Comparison

Learn Cryptic Crosswords vs Cryptic Coach

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

Head to head
About

Learn Cryptic Crosswords

Master the art of cryptic crosswords with this interactive guide. It breaks down clue types, offers step-by-step learning through six chapters, and includes practice exercises and puzzles to build your solving skills.

Highlights
  • Step-by-step clue explanations
  • Interactive exercises
  • Practice puzzles
  • Skill development guidance
  • Reference tools
Features
Read full description

Learn how to solve cryptic crosswords with this interactive app, starting with the basic ideas and easiest types of clue. Learn cryptic crosswords consists of six chapters that take you step by step through every aspect of solving cryptic clues. How each type of clue works is clearly explained and supported by examples, with simple diagrams to illustrate key ideas. Each topic is followed by interactive exercises and practice clues designed to reinforce the learning points, and each chapter ends with a practice puzzle to consolidate your learning. The final chapter explains how to develop your solving skills further. It ends with a selection of newspaper puzzles and is followed by an extensive set of reference tools to use when solving. Cryptic crosswords are fun to do and give the brain a good work out, exercising the memory and thinking skills, making new connections and extending vocabulary and general knowledge. Learn cryptic crosswords will lead you to an enjoyable and stimulating new pastime.

About

Cryptic Coach

Master cryptic crosswords with structured lessons and practice puzzles. Solve daily clues with video explanations and access a vault of past puzzles. Submit your own clues to join the community.

Highlights
  • Structured lessons
  • Curated practice puzzles
  • Daily clue with video explanation
  • Vault of past daily clues
  • Submit your own clues
  • Community solving
Features
Read full description

Cryptic Coach helps you master cryptic crosswords. Learn techniques through structured lessons, practice with curated puzzles, and solve a daily clue with video explanations. Access the vault of previous daily cryptic clues and submit your own clues for potential inclusion. Everything you need to improve your cryptic solving skills. We're just getting started, so expect regular updates and new features as we grow. Come join the community and let's solve together! Terms and conditions at: https://www.crypticcoach.com/terms

Screenshots

Learn Cryptic Crosswords4 screens
Cryptic Coach4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Cryptic Coach at weekly against Learn Cryptic Crosswords's every 9 months. Learn Cryptic Crosswords's advantage is ratings volume (448 vs 2) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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. Learn Cryptic Crosswords sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Cryptic Coach sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Learn Cryptic Crosswords holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Learn Cryptic Crosswords has 448 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 95% of Learn Cryptic Crosswords's written reviews are positive against 100% of Cryptic Coach's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Learn Cryptic Crosswords ships an update every 9 months, Cryptic Coach weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and August 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Learn Cryptic Crosswords versus Cryptic Coach: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLearn Cryptic CrosswordsCryptic Coach
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (448 ratings) — better4.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews95.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings448 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB40 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperTeazelTEGS LABS LTD

Customer experience

Learn Cryptic Crosswords

All ratings448 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral1.1%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews119 reviews
Positive95.0%
Neutral1.7%
Negative3.4%

Cryptic Coach

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Learn Cryptic Crosswords

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Menu button freezing the app
  • Inability to fill in answers directly

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to take notes within the app
  • Integrated anagram solver and reference tools
  • Option to skip ahead to practice puzzles

Cryptic Coach

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Learn Cryptic Crosswords

One-time3
  • Discount price$2.99
  • Access to every chapter2 variants$3.99
  • Access to every chapter$4.99
2 purchases

Cryptic Coach

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Membership$8.991 Month
  • Yearly Membership3 Days trial$69.991 Year

Questions

Is Learn Cryptic Crosswords free?
Learn Cryptic Crosswords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cryptic Coach free?
Cryptic Coach is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Learn Cryptic Crosswords or Cryptic Coach?
Learn Cryptic Crosswords is rated higher. Learn Cryptic Crosswords averages 4.8 out of 5 from 448 ratings, while Cryptic Coach averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.
Do Learn Cryptic Crosswords or Cryptic Coach have ads?
Neither Learn Cryptic Crosswords nor Cryptic Coach shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Learn Cryptic Crosswords or Cryptic Coach?
Learn Cryptic Crosswords ships an update every 9 months, and Cryptic Coach weekly. Most recently, Learn Cryptic Crosswords was updated on September 23, 2026 and Cryptic Coach on August 15, 2026.

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