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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

PhotoCircle vs Pinterest

PhotoCircle 4.9★ · Free to download 65
Winner Tie
Pinterest 4.8★ · Free + IAP 60

PhotoCircle is better for private group photo sharing despite its ad issues, while Pinterest is a better choice for public inspiration and idea discovery, though it also suffers from excessive ads and recent feature changes.

Full reviews: PhotoCircle · Pinterest

PhotoCircle excels at private group photo and video sharing, offering unlimited storage for family and event memories, but it's heavily criticized for intrusive and sometimes inappropriate ads. Pinterest is a popular platform for inspiration and idea curation, but recent updates have led to a significant increase in ads, UI issues, and concerns about AI-generated content.

Head to head

Core Functionality (Photo/Video Sharing vs. Inspiration/Curation) tieR8R9R20R32
PhotoCircle PhotoCircle is highly praised for its ease of use in sharing photos and videos within private groups for events, family trips, and camps, with users appreciating its unlimited storage and cross-platform compatibility R8R32R34. However, some users note limitations like a 1-minute video limit and the inability to add multiple photos into one image R9R20R36.
Pinterest Pinterest is widely loved for its ability to provide inspiration, ideas, and funny memes across various topics like nail designs, hair tutorials, and room designs . Users enjoy creating and curating boards, though recent updates have made it harder to access saved lists and manage collages .
Ads and User Experience tieR1R4R6R10
PhotoCircle PhotoCircle users are overwhelmingly frustrated by the excessive, intrusive, and often unskippable full-screen ads, with many reporting that ads get stuck, forcing app restarts R1R4R6R10. Some ads are described as inappropriate, malicious, or deceptive R12.
Pinterest Pinterest users are also highly critical of the overwhelming number of ads, stating that they appear every few pins, sometimes as frequently as 3 ads for every 4 posts R61R63R67. These ads often interrupt the browsing experience, play videos that cut off music, and sometimes lead to accidental clicks outside the app .
Reliability and Technical Issues tieR3R15R18R21
PhotoCircle PhotoCircle has issues with app updates requiring newer iOS versions, making it unusable for some users with older devices R3. Other technical complaints include notifications not working after updates, inability to open links, and the app stopping even for premium users R18R21R31. Some users also report being banned without reason or losing access to old accounts R15.
Pinterest Pinterest users frequently report bugs and glitches, such as the screen freezing when viewing photos, issues with boards disappearing or not showing up when saving pins, and problems with widgets on iOS . There are also complaints about difficulty creating accounts due to age verification issues R62R66R85R109.
Features and Usability edge: PhotoCircleR7R20R26R36
PhotoCircle PhotoCircle is praised for being easy to use and a great way to share memories with groups R26R36. However, users desire features like replying to comments, adding multiple photos into one image, a chat function, direct printing, and desktop access R7R20R43. The lack of a desktop version is a significant drawback for some paying users R7R43R59.
Pinterest Pinterest offers features for creating boards and finding inspiration, but recent UI changes have made it harder to view profiles and access lists . Users also report issues with comments being disabled on posts and the inability to post directly to their main profile . There are concerns about the prevalence of AI-generated content .
Price and Value tieR7R31R34R43
PhotoCircle PhotoCircle is free to download and offers unlimited storage, with ads being the primary cost for non-paying users R34. Some users have paid for premium to remove ads but still experience issues, or find the paid features lacking, particularly the absence of a desktop version R7R31R43. The option to pay to remove ads for others viewing an album is not available, which is a point of frustration .
Pinterest Pinterest is free to use with in-app purchases, but the overwhelming number of ads has led users to feel it's become a "cash grab" . Many users express a desire for an option to pay for an ad-free experience, which is currently not available .
Pick PhotoCircle if

You need a simple, reliable way to share photos and videos with a private group for events or family, and you are willing to tolerate frequent, intrusive ads or pay to remove them for your own account R8R32R34.

Pick Pinterest if

You are looking for a vast source of visual inspiration and ideas across various categories, and you can overlook the significant number of ads and occasional UI glitches .

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of negative reviews centered around ads, which is a common complaint for free-to-download apps. Pinterest, with its much larger user base, naturally has more reviews, but the themes of frustration are consistent across both platforms.

