Circle Home Plus Is Discontinued: What Parents Should Do Now

If you're a parent who uses Circle to manage your family's screen time and internet access, you've probably noticed things aren't what they used to be. The Circle Home Plus hardware is no longer being made. The original Circle app was discontinued years ago. And the features you relied on are being folded into a more expensive bundle from Aura. Here's what happened, what it means for you, and what your options are.

What happened to Circle?

Circle was one of the most popular parental control products for families. It was simple: plug the Circle Home Plus into your router, and it would filter internet traffic for every device on your network. Parents loved it.

In February 2021, a cybersecurity company called Aura acquired Circle Media Labs. Since then, the product has changed significantly:

• 1December 2020: The original MyCircle app and Circle Go were formally discontinued.
• 22022-2023: Circle Home Plus production stopped. No new hardware is being made.
• 32024-2025: Circle's features were absorbed into Aura's Family plan, which costs $32/month billed annually or $65/month billed monthly.
• 42026: The Circle brand still exists, but it's effectively a sub-product within Aura's broader security suite.

It's worth noting that Aura hasn't formally announced "Circle is shutting down." What's happening is more gradual: the standalone product is being absorbed into a much larger (and more expensive) bundle, the dedicated hardware is gone, and the Circle-specific innovation has largely stopped.

What this means if you still use Circle

If your Circle Home Plus is still working, it will likely continue to work for now. But there are some things to be aware of:

• Your hardware will eventually fail. No electronics last forever, and there's no replacement available. When your Circle Home Plus stops working, that's it.
• Pricing may continue to increase. Aura's bundle is already significantly more expensive than Circle's standalone subscription was.
• Support quality has declined. Many users report automated phone support and slow email responses.
• The mobile app can be uninstalled. Circle's app-based filtering on mobile devices can be removed by kids, undermining the protection you set up.

Your options

There's no shortage of parental control options, but they vary a lot in approach, reliability, and cost. Here's an honest overview of what's available:

Apple Screen Time (Free)

Already built into every iPhone and iPad. It covers the basics: app limits, downtime schedules, and content restrictions. The biggest downside is that kids have figured out numerous workarounds, and Apple has been slow to fix them. If your child is under 8 and not very tech savvy, Screen Time might be enough. For older kids, it often falls short.

Bark ($14.99/month)

Bark focuses more on monitoring and alerts than blocking. It scans messages, social media, and email for concerning content and notifies parents. It's good if your priority is awareness rather than restriction. The main limitation: the Bark app can be uninstalled on mobile devices, and it relies on a sideloaded profile on iOS that isn't as robust as Apple's FamilyControls.

Qustodio ($4.50-11.50/month)

Qustodio is a solid option with good content filtering and detailed reporting. On iOS, it works through a VPN connection, which means it can be bypassed by turning off the VPN. It also tends to drain battery faster because of the always-on VPN. If your kids are on Android, Qustodio works well. On iOS, the VPN approach has real limitations.

Shelta ($4.99/month)

Full disclosure: we built Shelta, so we're biased. But here's why we think it's worth considering, especially if you're coming from Circle.

Shelta uses Apple's FamilyControls technology, the same framework Apple designed specifically for family safety. The guardrails are managed by iOS itself, so kids can't uninstall the app or work around the settings. It works everywhere the device goes, not just on your home network.

Setup takes about 5 minutes (no hardware, no cables, no router configuration). It's $4.99/month or $39.99/year for up to 5 children, with a 7-day free trial.

If you want to see a detailed comparison between Circle and Shelta, we put one together.

Don't rush it

If your Circle setup is still working for your family, there's no reason to panic. Take your time evaluating alternatives. The most important thing is finding something your family will actually stick with: something simple enough to set up, reliable enough to trust, and affordable enough to keep long-term.

Whatever you choose, you're already doing the right thing by caring about your family's digital safety. That matters more than which app you pick.