Comparison

Circlo vs Branches

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Circlo

This app offers a unique ambient audiovisual experience with a pulsating circle display and a dynamic soundtrack that changes intensity throughout the day. Users can customize color schemes and control the music through a simple double-tap interface.

Highlights
  • Ambient audiovisual clock
  • Dynamic soundtrack
  • Pulsating circle display
  • Customizable color schemes
  • Music on/off toggle
  • Intuitive double-tap controls
Features
Read full description

Circlo is an ambient audiovisual clock. The ambient soundtrack by Hannu Kuosmanen changes depending on what time of day it is while the circles on the screen pulsate gently. The music is at its calmest around 1 am/pm, and gets more intense until the clock strikes 1 again. Double-tap anywhere to access the settings screen where you can change the color scheme and turn the music on or off. Design and programming by Johan Halin. Music by Hannu Kuosmanen. --- Johan Halin has also created Kontrol, an experimental techno composition that was shown in 2011 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York as part of the "Talk to Me" exhibition, and Revolve, an ambient reaction game.

About

Branches

This semi-modular synthesizer offers a "west coast" style of sound design, inspired by classic synthesizers. It functions as a standalone app with MIDI input or as an AUv3 plugin within a DAW, allowing for complex sound creation and experimentation.

Highlights
  • Semi-modular synthesis engine
  • Standalone app and AUv3 plugin support
  • West coast style sound processing
  • Duophonic synthesis with dual MIDI channels
  • Generative melody capabilities
  • Waveform fading and wave folding
Read full description

Branches is a semi-modular synthesizer inspired by classics of the past. It runs both as a standalone instrument with support for external MIDI input or as a plugin (AUv3) in your favorite DAW app. Audio from the oscillators are permanently hardwired into the lowpass gates and the default patch is setup to receive MIDI and trigger the lowpass gate for the complex oscillator. This way you can get up and running fast and are then free to experiment with your own patching. Branches is utilizing what is sometimes referred to as a "west coast" style of processing which in this case means timbre is adjusted by adding harmonics to a basic sine wave. One of the oscillators does this by fading between multiple waveforms freely, the other does it by employing a wave folder and blending it with another user selectable waveform. The first one can also modulate either frequency or amplitude of the second. Branches support MIDI input on two channels. This allows you to control each oscillator and low pass gate individually if you please, acting as a duophonic synthesizer. Utilizing the rest of the modules opens up a world of different possibilities - generative random melodies, timbre changing over time, modulation from your host app etc.

Screenshots

Circlo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Circlo at 100% against Branches's 36%. Circlo also leads on price (Free vs $5.99) and rating (5.0 vs 3.9). Branches's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 33 months). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Circlo is free to download; Branches costs $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Circlo holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 12 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Circlo's written reviews are positive against 36% of Branches's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Circlo ships an update every 33 months, Branches every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Circlo versus Branches: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCircloBranches
PriceFree — better$5.99
Rating5.0 (5 ratings) — better3.9 (12 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better36.4% of reviews
Number of ratings512 — better
Update frequencyEvery 33 monthsEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad, Mac
Requires iOS9.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAero DekoWillow & Oak AB

Customer experience

Circlo

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Branches

All ratings12 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral41.7%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive36.4%
Neutral45.5%
Negative18.2%

In-app purchases

None

Circlo

No in-app purchases

None

Branches

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Circlo free?
Circlo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Branches free?
Branches costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Circlo or Branches?
Circlo is rated higher. Circlo averages 5.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Branches averages 3.9 from 12 ratings.
Do Circlo or Branches have ads?
Neither Circlo nor Branches shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Circlo or Branches?
Circlo ships an update every 33 months, and Branches every 6 days. Most recently, Circlo was updated on November 1, 2026 and Branches on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons