# Circle vs ao

The clearest difference is rating: Circle at 4.3 against ao's 3.3. Circle also leads on ratings volume (5.5K vs 153). ao's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Circle sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and ao sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Circle holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Circle has 5.5K ratings behind it against 153, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 43% of Circle's written reviews are positive against 47% of ao's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Circle | ao |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (5.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circle/id911152486/reviews)** | [3.3 (153 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ao/id937945761/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.5K** | 153 |
| Positive reviews | 42.9% of reviews | **47.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 324 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | **8.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ketchapp](https://appshunter.io/developer/528065807) | [General Adaptive Apps Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/937589555) |

## What reviewers say

### Circle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circle/id911152486)

Guide a jumping circle to avoid a dangerous line. Test your reflexes and see how far you can progress in this simple yet challenging arcade game. Compete for the highest score.

**Highlights:** Tap to jump, Avoid the line, Endless gameplay, Score tracking, Challenging reflexes

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 400 Diamonds | $0.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| 1000 Diamonds | $1.99 | one-time |
| 3000 Diamonds | $4.99 | one-time |
| 5000 Diamonds | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 Simple and fun concept
- 🎨 Visually appealing circles
- 💎 Earning diamonds is rewarding

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Challenges are inaccurate/glitchy
- 📢 Excessive and intrusive ads
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 🕹️ Unresponsive controls and lag
- 🔄 Repetitive gameplay with lack of updates

**Reported bugs**

- Diamonds not counting properly in challenges
- Game screen not fitting properly on newer devices
- Tapping not registering correctly

**Requested features**

- More race levels and challenges
- Ability to customize circles
- Option to play own music
- Pause button during gameplay


### ao

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ao/id937945761)

Engage in a puzzle game with expanding and contracting circles. Solve over 200 levels with unique challenges and surprises. Compete for medals and leaderboards, or skip tricky levels.

**Highlights:** Expanding and contracting circles, 200 levels with unique challenges, Leaderboard and medals, Level skipping and unlocking, Replay passed levels

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Skip Level | $0.99 | one-time |
| Remove All Ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlock All Levels | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🤩 Fun and addictive gameplay
- 👍 Simple yet challenging
- 🎶 Good background music
- ✨ Minimalist design
- 💯 Highly recommended

**What reviewers complain about**

- ❓ Confusing gameplay
- 😩 Frustrating difficulty
- 👎 Repetitive gameplay
- 💸 Unfair monetization
- 😵 Overwhelming ads

**Reported bugs**

- Game doesn't work
- App freezes
- Level 1 fails
- Dots don't rotate
- Automatic fail

**Requested features**

- Clearer instructions on how to play
- Make levels less impossible
- Fix the huge dot problem
- Add numbers on the balls
- More original game concepts


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Circle free?

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

### Is ao free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Circle or ao?

Circle is rated higher. Circle averages 4.3 out of 5 from 5.5K ratings, while ao averages 3.3 from 153 ratings.

### Do Circle or ao have ads?

Circle shows ads; ao does not.

### Which is updated more often, Circle or ao?

Circle ships an update every 2 months, and ao every 2 months. Most recently, Circle was updated on October 6, 2026 and ao on October 5, 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.*