# Hal Universal vs Circuit

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hal Universal at none against Circuit's 2. Circuit's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 6 weeks) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Circuit sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Hal Universal asks for nothing beyond the download.

Hal Universal ships an update every 6 weeks, Circuit every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 13, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hal Universal | Circuit |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Size | 30 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **18.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mark Friedlander](https://appshunter.io/developer/1812095304) | [Vasily Lukin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1754552443) |

## What reviewers say

### Hal Universal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hal-universal/id6754847753)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Circuit

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circuit-screen-time-control/id6774522959)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CircuitAI Pro | $7.99 | per month |
| CircuitAI Advanced | $15.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hal Universal free?

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

### Is Circuit free?

Circuit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Hal Universal or Circuit have ads?

Neither Hal Universal nor Circuit shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hal Universal or Circuit?

Hal Universal ships an update every 6 weeks, and Circuit every 5 days. Most recently, Hal Universal was updated on September 13, 2026 and Circuit on September 29, 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.*