# Circle Communities vs BuyNothing

The clearest difference is rating: Circle Communities at 4.9 against BuyNothing's 4.3. Circle Communities also leads on review sentiment (65% vs 27%) and in-app purchases (none vs 8). On price, update cadence, ads and chart position there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. BuyNothing sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Circle Communities asks for nothing beyond the download.

Circle Communities holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Circle Communities has 87K ratings behind it against 2.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Circle Communities's written reviews are positive against 27% of BuyNothing's.

Circle Communities ships an update fortnightly, BuyNothing every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Circle Communities | BuyNothing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (87K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circle-communities/id1509651625/reviews)** | [4.3 (2.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buynothing/id1557679959/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **87K** | 2.1K |
| Positive reviews | **65.0% of reviews** | 26.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#98** | #209 |
| Size | 58 MB | 76 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [CircleCo Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1509651624) | [Buy Nothing Project, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1557679961) |

## What reviewers say

### Circle Communities

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

**Currently charting:** #98 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. Never miss an update from your creators or fellow members.

**Highlights:** Community discussions, Event tracking, Live stream hosting, On-the-go access, 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


### BuyNothing

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buynothing/id1557679959)

**Currently charting:** #209 Top Free · Social Networking (US App Store)

Connect with your local community to give, receive, share, lend, and borrow items. This app fosters a gift economy, building connections through sharing, inspired by the BuyNothing® Project.

**Highlights:** Give and receive items locally, Lend and borrow goods, Hyper-local community sharing, Gift economy model, Build community connections, Express gratitude

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buy Nothing Subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| Buy Nothing Pro | $3.99 | per month |
| Sustaining Member | $5.49 | per month |
| Sustaining Member | $6.99 | per month |
| Buy Nothing Pro | $38.49 | per year |
| Buy Nothing Subscription | $38.49 | per year |
| Sustaining Member | $54.99 | per year |
| Sustaining Member | $69.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🤝 Friendly community interactions
- ♻️ Promotes sustainability and reducing waste
- 🌍 Global reach beyond local groups
- 🏠 Hyper-local focus when set up properly
- 📦 Smooth gifting and receiving process

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable app functionality
- 📍 Difficulty filtering for local posts
- 🔑 Login and account issues
- 💬 Inconsistent notifications and messaging
- 💰 Paywall for key features

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Login issues and inability to reset passwords
- Inconsistent location settings and radius
- Unreliable notifications and messaging
- Inability to edit or update posts

**Requested features**

- Search function to find specific posts
- Ability to edit and update posts
- Improved organization and sorting of posts
- Syncing across multiple devices
- More robust moderation and community tools


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Circle Communities free?

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

### Is BuyNothing free?

BuyNothing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Circle Communities or BuyNothing?

Circle Communities is rated higher. Circle Communities averages 4.9 out of 5 from 87K ratings, while BuyNothing averages 4.3 from 2.1K ratings.

### Do Circle Communities or BuyNothing have ads?

Neither Circle Communities nor BuyNothing shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Circle Communities or BuyNothing?

Circle Communities ships an update fortnightly, and BuyNothing every 2 weeks. Most recently, Circle Communities was updated on October 25, 2026 and BuyNothing on October 25, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Circle Communities or BuyNothing?

Circle Communities currently peaks at #98 in the App Store charts, and BuyNothing at #209. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*