Comparison

Clue vs Detective Notes

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

Head to head
About

Clue

Step into the shoes of classic characters in this iconic murder mystery game. Explore a mansion in 3D, solve crimes with six suspects, six weapons, and nine rooms. Play against AI or challenge players worldwide online.

Highlights
  • Classic murder mystery gameplay
  • Iconic characters and rooms in 3D
  • Play against AI or online opponents
  • Private multiplayer for friends and family
  • Cross-platform multiplayer support
  • Online leaderboards
Features
Read full description

The original murder mystery invites you to a dinner party to die for… Step into the shoes of your favourite cast of classy criminal characters – Miss Scarlett, Colonel Mustard, Reverend Green, Professor Plum, Mrs Peacock and Dr Orchid – and explore the iconic rooms of the Tudor Mansion, rendered in stunning 3D like never before. Play against challenging AI opponents, or go online to challenge Clue/Cluedo fans from around the world. You can even set up a nostalgic games night with your friends and family in Private Multiplayer! Whodunit? With what weapon? Where? There’s six suspects, six weapons, nine rooms, and only one answer… HOW TO PLAY CLUE: CLASSIC EDITION: 1. Three cards are hidden away at the start of the game – these cards are the solution to the crime. 2. Each player gets three Clue Cards. These can’t be part of the solution, so they are automatically crossed off your clue sheet. 3. Roll the dice and move your token around the board. 4. If you choose to enter a room, you can make a suggestion. Pick who you think committed the crime, with what weapon and where. 5. Each player then takes it in turn to compare your suggestion against the cards they hold. If they have a card that features in your suggestion, they’ll tell you. 6. Cross off any cards other players have shown you and whittle down your list of suspects. 7. When you are ready, you can make an accusation! If your accusation is wrong, you’re out of the game! FEATURES - CROSS-PLATFORM MULTIPLAYER – Play with your friends and family on PC, mobile and Nintendo Switch. - ONLINE LEADERBOARDS – Outsmart fans around the world with weekly online leaderboards. - MULTIPLE MODES – Face up to six players in Online Multiplayer, or take on customisable AI suspects in Single Player Mode. - PRIVATE LOBBIES – Set up a family game night easily with the Play with Friends Mode. Catch the criminal! Play Clue: Classic Edition today!

About

Detective Notes

Organize clues, suspects, and locations to solve mysteries. Customize your detective notebook for any game, adjust player counts, and keep your strategies private. Features include marker variety and multilingual support.

Highlights
  • Customizable setup for suspects, tools, and locations
  • Flexible player count adjustment
  • Private note customization
  • Variety of marker tools
  • Multilingual support
Features
Read full description

The perfect companion for your mystery board games — the detective notebook! Are you ready to take your deduction skills to the next level? This app helps you track clues, organize suspects, and solve mysteries with ease. • Customizable Setup: Add or edit suspects, tools, and locations to create your own unique detective notebook and share it with friends. • Flexible Player Count: Easily adjust the notebook to match the number of participants so you can enjoy the game anytime, anywhere. • Private Strategy: Customize or hide your notes for each game to keep your deductions secret from other players. • Marker Variety: Use a range of markers to help with your deduction process, undo mistakes, or reset everything with one tap. • Multilingual Support: Play and share your detective fun in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, and Korean. Now is the time to level up your detective game!

Screenshots

Clue4 screens
Detective Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Detective Notes at Free against Clue's $5.99. Detective Notes also leads on review sentiment (72% vs 59%). Clue's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (36K vs 218). On rating, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Detective Notes is free to download; Clue costs $5.99 up front. Clue sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Detective Notes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Clue against 4.7 for Detective Notes. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Clue has 36K ratings behind it against 218, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 59% of Clue's written reviews are positive against 72% of Detective Notes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Clue ships an update monthly, Detective Notes every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Clue versus Detective Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterClueDetective Notes
Price$5.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (36K ratings) — better4.7 (218 ratings)
Positive reviews58.7% of reviews72.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings36K — better218
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#13 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size832 MB41 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperMarmalade Game Studio LimitedKyeong Cheon Yang

Customer experience

Clue

All ratings35,556 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral3.1%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews247 reviews
Positive58.7%
Neutral13.4%
Negative27.9%

Detective Notes

All ratings217 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral3.2%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive72.2%
Neutral5.6%
Negative22.2%

User reviews

Clue

From 36K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great game
  • 🎨 Seamless gameplay
  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics
  • 👍 Faithful to the board game
  • 🎨 Automated gameplay features

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 🐛 Multiplayer issues and bugs
  • 🤖 AI plays too perfectly
  • 🔒 Lack of account/progress sync
  • 🚫 Limited character/board selection without purchases

Detective Notes

From 218 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 All-in-one solution for Clue
  • 🚀 Makes Clue game more efficient
  • 😍 Fun for playing with friends
  • 👍 Great alternative to paper
  • 😊 Fun for family game nights

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Reset button stopped working
  • 🐛 App blocks for days
  • 🐛 Custom settings don't work
  • 🐛 Ads not closable
  • 🐛 Error on start, unusable

Bugs and requests

Clue

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Game freezing/crashing during multiplayer
  • Incorrect auto-fills on final accusation
  • Purchased content not restoring properly
  • Multiplayer lobby issues
  • Inconsistent AI behavior

Requested features

8 requests
  • Randomized player starting positions
  • Ability to mark revealed cards
  • Expert mode with no auto-fills
  • More game modes (speed, custom rules, etc.)
  • Ability to chat with online players
Show 3 more
  • Permanent scoring/progression system
  • Ability to kick inactive/disconnected players
  • More board and character themes

Detective Notes

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Reset button stopped working after update
  • Application blocked for 3 days
  • Custom setting does not work
  • Ads are not closable, requires force close
  • Error on main screen, cannot use app
Show 3 more
  • Weapons and rooms categories select 2 rows at a time
  • App broke when adding more custom suspects, weapons, rooms
  • Harry Potter version shows 8 rooms instead of 9

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add numbering system for cells
  • Allow multiple numbers per cell
  • Add Harry Potter version rooms (9 rooms)
  • Fix custom settings functionality
  • Fix weapons and rooms category selection

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Clue

One-time10
  • Warning$1.99
  • Super Pack$5.99
  • Hollywood Theme$6.99
Show 7 more
  • Vampire Theme$6.99
  • Snowy Peaks Theme$6.99
  • Masquerade Theme Bundle$6.99
  • Sherlock Theme$6.99
  • Tropical Mystery Theme$6.99
  • Murder Express Theme$7.99
  • Ultimate Detective's Package$34.99
1 purchases

Detective Notes

One-time1
  • No Ads$3.99

Questions

Is Clue free?
Clue costs $5.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Detective Notes free?
Detective Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Clue or Detective Notes?
Clue is rated higher. Clue averages 4.7 out of 5 from 36K ratings, while Detective Notes averages 4.7 from 218 ratings.
Do Clue or Detective Notes have ads?
Detective Notes shows ads; Clue does not.
Which is updated more often, Clue or Detective Notes?
Clue ships an update monthly, and Detective Notes every 2 weeks. Most recently, Clue was updated on October 24, 2026 and Detective Notes on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons