# CircleIt vs Tinkerly

The clearest difference is price: CircleIt at Free against Tinkerly's $1.99. CircleIt also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.7 vs 4.3). On update cadence, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

CircleIt holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CircleIt has 325 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 96% of CircleIt's written reviews are positive against 80% of Tinkerly's.

CircleIt ships an update every 10 days, Tinkerly every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CircleIt | Tinkerly |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | **[4.7 (325 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circleit/id1329263554/reviews)** | [4.3 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tinkerly-diy/id6479068036/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **325** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | **96.1% of reviews** | 80.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 84 MB | 127 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [CircleIt Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1329263553) | [Tinkerly LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1734855726) |

## What reviewers say

### CircleIt

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circleit/id1329263554)

Send messages, cards, and gifts to loved ones in the future. Preserve family memories and build a digital time capsule for generations to come. Connect privately with end-to-end encrypted chat and schedule future deliveries.

**Highlights:** Send future messages and cards, Schedule future deliveries, End-to-end encrypted chat, Build family tree, Digital time capsule for memories, Guest mode for sending/receiving

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Amazing app
- 🚀 Fantastic idea
- 💡 Creative and thoughtful
- 👍 Seamless experience
- 👍 Unique and innovative

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🐛 Navigation issues
- 🐛 Unreliable performance
- 🚫 Terrible company and leadership

**Reported bugs**

- Login screen freezes
- Compatibility issues with older devices
- Unreliable payroll and financial issues

**Requested features**

- Expand gifting and delivery options
- Add more customization for cards and messages
- Improve notification system
- Integrate with other communication channels


### Tinkerly

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tinkerly-diy/id6479068036)

This app helps users manage their DIY projects from creation to completion. It features a community feed, project portfolio, plan creation tools, and a virtual workshop for managing supplies. Users can also buy and sell project plans within the app.

**Highlights:** Activity Feed for DIYers, Project Portfolio, Plan Creation with Tinkerly Wizard, Virtual Workshop for tools/supplies, Store for project plans, Real-time Notifications

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CircleIt free?

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

### Is Tinkerly free?

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

### Which has better reviews, CircleIt or Tinkerly?

CircleIt is rated higher. CircleIt averages 4.7 out of 5 from 325 ratings, while Tinkerly averages 4.3 from 6 ratings.

### Do CircleIt or Tinkerly have ads?

Tinkerly shows ads; CircleIt does not.

### Which is updated more often, CircleIt or Tinkerly?

CircleIt ships an update every 10 days, and Tinkerly every 9 days. Most recently, CircleIt was updated on October 5, 2026 and Tinkerly on October 3, 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.*