# Circle Communities vs Inventor Smart Community

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Circle Communities at none against Inventor Smart Community's 2. Circle Communities also leads on ratings volume (87K vs 31) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks). Inventor Smart Community's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 65%). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Inventor Smart Community sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Circle Communities asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Circle Communities against 5.0 for Inventor Smart Community. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Circle Communities has 87K ratings behind it against 31, 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 Inventor Smart Community's.

Circle Communities ships an update fortnightly, Inventor Smart Community every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Circle Communities | Inventor Smart Community |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (87K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circle-communities/id1509651625/reviews) | **[5.0 (31 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/inventor-smart-community/id6448789752/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **87K** | 31 |
| Positive reviews | 65.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#78** | — |
| Size | 60 MB | 86 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.5** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [CircleCo Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1509651624) | [Inventor Relations, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1686376031) |

## What reviewers say

### Circle Communities

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

**Currently charting:** #78 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


### Inventor Smart Community

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/inventor-smart-community/id6448789752)

Connect with a community of creators to share invention ideas, get expert advice, and gain recognition. Attend events, join discussions, and showcase your projects to foster innovation and collaboration.

**Highlights:** Connect and collaborate in group chats and forums, Access expert advice on patents, licensing, and manufacturing, Attend online and in-person inventor events, Showcase inventions and gain exposure, Receive real-time notifications and announcements

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription | $99.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Circle Communities free?

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

### Is Inventor Smart Community free?

Inventor Smart Community is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Circle Communities or Inventor Smart Community?

Inventor Smart Community is rated higher. Circle Communities averages 4.9 out of 5 from 87K ratings, while Inventor Smart Community averages 5.0 from 31 ratings.

### Do Circle Communities or Inventor Smart Community have ads?

Neither Circle Communities nor Inventor Smart Community shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Circle Communities or Inventor Smart Community?

Circle Communities ships an update fortnightly, and Inventor Smart Community every 6 weeks. Most recently, Circle Communities was updated on October 31, 2026 and Inventor Smart Community on October 12, 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.*