Circle 1st generation

• Circle Premium NETGEAR monthly — $4.99/month
• Circle Premium NETGEAR monthly — $49.99/year ($4.16/mo)

Last verified 6 Sep 2026

4.6 28383 ratings · App Store

1. 5/5Exactly What I Was Looking For

   Note: Circle is currently having a problem with their Premium features as noted on their site. In this day and age, experiencing a technical difficulty for several days is not acceptable. The should be offering refunds/credits to subscribers. Prior to the premium service going down, this has been exactly what we were looking for. Reading the reviews from teenagers who are angry it exists is proof it works. We have a NetGear router that came with Circle integration. Our speed has not been impacted in the slightest. Our oldest son is a gamer and he does not experience any lag. We ran speed tests between our current and old router, and even with Circle, the new router is actually faster (routers were fairly similar, we upgraded for Circle). We discussed the limits we were imposing with our kids when we set it up (bedtimes, age appropriate content filter, etc.). The only times our kids even know we have circle is when they are doing something that is against our family rules. If they are following the rules, it doesn’t have anything to block. When I was a teenager, I thought I knew it all too and I didn’t agree with the rules my parents had for me, but as an adult, I understand. If we don’t fight for our kids’ purity and equip them to chose to be self-controlled, this world will continue to devour their minds and creativity. In my opinion, Circle as surveillance is too far, but Circle is great for establishing and enforcing boundaries for screen time.

   mahegs · 6 Sep 2026

2. 5/5So helpful for keeping our teen safe!

   Really appreciate the filters. The bedtimes are great and it’s such peace of mind to be able to see what the kids are doing online. It is also really helpful as parents for keeping some form of control over devices and the floodgate that is the internet! Downsides...could have more options for allowing/disallowing sites and time limits. I wish every app on their phones would be shown on circle. Also, even when the internet is paused (usually because someone is grounded), messages still come through! They can’t respond, but it doesn’t exactly feel like the internet has been taken away! Also, I’ve tried pausing other kids WiFi usage when they’ve come over and it hasn’t don’t anything (once leading to an unpleasant incident because I thought they didn’t have any connectivity 😐). Still so much better than nothing, but lots of room for improvement!

   Cmpsmommy · 6 Sep 2026

3. 3/5Good tool for a virtual world

   This is a good tool to have in today’s virtual world where kids are now attending classes online via zoom and Google and other platforms and have access to computers and Internet connected devices 24/7. For working parents and those who can’t sit next to their kids 24/7, it’s nice to have a tool that allows one to filter content and limit access to non-educational sites such as games and video/television (especially during class time) and to enforce off-screen and bed times. The issues I have with this app arise when there is need for kids to access content that has been filtered or access a computer beyond an allowed time frame. It takes a little research and tinkering to figure out why a certain application or webpage is being blocked. For example, the app will notify if kids have exceeded screen time parameters, but it does not notify if content is being blocked because of bedtime or off time access parameters. (Sometimes more than one blocking parameter is causative.) The app will alert kids if content is being filtered, but it takes a real sleuth to figure out what filter parameter is being triggered. When I don’t have the time to play Sherlock Holmes and dig through history, it’s just easier to temporarily disable everything, which defeats the purpose of having this app. In conclusion, I wish the app would tell me specifically what and why something is being blocked and easily allow me to override the block as needed.

   EZreviwws · 6 Sep 2026

4. 2/5Latest Circle Bedtime Server Crash leaves Devices invisible.

   We have had Circle for less than four months, and it was used in conjunction with our new Netgear router model R7960 Tri-Band. The router is amazing and the Netgear NightHawk software for iOS is terrific. However the Circle app has been touch and go ever since we originally set it up. Then things got incredibly worse with the latest Circle bedtime sever crash. All settings were backed up, but upon deleting the app (during troubleshooting phase) it takes the back up with it. Upon new install and setup, no devices can be seen. Chat support was mediocre. Another Circle app reinstall with the Nighthawk software proved to be futile as well. Then the final straw was a fourth time set up saving one profile locked the screen and upon re-opening of Circle app started the process all over again from the beginning. Bottom line is that this particular software won’t even recognize any one of the 12 to 15 devices in our WiFi network even though all devices work seemlessly with the very robust Netgear WiFi router. The Circle concept and collaboration with Disney and Netgear is admirable. Our experience. Not so much. Subscription canceled today. :(

   toddrub · 6 Sep 2026

5. 2/5Slows down internet speed

   I set this up and, about an hour later, turned it off. It was slowing down the internet speeds in the house to the point that my wife and I had to switch over to the data plan to look anything up. Turned it off and, presto! Problem solved. I searched reviews on it and it appears that this is a common problem. Reading the complaints from the teenagers on here, however, is making me consider turning it back on again. That one child complained that mom could now see the sites he/she visited and was able to turn of internet access until her child did what he/she was told is absolutely glorious. Dear child, that’s the whole point. The fact that you are complaining about this suggests that you had issues in the first place, and that those issues correctly prompted your parents to take more control. You see, your privacy is not what’s important; keeping you safe is. If I learned that one of my kids had made these types of complains, the electronics would be gone and they would be spending their free time doing sudoku the old fashioned way; with a pencil and paper.

   R. McGoofus · 6 Sep 2026

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