Lowkey vs Circus
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lowkey
This secure group chat platform prioritizes user privacy with end-to-end encryption and message history deletion. It offers tools for organizing conversations, like pinning and announcements, alongside fun features such as custom GIFs and audio messages.
- End-to-end encryption
- Permanent message history deletion
- Screen capturing block
- Pinning messages
- Announcements and events
- Self-made GIFs
- Audio messages
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Lowkey is the most fun & secure platform for group conversations! YOUR SECURITY = OUR PRIORITY • End-to-end encryption • Permanent message history deletion • Screen capturing block EASILY FIND IMPORTANT MESSAGES • Pinning • Announcements • Events • Admin-Only Messaging NON-STOP FUN • Self-made gifs • Audio messages • Polls We are constantly adding new features that will make your life easier. If you have anything you’d like to see on Lowkey, send us a message dev@lowkeychat.com! https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1521276224
Circus
This app allows you to broadcast your group conversations live to an audience of any size. Share your chats with the world in real-time. Experience group discussions in a new, interactive way.
- Live group chat broadcasting
- Audience interaction
- Share conversations globally
- Real-time streaming
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Circus is the first ever Live Group Chat app. Take your conversations on Circus live, and broadcast them to an audience of any size. Group Chats are the best form of conversation, now you can share your chats with the world.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Circus at 5.0 against Lowkey's 4.0. Circus also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 71%) and update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks). Lowkey's advantage is ratings volume (84 vs 4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Circus holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lowkey has 84 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Lowkey's written reviews are positive against 100% of Circus's.
Lowkey ships an update every 6 weeks, Circus weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Lowkey | Circus |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (84 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 70.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 84 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 75 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | +17 |
| Developer | Key Revolution Inc. | Max Shaw |
Customer experience
Lowkey
Circus
In-app purchases
Lowkey
No in-app purchases
Circus
No in-app purchases
