Comparison

Regex Crossword vs Cracking the Cryptic

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

Head to head
About

Regex Crossword

Engage in a unique crossword puzzle experience powered by regular expressions. Learn the basics with a tutorial, conquer challenges for achievements, and climb the leaderboards. Design and share your own puzzles with a creative community.

Highlights
  • Regular expression-based puzzles
  • In-game tutorial
  • Achievement system
  • Competitive leaderboards
  • Custom puzzle creation
  • Community puzzle sharing
Features
Read full description

Crossword puzzle game using Regular Expressions with an easy tutorial to get you started. Earn achievements completing puzzle challenges and compete for the top rank against other players. Create your own puzzles in our level editor and share them with the community.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Handcrafted Sudoku puzzles
  • Curated by expert constructors
  • Classic and unique variants
  • Regularly released puzzle packs
  • Free introductory puzzle pack
Features
Read 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

Regex Crossword4 screens
Cracking the Cryptic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Regex Crossword at none against Cracking the Cryptic's 13. Regex Crossword also leads on update cadence (every 11 days vs every 3 weeks). 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. Cracking the Cryptic sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Regex Crossword asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Regex Crossword holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 74 and 210 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 73% and 72% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Regex Crossword ships an update every 11 days, Cracking the Cryptic every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Regex Crossword versus Cracking the Cryptic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRegex CrosswordCracking the Cryptic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (74 ratings) — better4.4 (210 ratings)
Positive reviews72.7% of reviews — better72.1% of reviews
Number of ratings74210 — better
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB234 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOle MichelsenNick Carney

Customer experience

Regex Crossword

All ratings64 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral3.1%
Negative9.4%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive72.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative27.3%

Cracking the Cryptic

All ratings208 ratings
Positive84.1%
Neutral6.3%
Negative9.6%
Written reviews147 reviews
Positive72.1%
Neutral13.6%
Negative14.3%

Bugs and requests

Regex Crossword

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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

None

Regex Crossword

No in-app purchases

13 purchases

Cracking the Cryptic

One-time13
  • CTC Worms - James Sinclair$0.99
  • CTC Worms - Marty Sears$0.99
  • CTC Worms - Zetamath$1.99
Show 10 more
  • 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 Regex Crossword free?
Regex Crossword is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cracking the Cryptic free?
Cracking the Cryptic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Regex Crossword or Cracking the Cryptic?
Regex Crossword is rated higher. Regex Crossword averages 4.6 out of 5 from 74 ratings, while Cracking the Cryptic averages 4.4 from 210 ratings.
Do Regex Crossword or Cracking the Cryptic have ads?
Neither Regex Crossword nor Cracking the Cryptic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Regex Crossword or Cracking the Cryptic?
Regex Crossword ships an update every 11 days, and Cracking the Cryptic every 3 weeks. Most recently, Regex Crossword was updated on October 24, 2026 and Cracking the Cryptic on October 27, 2026.

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