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

PhotoCircle vs Google Photos

PhotoCircle 4.9★ · Free to download 65
Winner Tie
Google Photos 4.8★ · Free to download 68

PhotoCircle is better for focused group photo sharing, despite its ad issues, while Google Photos is a more robust, albeit sometimes buggy, all-in-one photo management solution.

Full reviews: PhotoCircle · Google Photos

PhotoCircle excels at simple group photo sharing for events and trips, but its free version is plagued by intrusive ads and it lacks desktop access. Google Photos offers comprehensive backup and organization features, but users report performance issues, difficulty with selective uploads, and concerns about privacy.

Head to head

Features & Functionality edge: Google PhotosR7R8R9R20
PhotoCircle PhotoCircle is praised for its ease of sharing photos and videos within groups for events and trips, allowing multiple people to contribute to a single album R8. Users appreciate the ability to create separate 'circles' for different occasions and that it works across Apple and Android devices . However, it has limitations such as a 1-minute video limit and lacks features like replying to comments, adding multiple photos into one image, or a chat function R9R20. Some users also desire direct printing or in-app album creation . A significant drawback is the lack of a desktop version, frustrating users who prefer viewing photos on larger screens R7R43R59.
Google Photos Google Photos is valued for its automatic backup, keeping memories organized, and creating albums . Users enjoy features like seeing older photos of loved ones and the overall ability to manage a large photo collection . However, it faces criticism for several feature-related issues. Users report that the photo-to-video feature is broken , the search function is not working effectively , and the new main photo grid layout is disliked for being bulky and showing unwanted content . There are also complaints about the inability to correct wrongly tagged people and the custom order for albums resetting . Some users also find it difficult to manage multiple Google accounts within the app .
Ease of Use tieR1R4R10R12
PhotoCircle PhotoCircle is generally considered easy to use for sharing pictures . However, the user experience is severely hampered by frequent and intrusive ads that often get stuck, requiring users to force quit the app R1R4R10. Some ads are described as inappropriate or malicious, attempting to trick users R12R19. Notifications can also be annoying or stop working after updates R28.
Google Photos Google Photos is found difficult to use by some, particularly regarding selective photo backups and uploads. Users complain it's an 'all or nothing' approach for backing up photos, making it hard to upload only specific ones R61R70R82R88. The app's interface can be confusing, with some finding it 'too hard' to figure out R61. Notifications are also a point of frustration, with users receiving too many or being spammed .
Reliability & Performance edge: PhotoCircleR3R15R21R31
PhotoCircle PhotoCircle users report issues with app stability and compatibility. Some users cannot open links to friends' photo circles R21. A significant problem is the app requiring iOS 16.0, which prevents users with older devices from accessing their photos R3. There are also reports of the app stopping working even for premium users, with no customer support response R31. Some users were banned for no reason and lost access to their accounts R15.
Google Photos Google Photos has numerous reliability and performance issues. Users frequently report the app crashing or freezing and not opening . Photos sometimes don't load, showing a blank screen . Uploads and downloads, especially for videos, often fail . Users also experience problems with photos not actually deleting, requiring multiple attempts R69. The app is criticized for being slow and its performance deteriorating over time . Some users also report losing access to their photos or entire albums being deleted after updates .
Price & Value tieR1R4R6R7
PhotoCircle PhotoCircle is free to download, and some users appreciate the unlimited storage, accepting ads as the only cost . However, the value proposition is significantly undermined by the overwhelming number of intrusive and sometimes inappropriate ads in the free version R1R4R6R10. Paying for the app (e.g., $10) removes ads for the paying user, but not for others viewing their albums, which some find unsatisfactory R7. There's also confusion about payment info being required before downloading .
Google Photos Google Photos is also free to download, but users note that it's 'not free' anymore for storage, implying a shift to a paid model for extended storage beyond a certain limit R69. Users express concern about the app tricking them into enabling photo backup, forcing them to buy more space . There are also complaints about the app taking up all Google storage and being difficult to unlink . The large app size, approaching half a gigabyte, is also seen as a negative for storage-conscious users .
Support & Privacy edge: PhotoCircleR19R28R31R51
PhotoCircle PhotoCircle users report poor customer support, with one premium user receiving no response after the app stopped working R31. Privacy concerns are raised by users regarding malicious ads that try to trick them into thinking their phone is compromised R19R51. The inclusion of binding arbitration is also a concern for some users R28.
Google Photos Google Photos faces significant privacy concerns. Users are frustrated by the app demanding full access to their camera roll, making it impossible to share only selected photos without granting broad permissions R70R88. Some feel the app is 'nosy' and 'snooping' through their photos to create collages they didn't ask for . There are also complaints about the app's 'shady practice' of tricking users into enabling backup and forcing them to buy more space .
Pick PhotoCircle if

You need a simple, event-focused photo sharing app for a group and are willing to tolerate frequent, intrusive ads in the free version, or pay to remove them for yourself R8.

