PhotoCircle by Circle 38
PhotoCircle (by Circle 38) is a private SaaS media-sharing platform that lets families, schools, nonprofits, and businesses organize and share photos, videos, and documents inside permissioned Circles, monetized via freemium consumer subscriptions and per-seat Premium tiers for organizational buyers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersLaguna Beach, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
PhotoCircle by Circle 38 firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PhotoCircle by Circle 38
- Legal name
- PhotoCircle, Inc.
- Website
- https://photocircleapp.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- PhotoCircle (by Circle 38) is a private SaaS media-sharing platform that lets families, schools, nonprofits, and businesses organize and share photos, videos, and documents inside permissioned Circles, monetized via freemium consumer subscriptions and per-seat Premium tiers for organizational buyers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PhotoCircle by Circle 38 industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Private Photo and Video Sharing Platform
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community/Group Chat Platforms (BPAMACAH)
Keywords
Where PhotoCircle by Circle 38 is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Laguna Beach
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
PhotoCircle by Circle 38 business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- PhotoCircle+ Subscriptions: Ad removal subscription for Friends & Family users, managed through Apple App Store or Google Play Store with monthly or annual billing. Not a Premium offering but generates recurring revenue from power users.
- PhotoCircle Premium Plans (Teams & Business): Per-seat subscription model with Business tier at $120/seat/year ($15/month) and Enterprise tier at $180/seat/year. Includes features like SSO, API integration, archiving, and reporting.
- PhotoCircle Premium Plans (Education & Nonprofit): Discounted per-seat pricing for K-12 schools (annual flat pricing based on size, unlimited staff moderators), Programs & Groups, and Nonprofit & Community organizations.
- PhotoCircle Premium Plans (Professionals): Per-seat subscription for individual professionals and consultants with Basic and Advanced tiers offering features like custom branding, Canva integration, and data recovery.
- High Resolution Media Add-on: Optional upgrade to High Resolution media quality (12 MP photos, 1080p videos) at +$2/seat/month or +$24/seat/year for Business and Enterprise plans.
- Advertising (Free Tier): Free PhotoCircle Friends & Family tier generates advertising revenue through displayed advertisements, removed with PhotoCircle+ subscription.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Per seat | Monthly | Business plan for teams and business organizations |
| Per seat | Annual | Enterprise plan for larger organizations requiring advanced features |
| Subscription | Monthly | High Resolution Media upgrade |
| Freemium | Monthly | Friends & Family free tier |
| Subscription | Monthly | PhotoCircle+ subscription |
| Per seat | Annual | K-12 Schools plans |
| Per seat | Annual | Programs & Groups - Basic |
| Per seat | Annual | Programs & Groups - Advanced |
| Per seat | Annual | Nonprofit & Community - Basic |
| Per seat | Annual | Nonprofit & Community - Advanced |
| Per seat | Annual | Professionals & Consultants - Basic |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
PhotoCircle by Circle 38 product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PhotoCircle by Circle 38 provides a private photo and video sharing platform that lets users create closed groups to share, organize, and collaborate on visual media. The platform is offered in two distinct orientations: a consumer "Friends & Family" product for personal use, and a set of business-oriented products (Teams & Business, Education, Nonprofit, Professionals) for organizational collaboration, all delivered as a SaaS subscription service.
Product overview
PhotoCircle is a unified private media-sharing platform with a tiered product portfolio. The core PhotoCircle platform serves as the foundation, with two main offerings: PhotoCircle Friends & Family (free, ad-supported for personal use, upgradeable via PhotoCircle+) and PhotoCircle Premium (paid plans for commercial/organizational use). PhotoCircle Premium encompasses three sub-brands targeting different segments: Teams & Business (with Business and Enterprise tiers), Professionals & Consultants, and Education & Nonprofit. Education & Nonprofit further splits into three sub-products: K-12 Schools, Programs & Groups, and Nonprofit & Community. All premium plans offer tiered feature sets with options for enhanced media quality, custom branding, data recovery, and enterprise features like SSO and API access.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- PhotoCircle Friends & Family Consumer-oriented photo and video sharing product for individuals and households to create private groups for sharing memories with friends and family. Designed for personal use as an alternative to public social networks.
- PhotoCircle Teams & Business Business-oriented photo and video sharing product for small and mid-sized teams to privately share, organize, and collaborate on work-related media within secure groups.
