# Fluent Reader Lite vs Circles Reader

The clearest difference is ads: Fluent Reader Lite at none against Circles Reader's shown. Fluent Reader Lite also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.4). Circles Reader's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 months). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Fluent Reader Lite ships an update every 6 months, Circles Reader fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Fluent Reader Lite | Circles Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.6 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fluent-reader-lite/id1549611796/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **10** | — |
| Positive reviews | 47.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 23 MB | 58 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | +17 | 17+ |
| Developer | [Haoyuan Liu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1744084489) | [Circles Incorporated](https://appshunter.io/developer/1748502655) |

## What reviewers say

### Fluent Reader Lite

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fluent-reader-lite/id1549611796)

A simple, open-source RSS client that supports various self-hosted and commercial services. It offers features like dark mode, content filtering, and article organization. Optimized for multitasking on iPad.

**Highlights:** Supports Fever, Google Reader, Inoreader, and Feedbin APIs, Dark mode for UI and reading, Configure content loading (full or webpage), Dedicated subscriptions tab with article titles, Search and filter local articles, Organize subscriptions with groups, Two-pane view and multitasking on iPad

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Circles Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circles-reader-rss-reader/id6503230954)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Fluent Reader Lite free?

Fluent Reader Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Circles Reader free?

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

### Do Fluent Reader Lite or Circles Reader have ads?

Circles Reader shows ads; Fluent Reader Lite does not.

### Which is updated more often, Fluent Reader Lite or Circles Reader?

Fluent Reader Lite ships an update every 6 months, and Circles Reader fortnightly. Most recently, Fluent Reader Lite was updated on September 15, 2026 and Circles Reader on September 20, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*