Pick Google Photos if

You need a comprehensive photo backup and management solution, are comfortable with Google's ecosystem, and can overlook occasional performance issues and privacy concerns regarding full photo access .

Evidence note: Reviews for PhotoCircle are heavily skewed towards complaints about ads and compatibility issues, while positive reviews are often brief. Google Photos reviews highlight a broader range of functional and performance problems, despite its generally high lifetime rating.

Frequently asked

Does PhotoCircle have a desktop version?
No, PhotoCircle is not available for use on a computer, which frustrates users who prefer viewing images on larger screens R7R43R59.
Are there ads in PhotoCircle?
Yes, PhotoCircle's free version has frequent, intrusive, and sometimes inappropriate full-screen ads that can get stuck and require restarting the app R1R4R10R12.
Can I selectively upload photos to Google Photos?
Many users report difficulty with selective uploads, stating that Google Photos often forces an 'all or nothing' approach to accessing and backing up photos from your device R61R70R82R88.
Does Google Photos still offer free storage?
While free to download, users indicate that Google Photos is 'not free' anymore for storage, implying that extended storage beyond a certain limit now requires payment 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. [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!
  2. [R8] PhotoCircle 5/5 · US This is great: This is so good for sharing pictures
  3. [R9] PhotoCircle 3/5 · US Limit!!!: PLEASE make the video limit longer than 1 minute!!
  4. [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
  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. [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
  8. [R12] PhotoCircle 3/5 · US Ads are a killer: They’re always inappropriate and stuff
  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. [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
  12. [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.
  13. [R6] PhotoCircle 3/5 · US 👍: I love the app but I wish that there weren’t ads. Other wise it’s a great app
  14. [R19] PhotoCircle 2/5 · US Tricky Ads: I’m really disgusted with the ads that come up on this app trying to trick people into clicking on them. One that I got today said something like my phone had been compromised because of looking at porn. Not cool.
  15. [R28] PhotoCircle 2/5 · US Spammy notifications: Stop spamming me for a profile picture!!! I do not want to add one and never will, stop sending me that notification. I’m looking for photos from work and it is a major distraction because it keeps popping up non stop and interrupts me from what I’m doing. Also, the fact that binding arbitration is a thing is sleazy. It literally takes away a right to a trial. It shouldn’t ev
  16. [R51] PhotoCircle 1/5 · US Malicious ads: An ad in PhotoCircle tried to make it appear like a system prompt said my phone had a Trojan virus. If you want to show ads, at least make sure they aren’t actively trying to harm your users!!
  17. [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.
  18. [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.
  19. [R61] Google Photos 1/5 · US Too hard: Way too difficult to figure out. It seems like it will back up every single photo in your phone or nothing at all. I wanted to backup only specific photos, not every one. But it’s all or nothing. Junk
  20. [R70] Google Photos 1/5 · US Nosy and not worth it: Wanted to upload my photos to a shared album on this app from a work team bonding event. It was a really fun day and I wanted to contribute. If I could select certain photos from my library I would’ve done just that and have a neutral to positive experience on this app. But no, I spent many minutes of my life poking around the app, not knowing why the selected photos I chose
  21. [R82] Google Photos 1/5 · US Terrible UX: Which ever PM/Designer decided this should be a UX and it should be this hard to manually upload a photo to google photos should find a new career. This app is borderline unusable if you don’t want to use automatic backup… I want to manually upload a photo from my iphone, no, I don’t want to scroll through my entire google 10k+ google photo collection most of which are not on my iphon
  22. [R88] Google Photos 1/5 · US Won’t work unless you give Google access to all your photos: Do you want to add a few photos from vacation to a friend’s share Google photo album? Well, forget it, this app will not let you access and share a few photos, it wants every single photo on your phone. The app claims to allow “limited access” but you can punch that button all day, it won’t work. Then, once you allow “full access,” and h
  23. [R69] Google Photos 3/5 · US Photos won’t delete: I have been a longtime Google Photos user. We’re talking years!!! In the past 6 months I have noticed when I press delete on photos, it doesn’t actually delete. I will have to delete the same photo 3x sometimes Prior to it actually deleting and stop taking up my storage quota. Also, now that it’s not free, there’s little difference between paying here and paying for extra iClo

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