- PhotoCircle Education Photo and video sharing offering for schools and educational programs, enabling teachers, staff, and parents to share classroom and program media within a private, SOC 2 compliant environment.
- PhotoCircle Nonprofit Photo and video sharing product for nonprofit and charitable organizations to share program, event, and beneficiary media among staff, volunteers, and supporters within a private, secure environment.
- PhotoCircle Professionals Photo and video sharing product for professional services users needing a private, auditable channel to share visual media with clients and colleagues.
Quantifiable outcome
- Time savings of 15-30 minutes per job site for construction teams
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use PhotoCircle by Circle 38
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
PhotoCircle by Circle 38 technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability3 records
Feature6 records
PhotoCircle by Circle 38 partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators11 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
PhotoCircle by Circle 38 competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cluster: Private group photo, video, and album sharing app built around invite-only groups — analogous to PhotoCircle's circle-based architecture and target use cases.
- FamilyAlbum (by Mixi): Private family photo and video sharing platform with circle-based organization, milestone features, and freemium monetization — closely aligned with PhotoCircle's core consumer offering.
- Tinybeans: Private family photo and video sharing app that organizes memories into private, invite-only family circles — directly overlapping with PhotoCircle's Friends & Family core use case and business model.
- Lifecake: Family photo and video sharing app focused on capturing children's milestones in private timelines — competes in the same private-memory category as PhotoCircle's Friends & Family tier.
Broad incumbents
- Google Photos: Google's free consumer photo storage and sharing product with shared albums and basic search — represents the most significant free, bundled alternative to PhotoCircle's premium sharing features.
- Dropbox: File and photo storage platform with team folders, shared links, and SSO — broad incumbent used by SMBs and teams for media collaboration similar to PhotoCircle's Teams & Business tier.
- Shutterfly: Photo storage, sharing, and print products platform with group sharing features — broad incumbent overlapping with PhotoCircle's family memory and nonprofit use cases.
- Flickr: Long-standing photo sharing platform with group albums and community features — broader incumbent alternative for both personal and professional photo organization.
- Apple iCloud Shared Albums: Apple's iCloud-based photo sharing feature, free for all iOS users — competes head-on with PhotoCircle's mobile-first private sharing within the Apple ecosystem.
Emerging players
- SmugMug: Photo sharing and portfolio platform targeted at professional photographers — overlaps with PhotoCircle's Professionals & Consultants segment on portfolio and client delivery workflows.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
PhotoCircle by Circle 38 social profiles
Digital presencePhotoCircle by Circle 38 financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PhotoCircle by Circle 38 leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
PhotoCircle by Circle 38 funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PhotoCircle by Circle 38 M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PhotoCircle by Circle 38
What does PhotoCircle by Circle 38 do?
PhotoCircle by Circle 38 provides a private photo and video sharing platform that lets users create closed groups to share, organize, and collaborate on visual media. The platform is offered in two distinct orientations: a consumer "Friends & Family" product for personal use, and a set of business-oriented products (Teams & Business, Education, Nonprofit, Professionals) for organizational collaboration, all delivered as a SaaS subscription service.
Is PhotoCircle by Circle 38 a public or private company?
PhotoCircle by Circle 38 is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was PhotoCircle by Circle 38 founded?
PhotoCircle by Circle 38 was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is PhotoCircle by Circle 38 based?
PhotoCircle by Circle 38 is headquartered in Laguna Beach, United States, in the North America region.
How does PhotoCircle by Circle 38 make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. PhotoCircle+ Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are photoCircle Premium Plans (Teams & Business), photoCircle Premium Plans (Education & Nonprofit), photoCircle Premium Plans (Professionals), high Resolution Media Add-on and advertising (Free Tier).
Who are PhotoCircle by Circle 38's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cluster, FamilyAlbum (by Mixi), Tinybeans and Lifecake. Broad incumbents are Google Photos, Dropbox, Shutterfly, Flickr and Apple iCloud Shared Albums. SmugMug is listed as an emerging player.
Does PhotoCircle by Circle 38 have an API?
Yes. API Integration is available on the Enterprise plan for Teams & Business. The Enterprise plan includes API integrations as a feature, allowing businesses to connect PhotoCircle with their internal systems. General product documentation is available at docs.photocircleapp.com. Developer documentation is at docs.photocircleapp.com.
What industry is PhotoCircle by Circle 38 in?
PhotoCircle by Circle 38's product category is Private Photo and Video Sharing Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMACAH, Community/Group Chat Platforms.