AskARC vs Circuit
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
AskARC
This AI assistant intelligently routes queries to the best AI model for faster, smarter answers across text, images, and the web. It prioritizes privacy by design and offers a sustainable approach to AI processing. An optional uncensored mode is available for exploring sensitive topics.
- Intelligent AI model routing
- Search, vision, and reasoning capabilities
- Privacy-focused data handling
- Sustainable AI processing
- Optional uncensored mode
- Access to multiple AI providers
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AskARC: Smarter AI Answers. One app. All models. No compromises. AskARC is a next-generation AI assistant that intelligently routes each query to the best AI model using ARC, the AI Routing Controller. It combines search, vision, and reasoning into one seamless experience, giving you faster, smarter, and more accurate answers across text, images, and the web. Key Features Search, Vision, and Reasoning in One AskARC understands your questions, sees your images, and pulls live web results to deliver complete, contextual answers in real time. Powered by ARC (AI Routing Controller) ARC selects the best model for every task. It works across top AI providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Mistral to optimize performance, cost, and accuracy. You donβt choose the model. ARC does it for you. Privacy by Design No single model sees your full input. ARC splits your query into smaller parts, keeping your data private. AskARC does not store your conversations or train on your prompts. Sustainable by Default AskARC uses lightweight models for everyday tasks and only selects large models when necessary. This reduces compute, saves energy, and lowers emissions. Uncensored Mode Available AskARC offers access to uncensored models that let you explore sensitive, controversial, or restricted topics without content filters. You decide when to enable it. Built in Europe for Global Use Created by FenxLabs, a European deep tech company focused on responsible AI. AskARC reflects European values of transparency, privacy, and sovereignty. Affordable Premium Plan Get more models, more performance, and more freedom for less than half the cost of other AI apps. AskARC Premium is only β¬9.99 per month with access to all the models and no data tradeoffs.
Circuit
This app helps you break free from phone addiction by blocking distracting apps and websites. It offers customizable timers, schedules, and strict modes to enforce focus, with motivational rewards for achieving goals.
- App blocking with customizable timers
- Scheduled focus sessions
- Strict mode for uninterrupted focus
- Daily app usage limits
- Always allowed apps
- Focus soundscapes
- Achievement coins and progress tracking
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Your phone is built to keep you scrolling. Circuit is built to stop it. Trip the breaker and the apps you can't put down stop opening. No negotiation, no notification to swipe away β the app just doesn't come up until your time is done. THE BREAKER Hold the dial and your apps close: 15 minutes, 30, an hour and a half, or a whole quiet day. Start it in the app, from Control Center, or by asking Siri. A Live Activity keeps the timer on your Lock Screen the whole time. SCHEDULES Name a set of apps and give it hours. Study on weekday evenings. Sleep from 22:30 to 07:00. Work nine to five. Schedules run themselves, so being disciplined stops being something you have to remember. FRICTION, NOT WILLPOWER Reach for a blocked app and there's a breath to take, a countdown to sit through, or a sentence to type before anything opens. Usually the urge is gone before the timer is. STRICT MODE For the sessions that matter: no early exit, no five more minutes. You set it, and that's that. DAILY LIMITS Give one app a budget β thirty minutes of Instagram a day. When it's spent, it's spent until tomorrow. ALWAYS ALLOWED Some apps are never blocked, whatever else is running. Maps, your bank, whoever you'd need at 2am. SOUND TO WORK TO Rain, a fire, waves, brown noise, or a slow wordless pulse. One at a time, playing under whatever else you're listening to, and it keeps going with the screen off. 28 LEGENDARY COINS Every milestone earns a famous coin of ancient Greece or Rome: the owl of Athens for a schedule kept to the end, Caesar's elephant, the Colosseum of Titus, and for a thousand days in a row the gold EID MAR aureus of Brutus, one of three known. Tap the coin on Home to see all 28 and what each one takes. Every coin you earn opens its story, a few things most people don't know about it, what one sold for at auction, and the museums where you can see one. Real coins, every fact checked against museum and auction records. HONEST NUMBERS Time blocked each day, your streak, this week against last, and a report every Sunday. Your real Screen Time usage sits alongside it, drawn by Apple itself. PRIVATE BY CONSTRUCTION No account. Circuit blocks through Apple's Screen Time, which means it cannot see which apps you picked β only draw their icons. Your choices, schedules and stats stay on your phone. What leaves it is an anonymous count of which screens get opened β one switch in Settings stops it β and a crash report if Circuit falls over. Circuit Pro is $59.99/year with a 7-day free trial, $12.99/month, or $4.99/week. One subscription covers your Family Sharing group. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless turned off at least 24 hours before the current period ends; manage or cancel it in App Store settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://circuitapp.app/legal#privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: AskARC at 100% against Circuit's 0%. Circuit's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 5 days). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. AskARC sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $7.99 per month and Circuit sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
AskARC ships an update every 5 days, Circuit daily. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AskARC | Circuit |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews β better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | Daily β better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad β better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 β better | 18.0 |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 41 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | FenxLabs | Vasily Lukin |
Customer experience
AskARC
Circuit
In-app purchases
AskARC
- Premium - Monthly Subscription$7.991 Month
Circuit
- CircuitAI Pro$7.991 Month
- CircuitAI Advanced$15.991 Month









