Freeways vs Cracking the Cryptic
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Freeways
Design and simulate freeway interchanges using intuitive finger-drawing controls. Optimize traffic flow and prevent congestion by strategically planning road layouts. Experience the role of a freeway engineer in a hands-on simulation.
- Draw freeway interchanges
- Finger-based controls
- Optimize for efficiency
- Avoid traffic jams
- Freeway engineering simulation
Read full descriptionHide full description
You are a freeway engineer. Draw freeway interchanges with your finger. Optimize for efficiency and avoid traffic jams.
Cracking the Cryptic
This app offers a curated collection of handcrafted Sudoku puzzles from world-renowned constructors. Explore classic and unique variants, with new puzzle packs released regularly. A free introductory pack is included with download.
- Handcrafted Sudoku puzzles
- Curated by expert constructors
- Classic and unique variants
- Regularly released puzzle packs
- Free introductory puzzle pack
Read full descriptionHide full description
OUR NEWEST PACK – CLASSIC VOLUME #2! Classic sudoku is where it all began, and there is still lots of skill to be deployed to solve classic puzzles, and new techniques to be explored. Nikoli, the Japanese puzzle house, named and popularised sudoku from 1984, and we have commissioned 20 puzzles from them for this Classic Sudoku 2 app. We have also created 20 ourselves, and sourced 20 more from Sam Cappleman-Lynes, the brilliant British sudoku expert. The result is a wonderful 60-puzzle pack which will delight and challenge you. -------------------- Welcome to the brand new Sudoku app from the most popular Sudoku channel, Cracking The Cryptic. Unlike other Sudoku apps, we feature handcrafted and curated puzzles from the world’s best Sudoku constructors. Each collection features puzzles made by various authors that are now familiar names to those who follow the channel. Authors like Phistomefel, Clover, Sam Cappleman-Lynes, Christoph Seeliger, Richard Stolk, jovi_al, Qodec, Prasanna Seshadri and of course, Simon and Mark! Downloading Cracking the Cryptic will give you access to our first free collection – a variety pack by Prasanna Seshadri featuring 7 puzzles inspired from our previous Sudoku apps; Sandwich, Classic, Chess, Thermo, Miracle, Killer and Arrow Sudoku. We also have purchasable packs designed for all skill levels and featuring many unique variants not seen previously. We’ll be releasing more free and paid packs in the future so keep an eye on the app for more Sudoku content from Cracking The Cryptic!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Cracking the Cryptic at Free against Freeways's $2.99. Cracking the Cryptic also leads on rating (4.4 vs 3.7) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Freeways's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and chart position (#140 vs unranked). On ratings volume, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Cracking the Cryptic is free to download; Freeways costs $2.99 up front. Cracking the Cryptic sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Freeways asks for nothing beyond the download.
Cracking the Cryptic holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 503 and 208 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Freeways's written reviews are positive against 72% of Cracking the Cryptic's.
Freeways ships an update every 2 months, Cracking the Cryptic every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Freeways | Cracking the Cryptic |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.7 (503 ratings) | 4.4 (208 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 62.3% of reviews | 72.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 503 — better | 208 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #140 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 20 MB | 234 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Captain Games Inc. | Nick Carney |
Customer experience
Freeways
Cracking the Cryptic
User reviews
Freeways
From 503 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Awesome
- 🚀 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 Great concept
- 👍 Fun and challenging
- 👍 Worth the money
Room to improve
- 🐛 No undo button
- 🐛 Difficult to draw precise roads
- 🐛 Frustrating when making mistakes
- 🐛 Lack of features like delete/erase
- 🐛 Notification center issues on iPhone
Cracking the Cryptic
From 208 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Best sudoku app
- 👍 Great variety of puzzles
- 👍 Excellent user interface
- 👍 Challenging and fun puzzles
- 👍 Constant updates with new puzzles
Room to improve
- 🐛 Hints are often incorrect or unhelpful
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes, especially after updates
- 🔋 Battery draining issues
- 🔒 Too many in-app purchases required to access content
Bugs and requests
Freeways
Reported bugs
4 issues- Unable to change levels after completing
- Map button not working
- Cursor jumping to wrong location
- Levels not registering as complete
Requested features
9 requests- Undo button
- Eraser/delete tool
- More levels
- Leaderboards/scoring system
- Sandbox/freeplay mode
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Road smoothing/straightening tools
- Ability to control traffic flow
- New terrain types
- Traffic lights/stop signs
Cracking the Cryptic
Reported bugs
4 issues- Puzzle progress and purchases disappearing after updates
- Incorrect rules or hints in certain puzzles
- Crashes and freezes, especially on older devices or Macs
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between portrait and landscape modes
Requested features
5 requests- Add more color options for pencil marking and highlighting
- Implement a way to clear progress or start puzzles from scratch
- Integrate all CTC apps into a single app for better organization
- Add keyboard support, especially on Mac
- Improve the quality and clarity of hints
In-app purchases
Freeways
No in-app purchases
Cracking the Cryptic
- CTC Worms - James Sinclair$0.99
- CTC Worms - Marty Sears$0.99
- CTC Worms - Zetamath$1.99
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- CTC Worms - Blobz$1.99
- CTC Worms - Michael Lefkowitz$1.99
- CTC Worms - Phistomefel$1.99
- GAS Volume #1$2.99
- GAS Volume #2$2.99
- CTC Approachable Sudoku #1$2.99
- Domino Sudoku Pack$4.99
- Lines Variety Pack$4.99
- Classic Volume #2$4.99
- CTC Fog Pack #1$4.99
Questions
Is Freeways free?
Is Cracking the Cryptic free?
Which has better reviews, Freeways or Cracking the Cryptic?
Do Freeways or Cracking the Cryptic have ads?
Which is updated more often, Freeways or Cracking the Cryptic?
Other comparisons
