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

PhotoCircle vs PicCollage

PhotoCircle 4.9★ · Free to download 70
Winner PhotoCircle
PicCollage 4.8★ · Free + IAP 55

PhotoCircle is better for sharing photos and videos in groups, despite its intrusive ads, while PicCollage is better for creative collage making if you are willing to pay for a subscription.

Full reviews: PhotoCircle · PicCollage

PhotoCircle excels as a group photo and video sharing app, praised for its ease of use and unlimited storage, but is heavily criticized for its frequent and inappropriate ads. PicCollage is a popular collage maker, but recent changes have made many core features, including saving collages, exclusive to its paid subscription, leading to significant user frustration.

Head to head

Features edge: PhotoCircleR8R9R20R34
PhotoCircle PhotoCircle is highly valued for its ability to easily share photos and videos within groups, offering unlimited storage and cross-platform compatibility R8R34. Users appreciate creating separate circles for different events and the ease of access to shared memories . However, some users wish for longer video limits R9, the ability to reply to comments, or add multiple photos into one image like Instagram R20. There's also a notable lack of desktop functionality, which disappoints some users who paid for premium expecting more flexibility R7R43R59.
PicCollage PicCollage is praised for its creative tools, including various layouts, stickers, and backgrounds, allowing users to decorate pictures and make collages . It's considered great for making birthday presents, invitations, and profile pictures . However, a major point of contention is that many desirable features, including saving collages, are now locked behind a VIP subscription R61R70R76R98. Users also report issues with animated elements being a 'sensory nightmare' and a lack of clear instructions for new users .
Ease of Use edge: PhotoCircleR3R11R14R21
PhotoCircle PhotoCircle is generally found to be very easy to use for sharing photos and videos . Users appreciate its straightforward interface for accessing and sharing memories R11R14. However, some report issues with clearing notifications , inability to open links to friends' circles R21, and the app requiring recent iOS versions, making it unusable for those with older devices R3.
PicCollage PicCollage is described as easy to navigate and use for creating collages . However, some users find it less intuitive for non-tech-savvy individuals and wish for clearer instructions . The constant prompts to subscribe and the inability to save free creations significantly hinder the user experience, making it frustrating to use without paying .
Reliability tieR1R10R15R18
PhotoCircle PhotoCircle users report issues with ads getting stuck, requiring app restarts R1R10. Some users experienced the app stopping working even with a premium account and reported a lack of customer support response R31. There are also reports of accounts being banned without clear reasons R15 and updates killing automatic notifications R18.
PicCollage PicCollage has significant reliability issues, with users reporting that the app inexplicably deleted all their collages, sometimes twice, without warning or recovery options . Users also experience the app kicking them off or not working , being very laggy , and glitches even for premium subscribers . Some users also report issues with the image search function not yielding results .
Price/Value tieR1R4R6R7
PhotoCircle PhotoCircle is free to download and offers unlimited storage, with the main 'cost' being ads R34. However, these ads are frequently described as intrusive, unskippable, inappropriate, and even malicious, sometimes trying to trick users into clicking or claiming their phone is compromised R1R4R6R10. Some users who paid to remove ads found that the app still wasn't available on desktop, making the payment a 'waste' R7. Others noted that paying only removes ads for their account, not for viewers of their albums .
PicCollage PicCollage is free to download but heavily relies on in-app purchases and a VIP subscription, which costs £34.99 a year R69. Many previously free features, including saving collages, are now paywalled R61R70R76R98. Users feel that too much content is VIP-only R69 and that the app has become 'money hungry' R76. There are also complaints about difficulty canceling free trials and getting refunds R94.
Support tieR15R31R63R94
PhotoCircle One user reported trying multiple times to get customer support after the app stopped working, even with a premium account, but never received a response R31. Another user mentioned being banned and unable to get their old account back, requesting an email for assistance R15.
PicCollage Users have difficulty finding contact information for support, especially when trying to get refunds for unwanted subscriptions R94. One user reported issues transferring a paid account to a new phone, despite following instructions and watching YouTube videos R63.
Pick PhotoCircle if

You need a straightforward app for sharing photos and videos with specific groups for events or family, value unlimited storage, and are willing to tolerate frequent, sometimes inappropriate, ads R8R34.

