Comparison

Circle vs SamoDiary

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

Head to head
About

Circle

Read full description

Circle is a diary application that focuses on recording and quantifying daily experiences and reflections, presented through a timeline. Apple Watch users have additional functionality, such as the ability to read and track health data, set fitness goals, and view progress towards those goals. Without recording, there is no occurrence, and without quantification, there is no optimization. Many things that happen in life are worth recording, such as places visited, happy events, and precious moments. Even if things were happy and beautiful at the time, they will fade and be forgotten over time. Leaving words, photos, or videos in unforgettable moments can help us remember the bits and pieces of that time in the future, and that is the meaning of recording. As the old year passes and the new one approaches, we like to review the past and look forward to the future. Many times, after setting goals, we put them aside, and only in the annual review do we realize that time has passed and the goals still seem far away. What we need is to move towards our goals, see our own changes every now and then, and see where we have reached. If we find any deficiencies in the process of achieving our goals, we can do better through feedback loops, and that is the meaning of quantification. --- The Circle app uses HealthKit to collect and display data, such as displaying today's heart rate with a line chart, calculating weekly running distance with a bar chart, and showing progress towards this year's running goal with the Activity Rings. The Circle app itself does not upload or store user's private data, and all data is stored locally at the user's iCloud storage. --- User Support: https://usistem.com/en/page/support/ Privacy Policy: https://usistem.com/en/page/privacy/

About

SamoDiary

This app offers a warm and healing mood journaling experience with a virtual Samoyed companion. It guides users through morning intentions and evening reflections, tracks emotions, and allows interaction with a pet that grows as you journal. Explore a magical forest and engage in mini-games for self-healing.

Highlights
  • Guided morning journaling
  • Evening reflection prompts
  • Intuitive mood tracking
  • Interactive Samoyed companion
  • Magical forest exploration
  • Self-healing mini-games
  • Device and iCloud storage
Read full description

SamoDiary is a warm and healing mood journaling app. It is not only a diary, but also a magical Samoyed companion who stays by your side, helping you record your feelings, heal your heart, and explore an enchanted forest. 【Journaling & Emotions】 - Morning guided journaling to set goals and intentions - Evening reflections to gently organize your thoughts and treasure happy moments - Intuitive mood tracking to observe and better understand your emotional patterns 【Companionship & Interaction】 - Interact with your Samoyed, who responds differently based on your moods and entries - Writing your diary feeds your pet and helps it grow through different life stages - Long press to enter meditation mode, listen to calming audio, and enjoy inner peace 【Fantasy & Exploration】 - Unlock chapters of the magical forest, from desolation to renewal - Practice self-healing through mini games and earn gentle rewards 【Privacy & Security】 Your diary is stored only on your device and in iCloud, keeping it private and secure — your own safe garden of emotions. 【About the Developer】 SamoDiary is completely free, created independently by a psychology student with a humanities background. May it become a gentle companion for you. 【Stay Updated】 Follow the developer on Xiaohongshu (ID: 7251358474) or reach out by email (samodiary@gmail.com ) to get the latest updates and new stories.

Screenshots

Circle3 screens
SamoDiary4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: SamoDiary at Free against Circle's $14.99. SamoDiary also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). Circle's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). On ads 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

SamoDiary is free to download; Circle costs $14.99 up front. SamoDiary sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Circle asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Circle ships an update every 3 weeks, SamoDiary every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Circle versus SamoDiary: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCircleSamoDiary
Price$14.99Free — better
Rating—4.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS14.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB112 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer怀国 胡芊 舒

In-app purchases

None

Circle

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

SamoDiary

One-time4
  • Magic Pack (10 Magic)$0.99
  • Magic Pack (60 Magic)$0.99
  • Magic Pack (120 Magic)$1.99
Show 1 more
  • Magic Pack (300 Magic)$3.99

Questions

Is Circle free?
Circle costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is SamoDiary free?
SamoDiary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Circle or SamoDiary have ads?
Neither Circle nor SamoDiary shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Circle or SamoDiary?
Circle ships an update every 3 weeks, and SamoDiary every 5 days. Most recently, Circle was updated on October 25, 2026 and SamoDiary on October 10, 2026.

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