Appcircle vs Beam
Appcircle and Beam are both developer tools tools. Appcircle is aimed at developers and enterprise, while Beam is aimed at developers and creators. Both have a free plan.
Mobile CI/CD, testing distribution and in-house app store
Open individual windows from one Mac as native windows on another
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium · $12 |
| Starting price | Not published | $12/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Developers, Enterprise | Developers, Creators, Freelancers, Small businesses |
| Platforms | web, linux | macos |
| Country | — | — |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Appcircle if
Enterprises and regulated companies that need a full mobile CI/CD and distribution stack they can run on their own infrastructure.
- Self-hosted and private cloud options for regulated industries
- Covers build, test distribution, store publishing and OTA updates
- Huawei AppGallery publishing alongside Apple and Google stores
Look elsewhere if: Small app teams that want a well-known hosted CI with public pricing (Bitrise, Codemagic) or simple tester delivery (Firebase App Distribution).
Choose Beam if
Developers and creators with two Apple silicon Macs who want a remote app to behave like a local window instead of a full screen share.
- Uses one remote app without taking over the whole desktop
- Window traffic goes directly between your Macs, not through Beam's servers
- Free plan has no card requirement and no limit on host Macs
Look elsewhere if: People who need to reach Windows or Intel machines or control a whole remote desktop across platforms (Jump Desktop, Parsec).
Appcircle vs Beam pricing
Appcircle
- Starter$01 concurrency, 20 builds/mo, 30-min builds, SaaS only
- CorporateCustomAnnual license; cloud, private cloud or self-hosted
Beam
- Free$0Host unlimited Macs, join share links, 20 minutes a day of use
- Monthly$12/moUnlimited use on every Mac you own, send share links
- Yearly$84/yrSame as Monthly; works out to $7/mo billed annually
- Lifetime$199One-time payment, all future updates, direct connections
- Team$12/seat/moOr $84/seat/yr; 20% off from 10 seats, one invoice
Appcircle · Key features
- Build pipelines for iOS, Android, React Native and Flutter
- Builds on Apple Silicon machines with advanced caching
- Testing Distribution by email, QR code and a tester portal
- Enterprise App Store for in-house apps without MDM
- Publishing to App Store, Google Play and Huawei AppGallery
- CodePush over-the-air updates with gradual rollout and rollback
Cons
- Paid pricing is quote-only and billed annually
- Free plan allows only 20 builds a month and one concurrency
- Smaller community and fewer tutorials than Bitrise
Beam · Key features
- Single windows from another Mac open as native windows with Dock and Command-Tab entries
- Beam several windows at once or share an entire display
- Direct typing, shortcuts, two-way resizing, app audio and clipboard sync
- Works with headless Mac minis and Mac Studios that have no display
- Encrypted Mac-to-Mac connection on local Wi-Fi or over Tailscale
- Guest share links open one window in any browser, view-only by default
Cons
- macOS only, with Apple silicon and Sonoma or later required on both Macs
- Free use is capped at 20 minutes a day
- Devices without the Mac app, such as phones, only get browser links
Appcircle vs Beam: FAQ
Do Appcircle and Beam have a free plan?
Yes, both Appcircle and Beam have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.
Which is better for small businesses, Appcircle or Beam?
Beam lists small businesses as a core audience, while Appcircle is aimed more at developers and enterprise.