# School Buddy vs Circle

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Circle at none against School Buddy's 12. Circle also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.6). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. School Buddy sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Circle asks for nothing beyond the download.

School Buddy ships an update every 9 days, Circle every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | School Buddy | Circle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (230 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/school-buddy-student-planner/id1529798513/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **230** | — |
| Positive reviews | 82.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 15 MB | 33 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **15.1** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Boothby Lab LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1506236025) | [Kevin Mackenzie](https://appshunter.io/developer/1885790216) |

## What reviewers say

### School Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/school-buddy-student-planner/id1529798513)

Manage your academic life with this student planner. Track classes, grades, and assignments to achieve your desired grades. Syncs across devices without an account.

**Highlights:** Class tracking, Grade management, Assignment tracking, Grade goal calculation, Cross-device sync, Modern social twist to learning

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Plus - Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Ultimate - Monthly | $7.99 | per month |
| Plus - Annual | $9.99 | per year |
| Ultimate - Annual | $74.99 | per year |
| 50 Coins | $0.99 | one-time |
| $0.99 Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| 100 Coins | $1.99 | one-time |
| $1.99 Tip | $1.99 | one-time |
| 150 Coins | $2.99 | one-time |
| 200 Coins | $3.99 | one-time |
| $4.99 | $4.99 | one-time |
| $9.99 Tip | $9.99 | one-time |


### Circle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circle-in/id6760698084)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is School Buddy free?

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

### Is Circle free?

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

### Do School Buddy or Circle have ads?

School Buddy shows ads; Circle does not.

### Which is updated more often, School Buddy or Circle?

School Buddy ships an update every 9 days, and Circle every 8 days. Most recently, School Buddy was updated on October 22, 2026 and Circle on October 25, 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.*