# Study Circle vs ClassNotes

The clearest difference is ads: ClassNotes at none against Study Circle's shown. Study Circle's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, 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, ClassNotes weekly. Both last shipped on October 11, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Study Circle | ClassNotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 188 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hikaru Hanada](https://appshunter.io/developer/1619728671) | [Tony Aboud](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896777740) |

## 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


### ClassNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/classnotes-my-smart-notebook/id6794354830)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Study Circle free?

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

### Is ClassNotes free?

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

### Do Study Circle or ClassNotes have ads?

Study Circle shows ads; ClassNotes does not.

### Which is updated more often, Study Circle or ClassNotes?

Study Circle ships an update fortnightly, and ClassNotes weekly. Most recently, Study Circle was updated on October 11, 2026 and ClassNotes on October 11, 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.*