# Circle vs Study Circle

The clearest difference is price: Study Circle at Free against Circle's $1.99. Study Circle also leads on review sentiment (90% vs 50%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 29 months). Circle's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On rating, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

Study Circle holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Study Circle has 50 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Circle's written reviews are positive against 90% of Study Circle's.

Circle ships an update every 29 months, Study Circle fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Circle | Study Circle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circle-stay-focused/id1239520314/reviews) | **[4.7 (50 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/study-circle-the-focus-app/id6453023919/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **50** |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | **90.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 29 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 1 MB | 188 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Marco Tini](https://appshunter.io/developer/544232459) | [Hikaru Hanada](https://appshunter.io/developer/1619728671) |

## What reviewers say

### Circle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circle-stay-focused/id1239520314)

This app helps you reduce phone usage and increase productivity for work and study. It uses a unique circle-based system to track progress and can detect distractions while you're using your device.

**Highlights:** Reduce phone usage, Increase productivity, Track progress with circles, Detect distractions, Simple and easy to use

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Study Circle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/study-circle-the-focus-app/id6453023919)

This app helps users boost motivation and make studying enjoyable by connecting them with friends. It offers a focus timer, progress visualization, and a community feature for mutual support and encouragement during study sessions.

**Highlights:** Virtual study circles with friends, Intuitive study timer, Send encouragement and support messages, Visualize study progress with charts, Track daily, weekly, and monthly progress

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Circle free?

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

### Is Study Circle free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Circle or Study Circle?

Study Circle is rated higher. Circle averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Study Circle averages 4.7 from 50 ratings.

### Do Circle or Study Circle have ads?

Study Circle shows ads; Circle does not.

### Which is updated more often, Circle or Study Circle?

Circle ships an update every 29 months, and Study Circle fortnightly. Most recently, Circle was updated on November 2, 2026 and Study Circle on November 7, 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.*