Pick PicCollage if

You are looking for a creative tool to make photo collages with various stickers and layouts, and you are prepared to pay for a subscription to access all features and save your creations .

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of negative reviews related to their monetization strategies (ads for PhotoCircle, paywalls for PicCollage), which heavily influenced the 'Price/Value' and 'Features' dimensions. PhotoCircle's negative reviews are often from free users frustrated by ads, while PicCollage's recent changes have alienated long-time free users by paywalling core functionality. The lifetime ratings are high for both, but recent reviews indicate a decline in user satisfaction due to these issues.

Frequently asked

Can I save collages for free in PicCollage?
No, many recent reviews indicate that you can no longer save collages for free in PicCollage; this feature, along with many others, is now locked behind a paid VIP subscription R61R70R76R98.
Does PhotoCircle have ads?
Yes, PhotoCircle has frequent and intrusive ads, which many users find unskippable, inappropriate, and sometimes malicious, often requiring users to force quit the app R1R4R10R12.
Is PhotoCircle available on desktop?
No, PhotoCircle is not available for use on a computer, which has disappointed some users who paid for the app expecting desktop flexibility R7R43R59.
What is the cost of PicCollage's VIP subscription?
PicCollage's VIP subscription costs £34.99 a year, which many users consider expensive for the features offered R69.

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. [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.
  5. [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.
  6. [R11] PhotoCircle 4/5 · US Something good: I can see all of the photos from my vacation and other peoples pictures too it’s great
  7. [R14] PhotoCircle 5/5 · US Wow: So far so good, what a great way to share your memories.
  8. [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
  9. [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.
  10. [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
  11. [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
  12. [R18] PhotoCircle 3/5 · US Updating killed automatic notifications: Now I have to guess if someone liked the picture or not. Thanks
  13. [R4] PhotoCircle 1/5 · US Hardly usable: So many ads that it is hard to even use it.
  14. [R6] PhotoCircle 3/5 · US 👍: I love the app but I wish that there weren’t ads. Other wise it’s a great app
  15. [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!
  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. [R63] PicCollage 3/5 · US I love pic collage but…: I love PicCollage, but no matter what I do I cannot transfer my paid account over to my new phone. Very frustrating. I followed everything it said to do and watch YouTube videos even. I am using Canva for most things now and may have to cancel my membership.
  18. [R94] PicCollage 1/5 · GB need refund: I did a free trial and I wasn’t able to cancel it in time so now £34.99 has come out of my bank account , I’d like a refund for this please I cannot find contact info for you
  19. [R61] PicCollage 1/5 · US Cheap: Used to be a great app but now you can’t even save a collage without having a subscription. I’ve used this app for years and sadly will be deleting to find something better :/
  20. [R70] PicCollage 1/5 · GB They have turned this app into a mess.: This is purely just sad. It won’t let it save into my Photos, and it won’t even in the PicCollage gallery itself!! Like NO, PicCollage, I don’t want VIP, I just want to save the image I made in my Photos!! Free users can’t have photos anymore, it’s just ridiculous.
  21. [R76] PicCollage 1/5 · GB Money hungry!: Used to be able to get none subscription features that would allow you to save with a watermark. Now you can’t even save the collage!
  22. [R98] PicCollage 1/5 · GB Can’t save anything: This used to be an amazing app but now I’m unable to save any of my collages without having to pay. It’s advertised still as a free app but not since 30/3/26 😢 I’m gonna have to find something else now
  23. [R12] PhotoCircle 3/5 · US Ads are a killer: They’re always inappropriate and stuff
  24. [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.
  25. [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.
  26. [R69] PicCollage 3/5 · GB Good except from two things: Pick college is really good except from two things all the good collages you have to pay for And it is £34.99 a year WHAT !!!!!! And if you want to have a bit of fun on the app you can press the enchanted video and photo editor, but you can only use it three times if you haven’t got the premium templates which is where you have to pay and when I tried to use the encha

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