# Study Circle vs NIHON.GATE

The clearest difference is ads: NIHON.GATE at none against Study Circle's shown. NIHON.GATE also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). 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.

Study Circle ships an update fortnightly, NIHON.GATE every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Study Circle | NIHON.GATE |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (48 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/study-circle-the-focus-app/id6453023919/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **48** | — |
| Positive reviews | 90.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 188 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hikaru Hanada](https://appshunter.io/developer/1619728671) | [NIHON GATE](https://appshunter.io/developer/1849364030) |

## What reviewers say

### Study Circle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/study-circle-the-focus-app/id6453023919)

This app helps users boost motivation and make studying enjoyable by connecting them with friends. It offers a focus timer, progress visualization, and a community feature for mutual support and encouragement during study sessions.

**Highlights:** Virtual study circles with friends, Intuitive study timer, Send encouragement and support messages, Visualize study progress with charts, Track daily, weekly, and monthly progress

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### NIHON.GATE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nihongate/id6781492713)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Study Circle free?

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

### Is NIHON.GATE free?

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

### Do Study Circle or NIHON.GATE have ads?

Study Circle shows ads; NIHON.GATE does not.

### Which is updated more often, Study Circle or NIHON.GATE?

Study Circle ships an update fortnightly, and NIHON.GATE every 4 days. Most recently, Study Circle was updated on October 11, 2026 and NIHON.GATE on September 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.*