# Circle vs Pancake

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pancake at none against Circle's 5. Pancake also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (67% vs 43%). Circle's advantage is ratings volume (5.5K vs 841). On price, rating, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Circle sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Pancake asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Circle against 4.2 for Pancake. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Circle has 5.5K ratings behind it against 841, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 43% of Circle's written reviews are positive against 67% of Pancake's.

Circle ships an update every 2 months, Pancake every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 3, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Circle | Pancake |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (5.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circle/id911152486/reviews)** | [4.2 (841 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pancake-the-game/id965965461/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.5K** | 841 |
| Positive reviews | 42.9% of reviews | **67.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 324 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ketchapp](https://appshunter.io/developer/528065807) | [Philipp Stollenmayer](https://appshunter.io/developer/580506869) |

## 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


### Pancake

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pancake-the-game/id965965461)

Test your reflexes in this simple yet addictive game. Master the one-button mechanic to flip a pancake as many times as possible. Aim for the highest score by perfectly timing your throws and catches.

**Highlights:** One-button gameplay, Endless pancake flipping, High score challenges, Simple controls, Addictive gameplay

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple and fun
- 👍 Addictive gameplay
- 🎨 Unique art style
- 💡 Unlockable features
- 🎮 Great time-killer

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitches and bugs
- 🔍 Lack of customization options
- 🔊 Distracting ads
- 🤔 Confusing mechanics
- 🤯 Extremely challenging

**Reported bugs**

- Pancake disappears or gets stuck
- Game freezes or lags when ads are shown
- Unlocked items not appearing correctly
- Inconsistent physics and controls
- High scores not saving properly

**Requested features**

- Add more pancake and arm variations
- Implement a menu system for selecting unlockables
- Include a leaderboard or achievements
- Add sound effects and music options
- Provide a difficulty setting or progression system


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Circle free?

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

### Is Pancake free?

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

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

Circle is rated higher. Circle averages 4.3 out of 5 from 5.5K ratings, while Pancake averages 4.2 from 841 ratings.

### Do Circle or Pancake have ads?

Circle shows ads; Pancake does not.

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

Circle ships an update every 2 months, and Pancake every 3 months. Most recently, Circle was updated on September 3, 2026 and Pancake on September 26, 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.*