PPassion.io VS CCircle

Their app needs a sales call.
Ours comes with the $99 plan.

Circle is a polished web-first community platform; your own branded app only exists in Circle Plus, the custom-priced enterprise tier behind a sales call. Passion.io is mobile-first: your app is the product, included from $99 a month. Here is the honest comparison.

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4.5 on Trustpilot · 1,800+ reviews 15,000+ apps launched $1B+ earned by creators
Updated July 3, 2026 · all prices and sources re-verified
The short answer

Passion.io and Circle both host communities and courses. Circle is a polished web-first community platform; branded apps exist, but only on the custom-priced Circle Plus tier. Passion.io is app-first: every plan includes your own branded iOS and Android app with courses, community, push notifications and an AI coach trained on your content. If the app is the point, you should not need a sales call to get one.

Pick Passion.io if

You want your own app with published pricing, your own App Store listing, and an AI coach included from the entry plan.

Pick Circle if

You want a beautifully polished web community with spaces, automations and live streams, and a branded app is a later, negotiated step.

What actually happens after they join

Your own app. With or without a negotiation.

01The quote
On Circle, wanting your own app starts a sales process: Circle Plus, custom pricing, talk to sales. On Passion.io, it starts with a $99 plan and a drag and drop builder.
02The notification
On Circle's standard plans, your community lives on the web and in Circle's shared app. In your own app, the push on the lock screen carries your name, every single day.
03The search
Someone searches your name in the App Store. On Professional or Business, you are not there. With your own app, that search ends in an install and a subscription under your brand.
$0
published price for Circle's branded app: Circle Plus is custom, behind a sales call
70%
of all media is consumed on the phone, under whichever brand owns the app
15,000+
creator apps launched with Passion.io, each under its own name
PPassion.io · your own app
Your Community App
Your name in the App Store
Your programMonthly
$49.00
Pay
Double-click to confirm
7:42
Tuesday, morning
PYour appnow
New post in #wins 🎉
Your community is talking. The push carries your name, not a platform's.
Current streak
42 days
M
Maya just finished Module 3 💪
J
Jon posted in #wins: "First client signed!"
Course progress86%
Circle · web + shared app
circle.so/pricing — Circle Plus
Your own branded apps
Circle Plus · Optional
Price
Custom — not published
Next step
Book a call with sales…
Talk to sales
C
Circle
New activity in a space you follow…
Circle
C
Circle
Your community posted an update…
Circle
C
Circle
Someone replied to your comment…
Circle
C
Circle
Weekly digest from your spaces…
Circle
App Store search: your brand
No results found
Your community exists · your app is a quote away
What actually happens after they join

Your own app. With or without a negotiation.

01 · THE QUOTE
A quote vs a checkout
On Circle, your own app starts with a sales call for the custom-priced Plus tier. On Passion.io it starts at $99.
$0
published price for Circle's branded app: custom, behind a sales call
02 · THE NOTIFICATION
Whose name is on the push?
On Circle's standard plans the push says Circle. In your app it says your name, every day.
70%
of all media is consumed on the phone, under whichever brand owns the app
03 · THE SEARCH
App Store search: your name
On Professional or Business you are not in the App Store. With your own app, that search ends in an install under your brand.
15,000+
creator apps launched with Passion.io, each under its own name
Feature by feature

Every feature. Honestly marked.

Circle is a genuinely polished platform and we mark its boxes accordingly. The gaps all point at one thing: what it takes to get your own app.

Passion.io
App-first
Circle
Web-first
Build
Drag and drop course builder
Interactive lessons (worksheets, calculators, check-ins)lessons and quizzes
Your own branded native app (iOS + Android)own listing from $599/mo (Expand)Circle Plus only, custom price1
Spaces and community structurecommunity + groups
Automations and workflowsvia Zapier and integrations
Engage
Community
Live streams and eventslive streaming
Push notifications under your own brandPlus tier only1
Habit and progress tracking—
AI coach for your customers, trained on your contentYou AI Coach, every plan—
Sell
One-time payments and subscriptions
In-app purchases in your own appPlus tier only1
Transaction feesexternal checkout available2% Professional · 1% Business2
Upsell funnels—
Own
Your own App Store and Google Play listingPlus tier only1
Published price for your own store listing$599/mo, price on the pagePlus only, custom1

1 Circle's own pricing page lists "Your own Branded Apps" and "Branded iOS and Android app store listings" as Circle Plus features, marked Optional, with custom pricing via "Talk to sales". Source: circle.so/pricing, July 2026.  2 Circle Professional $89/mo (2% transaction fee), Business $199/mo (1% fee), Circle Plus custom (0.5% fee). Same source and date.

The pricing math

One price is published. One is a call.

The real cost of standing in the App Store under your own name, on each platform, as their pricing pages state it.

