# Magic Cross vs Rootclue

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Rootclue at none against Magic Cross's 11. Rootclue also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). Magic Cross's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Magic Cross sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. Rootclue asks for nothing beyond the download.

Magic Cross ships an update monthly, Rootclue every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Magic Cross | Rootclue |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (6.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-cross-stitch-pixel-art/id1461096984/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **6.4K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 85.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 306 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [ZiMAD](https://appshunter.io/developer/360112684) | [Curious Pi Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1881487685) |

## What reviewers say

### Magic Cross

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-cross-stitch-pixel-art/id1461096984)

Unleash your inner artist with this digital coloring book. Paint by numbers to create vibrant pixel art masterpieces. Enjoy a vast collection of images, daily bonuses, and share your creations with friends.

**Highlights:** Extensive variety of pixel art images, Easy color-by-numbers gameplay, Augmented Reality Sharing, Experiment with color palettes, Share creations on social media, Daily bonuses and gifts

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Color by number 1 week premium | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Mini Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Marathon Key | $2.99 | one-time |
| Small Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Cross Stitch coloring no ads | $4.99 | one-time |
| Small Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| Medium Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| Medium Bundle | $9.99 | one-time |
| Large Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Large Bundle | $14.99 | one-time |
| Huge Pack | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Beautiful artwork
- 🕰️ Relaxing gameplay
- 👍 Intuitive controls
- 💎 Satisfying color-by-number experience
- 🎁 Rewarding daily tasks and challenges

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💢 Excessive ads interrupting gameplay
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🚫 Lack of progress saving and syncing across devices
- 🤔 Inconsistent quality of imported user images

**Reported bugs**

- Progress resets after app crashes
- Coins not properly awarded for completed tasks
- Imported images not rendering correctly

**Requested features**

- Add option to disable background music
- Implement a 'delete' function for imported images
- Introduce more diverse and challenging picture categories
- Provide a 'resume' feature for unfinished puzzles


### Rootclue

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rootclue/id6794351433)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Magic Cross free?

Magic Cross is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Rootclue free?

Rootclue is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Magic Cross or Rootclue have ads?

Magic Cross shows ads; Rootclue does not.

### Which is updated more often, Magic Cross or Rootclue?

Magic Cross ships an update monthly, and Rootclue every 2 weeks. Most recently, Magic Cross was updated on October 31, 2026 and Rootclue on October 17, 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.*