Comparison

Glow vs Outer Circle

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

Head to head
About

Glow

Features
Read full description

What would you ask for if you knew no one would judge you? That's the question Glow was built around. Most dating apps want you to play it safe. Small talk. Safe photos. The same five questions everyone asks. Glow goes the other way - it asks what you really want, and then helps you find it. Maybe you want to explore a side of yourself you've kept hidden. Maybe you have a specific taste, a specific dynamic, a specific kind of connection in mind - the kind other apps pretend their users don't want. Maybe you already know exactly what you're into, and you're tired of pretending otherwise just to match with someone. Whatever it is - say it here, and meet people who want the same. Glow is also the first dating app truly built for the LGBTQ+ community. Not adapted. Not added later. Your identity, your pronouns, the way you love and connect - they shape the app, not the other way around. You define yourself on your own terms, with the words that actually fit you. We knew exactly what was wrong with the other apps. We fixed all of it. Why people stay on Glow: Preferences - You decide what matters most, what matters a little, and what doesn't matter at all. Filters - more options than any app before, filter for literally anything Communities and events where you meet your kind of people Private photos - shared only when you both agree Face verification keeps fake profiles out Full control over who sees you and what they see GDPR compliant - your data is yours, never sold Be honest. Be curious. Be brave. Download Glow.

About

Outer Circle

Features
Read full description

OuterCircle - Discover and Create Communities Around You OuterCircle is a location-based community discovery and creation app that helps you find, join, and host communities and events happening around you. Whether you want to explore new interests, connect with like-minded people, or organize your own community, OuterCircle makes the process simple, structured, and accessible. Discover Communities Near You OuterCircle allows you to discover communities based on your physical location. You can set a discovery radius to control how far you want to explore and view all communities available within that range. You can adjust your discovery radius at any time, search for specific communities, and browse by categories such as social, fitness, wellness, learning, fun, and more. All communities on OuterCircle are public and easy to discover. Join and Follow Communities Each community has a dedicated page where users can view community details and descriptions, explore upcoming and past events, subscribe to receive updates, and get announcements directly from organizers. This helps users stay informed without unnecessary conversations or distractions. Create Your Own Community OuterCircle allows anyone to create and manage their own community. As a community creator, you can add a name and description, upload a community icon and banner, optionally link social media profiles, and manage everything from one place. Community creation is designed to be simple and easy to use. Host and Manage Events Community organizers can create events directly within the app. Each event can include a banner and description, date, time, and location details, organizer information, and a built-in registration option. Events can be viewed by users within the selected discovery radius. Simple One-Tap Event Registration Event registration is fast and seamless. Users can register with a single tap - no forms need to be filled manually, as user details are automatically filled using app login information. Organizers can view registered attendees including their name, mobile number, and number of tickets booked. This information is visible only to the event organizer. Announcements and Notifications Community organizers can send announcements to keep subscribers informed about upcoming events, event updates or changes, and important notices. All notifications are delivered directly within the app. Location-Based Visibility Communities and events can be online or offline. However, they are shown to users based on physical location and the discovery radius they have selected, helping users find relevant communities nearby. Free to Use OuterCircle is currently free to use with no paid events, no subscription fees, and no monetary transactions. Additional features may be introduced in the future as the platform evolves. Start Exploring with OuterCircle Download OuterCircle to discover communities, host events, and explore what is happening around you - all within your chosen radius.

Screenshots

Glow4 screens
Outer Circle4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Outer Circle at none against Glow's 3. Outer Circle also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 8 days vs monthly). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Glow sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Outer Circle asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Glow ships an update monthly, Outer Circle every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
Glow versus Outer Circle: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGlowOuter Circle
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 8 days โ€” better
AdsYesNo โ€” better
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details โ€” not scored
Size88 MB44 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperFlexboxPaaritosh Upadhyay

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Glow

Subscriptions1
  • Plus$3.991 Month
One-time2
  • Superlike x5$0.99
  • Early bird$44.99
None

Outer Circle

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Glow free?
Glow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Outer Circle free?
Outer Circle is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Glow or Outer Circle have ads?
Glow shows ads; Outer Circle does not.
Which is updated more often, Glow or Outer Circle?
Glow ships an update monthly, and Outer Circle every 8 days. Most recently, Glow was updated on October 10, 2026 and Outer Circle on October 5, 2026.

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