Comparison

Timecrest vs Shadow House

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Timecrest

Embark on an epic fantasy adventure where your choices shape the narrative. As a young mage, you'll explore a magical world, uncover plot twists, and make decisions that determine the fate of a realm threatened by destruction. Experience a rich story with an emotional soundtrack.

Highlights
  • Interactive chat story
  • Branching narrative choices
  • Fantasy adventure
  • Explore a magical world
  • Emotional custom soundtrack
  • Unlockable music tracks
Features
Read full description

*** Best Game & Developer of the Year, AppleVis Golden Apples *** *** Featured in Apple's App Store Best Of *** “An interesting story... Simple fun.” - The New York Times Timecrest is a young adult fantasy where you are the main character. A young mage named Ash contacts you frantically through a pocket watch connecting to your iPhone asking for your help. Ash’s world, Alyncia, is about to be destroyed by falling meteors, but you demonstrate the ability to save Ash’s world by turning back time. There isn’t long to celebrate as Ash is suddenly being hunted by someone who informs you that you’ve done the impossible–your use of time magic has broken the rules of magic. Whether you save the world or do something else, your journey will take you through wondrous places where you’ll meet people that will either become your friends or your enemies. The decision to experience this game is yours, but if you do adventure in Alyncia, it will be the journey of a lifetime. - MAKE YOUR CHOICE. Timecrest is a story where no path is the wrong one. Walk your own road and experience a satisfying story no matter what. - EXPLORE A MAGICAL WORLD. Timecrest pulls no punches with big emotional moments and plot twists across over 640,000 words. - EXPERIENCE FANTASY AND WONDER. Timecrest features an emotional custom soundtrack with 34 musical tracks to unlock. What people are saying about Timecrest: “The characters really do draw you in.” - Jamie Pauls “It's not just a survival, yes/no–binary choice thing. It's like you're watching actual characters, actual people, living actual lives.” - Alex Hall “Timecrest stands out.” - AFB, AccessWorld Magazine “Worth a look–even if you’re not a fan of interactive fiction–as this is the best one so far.” - RNIB Connect Radio

About

Shadow House

Embark on interactive ghost stories where your choices shape the narrative. Explore a constantly changing haunted house with chilling visuals and audio. Uncover the dark secrets within this terrifying place.

Highlights
  • Choose your own path
  • Haunting visuals
  • Chilling audio
  • Changing adventures
  • Uncover secrets
  • Based on book series
Features
Read full description

Shadow House is more than just haunted . . . it’s hungry. Step into ghost stories where the choices you make determine your fate! Enter Shadow House, if you dare. . . . Companion to the Shadow House series by spooky story master Dan Poblocki. •Choose your own path through spooky ghost stories. •Step inside Shadow House through haunting visuals and chilling audio. •The house is always changing—play again for a terrifying new adventure. •Learn the secrets the house doesn’t want anyone to know. •Each ghost story comes from a haunting image in the Shadow Houses books, where more scares await. Shadow House is a place with a terrifying history. Every generation, it lures five kids inside . . . and never lets them leave. Are you brave enough to enter Shadow House? Trace a sigil to step into a ghost story, and navigate your way through each of the stories to uncover the haunting secrets Shadow House is keeping. Disclosure for Parents -------- This app does not collect any personally identifiable information. This app contains: •Information and advertising about Scholastic's Shadow House books •Links ONLY to Scholastic-owned websites and Apple’s App Store and iBooks Store •No social media sharing •No location tracking functions Privacy Policy: http://shadowhouse.scholastic.com/privacypolicy Developer: Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, New York 10012, 800-SCHOLASTIC, custserv@scholastic.com Customer Support: software@support.scholastic.com 1-800-724-6527

Screenshots

Timecrest4 screens
Shadow House4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shadow House at none against Timecrest's 12. Shadow House also leads on iOS requirement (9.1 vs 15.2). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Timecrest sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Shadow House asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Timecrest against 4.8 for Shadow House. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 855 and 685 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 85% of Timecrest's written reviews are positive against 84% of Shadow House's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Timecrest ships an update monthly, Shadow House every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Timecrest versus Shadow House: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTimecrestShadow House
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (855 ratings)4.8 (685 ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.2% of reviews — better83.8% of reviews
Number of ratings855 — better685
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.29.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size308 MB647 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperSneaky Crab, Inc.Scholastic Inc.

Customer experience

Timecrest

All ratings855 ratings
Positive92.4%
Neutral4.8%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews209 reviews
Positive85.2%
Neutral5.7%
Negative9.1%

Shadow House

All ratings685 ratings
Positive95.5%
Neutral2.6%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews154 reviews
Positive83.8%
Neutral5.8%
Negative10.4%

User reviews

Timecrest

From 855 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fantastic story and world-building
  • 👍 Engaging and immersive gameplay
  • 🎨 Beautiful music and soundtrack
  • 🎯 Meaningful choices with impact
  • 🙌 Excellent accessibility for blind/VI users

Room to improve

  • ⏱️ Lengthy wait times between actions
  • 🤑 Expensive in-app purchases for time crystals
  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and syncing issues
  • 🤔 Some predictable story elements

Shadow House

From 685 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 👍 Engaging stories
  • 🎨 Great visuals and sound effects
  • 🤖 Interesting backstories and lore
  • 🔍 Encourages exploration and discovery

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional glitches and bugs
  • 🔍 Some puzzles/challenges are too difficult
  • 🔇 Lack of audio/voice acting
  • 🤔 Limited choices/interactivity in some stories

Bugs and requests

Timecrest

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inconsistent save data across devices
  • Text overlapping/glitching issues
  • Relationship points not tracking properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to earn more time crystals in-game
  • More control and customization options
  • Expanded story and content updates
  • Improved save/load functionality

Shadow House

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Mirror challenge in Book 3 is blurry and unresponsive
  • Sigil 2 in Book 3 crashes the app for some users
  • Loading issues and crashes on older devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more books/stories
  • Improve puzzle/challenge mechanics
  • Implement a save/progress system
  • Include a Russian language option

In-app purchases

12 purchases

Timecrest

One-time12
  • 300 Time Crystals$0.99
  • 636 Time Crystals$1.99
  • Memory Oracle Starter Pack$2.99
Show 9 more
  • 1296 Time Crystals$3.99
  • One Time Welcome Pack$5.99
  • 2310 Time Crystals$6.99
  • 3330 Time Crystals$9.99
  • 6,330 Time Crystals$18.99
  • 6900 Time Crystals$19.99
  • 13,330 Time Crystals$39.99
  • 19,997 Time Crystals$59.99
  • 34479 Time Crystals$99.99
None

Shadow House

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Timecrest free?
Timecrest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shadow House free?
Shadow House is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Timecrest or Shadow House?
Shadow House is rated higher. Timecrest averages 4.7 out of 5 from 855 ratings, while Shadow House averages 4.8 from 685 ratings.
Do Timecrest or Shadow House have ads?
Neither Timecrest nor Shadow House shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Timecrest or Shadow House?
Timecrest ships an update monthly, and Shadow House every 6 weeks. Most recently, Timecrest was updated on September 22, 2026 and Shadow House on September 20, 2026.

Other comparisons