# Circle Communities vs Hugs App

Circle Communities and Hugs App both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Hugs App's written reviews are positive against 65% of Circle Communities's. Hugs App also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.5). Circle Communities's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (88K vs 13). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Circle Communities against 5.0 for Hugs App. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Circle Communities has 88K ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 65% of Circle Communities's written reviews are positive against 100% of Hugs App's.

Circle Communities ships an update fortnightly, Hugs App every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Circle Communities | Hugs App |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (88K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circle-communities/id1509651625/reviews) | **[5.0 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hugs-app/id1520736562/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **88K** | 13 |
| Positive reviews | 65.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 9 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#62** | — |
| Size | 60 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [CircleCo Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1509651624) | [Novvia LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1402076437) |

## What reviewers say

### Circle Communities

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circle-communities/id1509651625)

**Currently charting:** #62 Top Free · Social Networking (US App Store)

Stay connected with your online communities on the go. This app lets you participate in discussions, join live streams, and track events for any Circle.so community you're a part of. It's designed for both members and creators to manage their community interactions seamlessly.

**Highlights:** Community discussions, Live stream hosting and joining, Event tracking, On-the-go community management, Message notifications

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🤍 Very Clear
- 💫 Great layout and easy to understand
- 👍 Simple and easy to navigate
- 🤸‍♂️ Great community and networking platform
- 🥰 Supportive and helpful community

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unstable software with crashes and bugs
- 🤔 Non-intuitive and unintuitive design
- 🔒 Limited admin functionality on mobile
- 🤯 Frustrating text editing and cursor issues
- 🤖 Glitchy video playback and freezing issues

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Disappearing messages and notifications
- Inability to access certain communities
- Malformed data errors and login issues
- Compatibility problems with older devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to save draft posts and comments
- Improved text editing and cursor control
- Better video playback controls and functionality
- Syncing notifications and activity across devices
- More customization and personalization options


### Hugs App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hugs-app/id1520736562)

This app simulates the heartbeat of another person to convey affection and support remotely. It allows users to feel a connection during video calls or send a virtual hug to loved ones, bridging physical distance.

**Highlights:** Simulates heartbeat for connection, Remote hug sending, Visual connection during calls, No data collection, Simple interface

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Circle Communities free?

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

### Is Hugs App free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Circle Communities or Hugs App?

Hugs App is rated higher. Circle Communities averages 4.9 out of 5 from 88K ratings, while Hugs App averages 5.0 from 13 ratings.

### Do Circle Communities or Hugs App have ads?

Neither Circle Communities nor Hugs App shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Circle Communities or Hugs App?

Circle Communities ships an update fortnightly, and Hugs App every 9 months. Most recently, Circle Communities was updated on November 10, 2026 and Hugs App on November 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.*