Circle's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

InPen Smart Pen ships an update every 2 months, Bionic Circle every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 12, 2026 and August 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
InPen Smart Pen versus Bionic Circle: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInPen Smart PenBionic Circle
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (184 ratings)4.8 (70 ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.0% of reviews76.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings184 — better70
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size140 MB36 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperCompanion Medical Inc.Beta Bionics Inc.

Customer experience

InPen Smart Pen

All ratings184 ratings
Positive68.5%
Neutral11.4%
Negative20.1%
Written reviews85 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative40.0%

Bionic Circle

All ratings70 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral1.4%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive76.9%
Neutral3.8%
Negative19.2%

User reviews

InPen Smart Pen

From 184 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💉 Accurate insulin dose calculations
  • 📊 Automatic dose tracking and logging
  • ⏱️ Insulin on-board (IOB) monitoring prevents stacking
  • 🎯 Half-unit dosing precision
  • 📈 Improved A1C and blood sugar control

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
  • ⏳ Slow app loading times
  • 🔌 iOS 18 widget compatibility broken
  • 🔗 Dexcom G7 integration not working
  • 📵 Notification popup glitch (greyed-out settings)

Bionic Circle

From 70 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💡 First app of its kind
  • 👍 Ease of use
  • 👍 Helpful for families and caregivers
  • 👍 Customizable alerts
  • 👍 Provides peace of mind

Room to improve

  • 🔋 Lack of battery level and insulin unit information

Bugs and requests

InPen Smart Pen

Reported bugs

17 issues
  • App crashes on launch or during use
  • App freezes when entering doses or settings
  • Notification popup asking to enable background notifications (setting greyed out)
  • Therapy settings changes not saving properly
  • Doses not recording or recording incorrect amounts
Show 12 more
  • Dexcom G7 integration failing to sync
  • Widget functionality broken on iOS 18+
  • Duplicate carb and glucose entries from Apple Health
  • Bolus calculator not showing current glucose
  • App stalls after manual dose entry
  • Dose syncing lag between pen and app
  • Incorrect IOB calculations after app updates
  • Automatic carb entries throwing off bolus calculator
  • App won't transfer to new iPhone
  • Registration/setup freezes on certain devices
  • Basal dose input restrictions for shift workers
  • Priming doses incorrectly counted as real doses

Requested features

20 requests
  • Apple Watch companion app with complications
  • Lock Screen widget for iOS 18+
  • Support for 3+ daily long-acting insulin doses
  • Dexcom G7 real-time glucose integration
  • Notification confirmation when dose is recorded
Show 15 more
  • Glucose range settings (not just target)
  • Dark mode
  • Siri voice commands for dosing and IOB
  • Exercise and sickness dose adjustments
  • Ability to edit/delete logged doses
  • Flexible meal time scheduling
  • Multi-device login for family/caregivers
  • Faster Dexcom data syncing
  • Food database for carb counting
  • 1/4 unit dosing option
  • Haptic feedback on pen dial
  • Cartridge expiration date display
  • Protective carrying case
  • Sharing feature for parents/caregivers
  • Retroactive blood sugar entry

Bionic Circle

No bugs or feature requests surfaced in reviews.

In-app purchases

None

InPen Smart Pen

No in-app purchases

None

Bionic Circle

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is InPen Smart Pen free?
InPen Smart Pen is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bionic Circle free?
Bionic Circle is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, InPen Smart Pen or Bionic Circle?
Bionic Circle is rated higher. InPen Smart Pen averages 3.9 out of 5 from 184 ratings, while Bionic Circle averages 4.8 from 70 ratings.
Do InPen Smart Pen or Bionic Circle have ads?
InPen Smart Pen shows ads; Bionic Circle does not.
Which is updated more often, InPen Smart Pen or Bionic Circle?
InPen Smart Pen ships an update every 2 months, and Bionic Circle every 3 months. Most recently, InPen Smart Pen was updated on September 12, 2026 and Bionic Circle on August 5, 2026.

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