# Clue vs Detective Notes

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.

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.

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.

Clue ships an update monthly, Detective Notes every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Clue | Detective Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $5.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (36K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clue-classic-edition/id1150534552/reviews)** | [4.7 (218 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/detective-notes/id6466589007/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **36K** | 218 |
| Positive reviews | 58.7% of reviews | **72.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#13** | — |
| Size | 832 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Marmalade Game Studio Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/988365603) | [Kyeong Cheon Yang](https://appshunter.io/developer/1707501391) |

## What reviewers say

### Clue

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clue-classic-edition/id1150534552)

**Currently charting:** #13 Top Paid · Board, #17 Top Paid · Puzzle, #128 Top Paid · Games, #198 Top Paid (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Warning | $1.99 | one-time |
| Super Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| Hollywood Theme | $6.99 | one-time |
| Vampire Theme | $6.99 | one-time |
| Snowy Peaks Theme | $6.99 | one-time |
| Masquerade Theme Bundle | $6.99 | one-time |
| Sherlock Theme | $6.99 | one-time |
| Tropical Mystery Theme | $6.99 | one-time |
| Murder Express Theme | $7.99 | one-time |
| Ultimate Detective's Package | $34.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Detective Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/detective-notes/id6466589007)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| No Ads | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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 25, 2026 and Detective Notes on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*