Frequently asked

Are there many ads in PhotoCircle?
Yes, PhotoCircle users frequently report an excessive number of intrusive, full-screen, and often unskippable ads that can get stuck and force app restarts R1R4R10. Some users also describe the ads as inappropriate or malicious R12.
Can I use PhotoCircle on a computer?
No, PhotoCircle is not available for use on a computer, which is a significant disappointment for some users who paid for the app expecting desktop flexibility R7R43R59.
Does Pinterest have too many ads?
Yes, Pinterest users widely complain about an excessive number of ads, with many stating that 3 out of every 4 pins or posts are advertisements R61R63R67R73. These ads often interrupt the user experience and can lead to accidental clicks .
Are there issues with creating an account on Pinterest?
Yes, several users report difficulty creating a Pinterest account, often getting stuck at the birthday verification step regardless of the date entered R62R85R109. There's also confusion about the stated age requirement (12+) versus the actual account creation age (13+) R66.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R8] PhotoCircle 5/5 · US This is great: This is so good for sharing pictures
  2. [R9] PhotoCircle 3/5 · US Limit!!!: PLEASE make the video limit longer than 1 minute!!
  3. [R20] PhotoCircle 4/5 · US Great App, Could Use Some Improvements: Overall this app is literally great. 2 things only I would improve upon! I wish we could replay to comments but since we cant is kind of nice the way it sets itself up so its I order of when they were commented. Second, I do wish that there was a function so that you could add multiple photos into one image like you can in Instagram! Random but I do wish th
  4. [R32] PhotoCircle 5/5 · US So easy to share!: It is so easy to share photos from family vacation or events when using PhotoCircle!
  5. [R1] PhotoCircle 2/5 · US Too many Ads: Ads pop up too many times. Sometimes you can’t get out without killing the app and restarting.
  6. [R4] PhotoCircle 1/5 · US Hardly usable: So many ads that it is hard to even use it.
  7. [R6] PhotoCircle 3/5 · US 👍: I love the app but I wish that there weren’t ads. Other wise it’s a great app
  8. [R10] PhotoCircle 1/5 · US Ads, ads everywhere: Unable to skip ads, ads get stuck on and never end. Only way to get out of the ads is to force quit the app. Not worth it
  9. [R3] PhotoCircle 3/5 · US Love it, but…: I was using this right? And it was so nice being able to see the photos. But now I can’t anymore cuz I have to have IOS16.0 and I can’t go that far guys… I know this is a just me issue, but what id like to understand is why it requires such an update? It worked perfectly for me before. I thank you for taking the time to read this.
  10. [R15] PhotoCircle 3/5 · US I need my old account back: Hey 👋🏼 everyone on pc was able too get their old account back can u send me a email and get my old account back or i will have to give a 1 star review and i was not involved in the incident plz unband me and give my old account back i (WAS NOT) involved in it
  11. [R18] PhotoCircle 3/5 · US Updating killed automatic notifications: Now I have to guess if someone liked the picture or not. Thanks
  12. [R21] PhotoCircle 3/5 · US Unable to open links: The app doesn’t allow me to open links so that I can get to my friends photo circle
  13. [R7] PhotoCircle 1/5 · US Only good for cell phone?: I just paid for this app so I would have flexibility for my group to download each others photos. After paying, I found out that the app is not available for use on a computer! What’s that about? My older eyes struggle to see images clearly on a cell phone. What a waste of my $10.00!
  14. [R26] PhotoCircle 5/5 · US Pastrana’s: I love it because it’s right there in my phone so easy to use and then I can make a photo album of different families right on my phone thank you
  15. [R36] PhotoCircle 5/5 · US Phenomenal App: Really easy to use and a great way to share photos and videos with family and friends. The only limitation is that the size of the videos is limited. That's something that you can easily work around. They have made this really easy to use.
  16. [R31] PhotoCircle 1/5 · US App stopped working, even with a premium account!: The app stopped working, even with a premium account paid through iTunes. So disappointed because my family was on a trip and I missed out on what they were uploading. I tried multiple times to get customer support, but never received a response.
  17. [R34] PhotoCircle 5/5 · US Perfect for Sharing Photos: This app is awesome! There’s unlimited storage so your phone doesn’t get full and the only cost is ads. It works great for sharing between Apple and android without having to give permission to all your photos like Google. I love that you can circles work for both a one time event or a reoccurring group of people. This is by far the best photo charting app available.
  18. [R43] PhotoCircle 2/5 · US Nothing Original: Got the premium version of this app to run on desktop to have my business submit photos to be displayed on a big board at an event party in a slideshow fashion. The app doesn’t have this functionality - this is just a less functional Google Photos - which is what I had to go to after downloading all the photos. I don’t see the point of this app.
  19. [R12] PhotoCircle 3/5 · US Ads are a killer: They’re always inappropriate and stuff
  20. [R59] PhotoCircle 1/5 · GB It is of limited use: I am unable to upload images from a laptop so it’s no use to me.
  21. [R61] Pinterest 1/5 · US Don’t “fix” it if it isn’t broken + a rant about how garbage this app has become: Dear pinterest, stop releasing the dumbest, most useless updates literally every week that completely rearrange the user interface. The messages button doesn’t need to be at the top, the home page doesn’t need any tweaking, just STOP. Instead, how about you put that energy into moderating your ads? I get the most dis
  22. [R63] Pinterest 3/5 · US STOP WITH THE ADS: There does not need to be 3 ads every 3 pins!!!!?!??!??
  23. [R67] Pinterest 1/5 · US Too many ads: I have actually never left a review for an app before but the amount of ads Pinterest is allowing is ridiculous. For every one pin, I see 5 ads. Awful user experience and I hope this changes in the future.
  24. [R73] Pinterest 1/5 · US Way too many ads: This app has gotten too greedy, in every 4 posts u see 3 r ads. I had to stop using it
  25. [R62] Pinterest 5/5 · US 😣: Me put my real date of birth even not credited id why this is not good
  26. [R66] Pinterest 3/5 · US Age description is a problem: I honestly don’t know what the app is like. I’ve always just used Pinterest on my search browser but I decided to get the app. The app description says it’s for twelve and up but you have to be thirteen to make an account and use the app. Bruh they should fix that. -🥔🍟
  27. [R85] Pinterest 1/5 · US I CANT MAKE AN ACCOUNT: it doesnt let me make an account and i hate it
  28. [R109] Pinterest 2/5 · US Annoing: So I put my birthday in and it said your not able to join pintrest right know and so I deleted the app and tried again and it did the same thing so I did my moms birthday and it still said it sooooo i am a little mad.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store