Circle · Professional
Professional plan$89/mo
Transaction fee2%
Your own branded app—
AI coach for customers—
Your appnone
Price on the page · AI coach included
Passion.io · Expand
Expand plan (annual)$599/mo
Own App Store listingincluded
Coursesunlimited
AI coach for customersincluded
Total$599/mo
Circle · Plus (branded app)
Plus tiercustom
Branded appoptional
Published pricenone
Next stepsales call
Totalask
On Circle, your own app means Circle Plus: custom pricing, a sales conversation, no number on the page. On Passion.io the number is on the page: $599 a month (Expand), listing included.

List prices, July 2026. Sources: circle.so/pricing, passion.io/pricing.

What the switch bought one creator
$291,462
a month

Nicki Bianco, a hairstylist and trainer, moved her quiet membership site into her own app with Passion.io. 4,107 engaged subscribers later, it is a seven-figure business, launched in under 30 days.

Read her case study →
What customers say

Read both. We are comfortable with that.

We link Circle's Trustpilot right here, with the honest caveat that their review count is small. Read both and decide.

Passion.io
4.5
1,800+ reviews on Trustpilot
Circle
2.5
~20 reviews on Trustpilot · small sample, spring 2026
Amazing team and support
"Kleny, Iwan and the whole team are so helpful. I wasn't tech savvy at all… the technical support, helpfulness and kindness of the team is worth their weight in gold. So grateful for this platform!"
Lizzie StantonTrustpilot · June 2026
Amazing App!
"The step by step process that actually worked. Signed up my first cohort easily… Helped me to make a program I had been thinking about for 3 years. Really pleased with the results. My first cohort LOVED it!"
Tracy DriscollTrustpilot · June 2026
Exceptional customer service
"I panicked a bit when my app wasn't up to date… They made the process easy, went above and beyond to help me and also reassure me. I went from a state of panic to feeling like everything was going to be okay."
Leading Edge HypnoTrustpilot · May 2026

Want more? Browse the full review wall, or read every last one on Trustpilot.

The honest part

Sometimes Circle is the right call.

A comparison page you can trust has to be able to say that. Here is where each platform genuinely wins.

Circle wins when

  • Structure is your engine. Circle's spaces, segments and automations are genuinely deep for organising a complex community.
  • Live is your format. Built-in live streams, events and rooms make Circle strong for a webinar-driven community.
  • Enterprise is the plan anyway. If you are heading to a negotiated Plus contract with a launch team, Circle's top tier is a real product.

Passion.io wins when

  • Retention is your ceiling. Streaks, push notifications, habit tracking and community live where your customers already look 100 times a day.
  • You want to own the shelf. Your name in the App Store on every plan, with the price printed on the pricing page.
  • Coaching is the product. Interactive lessons plus an AI coach trained on your content, working while you sleep.
Making the move

Switching is smaller than it feels.

Moving a community sounds heavy. It comes down to three steps, and your members get an upgrade at the end.

01

Bring your content

Your videos, PDFs and course structure drop into the drag and drop builder. Rebuilding is the easy part, and usually the moment lessons become interactive.

02

Meet your onboarding team

Real humans walk you through app setup, your App Store and Google Play listings, and the first launch. Passion Academy training on building, marketing and selling comes with every plan.

03

Decide with a safety net

Every plan carries a 30-day money-back guarantee. Build the app, put it in front of real customers, then decide.

Start your app →
30-day money-back guarantee · cancel anytime
Questions

Frequently asked questions

Is Passion.io a good alternative to Circle?
Yes, if you want your community and courses inside your own branded app without an enterprise negotiation. Circle is a polished community platform; branded apps are reserved for its custom-priced Circle Plus tier. On Passion.io, your own iOS and Android app with courses, community, push notifications and an AI coach is included in every plan.
Does Circle offer a branded mobile app?
Only on Circle Plus, the custom-priced tier behind a sales call. Circle's own pricing page lists branded iOS and Android App Store listings as Circle Plus features with no published price. Professional ($89/mo) and Business ($199/mo) plans do not include a branded app. On Passion.io your own store listing comes with Expand at $599/mo, published openly on the pricing page.
How much does Passion.io cost compared to Circle?
Circle Professional is $89/mo with a 2% transaction fee and no branded app; Business is $199/mo with a 1% fee, still no branded app. Passion.io Launch is $99/mo billed annually with the You AI Coach included on every plan and your own store listing on Expand ($599/mo). List prices, July 2026. See passion.io/pricing.
Can I move my community from Circle to Passion.io?
Yes. You rebuild your courses in the drag and drop builder, invite your members into your own app, and the onboarding team walks you through your App Store and Google Play listings. Every plan carries a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Does Circle charge transaction fees?
Yes: 2% on Professional, 1% on Business and 0.5% on Circle Plus (circle.so/pricing, July 2026). Passion.io supports one-time payments, subscriptions and in-app purchases, with an external checkout option.
What is the You AI Coach?
Every Passion.io plan includes a context-aware AI coach trained on your content, so your members get 24/7 personalised guidance inside your app. Circle offers AI features for community admins, but no customer-facing coach trained on your content is included on its standard plans.

Give your work
a home on their phone.

Your branded app, the You AI Coach, and real humans behind you.
Own App Store listing from the Expand plan.

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