# Times Puzzles vs Cryptical

The clearest difference is update cadence: Cryptical at every 5 days against Times Puzzles's every 3 months. Times Puzzles's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Times Puzzles sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Cryptical sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Times Puzzles ships an update every 3 months, Cryptical every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Times Puzzles | Cryptical |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[2.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/times-puzzles/id1531296302/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **5** | — |
| Positive reviews | 12.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Subscription | — |
| Size | 64 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Times Media Limited (Apps)](https://appshunter.io/developer/363976957) | [Benjamin Law Smith](https://appshunter.io/developer/6800681102) |

## What reviewers say

### Times Puzzles

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/times-puzzles/id1531296302)

Engage your mind with a daily collection of renowned crosswords and logic puzzles. Access a vast archive and enjoy a variety of challenges on the go, anytime and anywhere. Perfect for puzzle enthusiasts seeking a mental workout.

**Highlights:** Daily crosswords and logic puzzles, Two-week puzzle archive, Play anywhere, anytime, Concise, Cryptic, Quick Cryptic crosswords, Sudoku, Killer Sudoku, Futoshiki, Kakuro, Brain Trainer and Cell Blocks puzzles

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 7 day trial then monthly fee | $3.99 | per month |
| 7 day trial then monthly fee | $4.99 | per month |
| 7 day trial then monthly fee | $6.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Enjoyable puzzles
- 💡 Convenient to have puzzles in one place
- 👍 Good value for money

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Puzzles not saving progress
- 🐛 Puzzles not marking as completed
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🐛 Notifications and settings issues
- 🐛 Keyboard problems and poor usability

**Reported bugs**

- Puzzles not saving progress
- Puzzles not marking as completed
- Crashes and freezes
- Notifications and settings issues
- Keyboard problems and poor usability

**Requested features**

- Add Codeword puzzle
- Improve Sudoku interface
- Add ability to print puzzles
- Sync progress across devices
- Provide more puzzle types


### Cryptical

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cryptical/id6800680958)

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| No. 1C by Linden | $0.29 | one-time |
| No. 2 by Vytautus | $0.29 | one-time |
| No. 3 by Vytautus | $0.29 | one-time |
| No. 4 by Vytautus | $0.29 | one-time |
| Dogs by Linden | $0.29 | one-time |
| Mammals by Linden | $0.29 | one-time |
| Insects by Linden | $0.29 | one-time |
| No. 6 by Doc | $0.49 | one-time |
| Hint and explanation token top up | $0.49 | one-time |
| Animal-themed (x5) by Linden | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Times Puzzles free?

Times Puzzles is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Cryptical free?

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

### Do Times Puzzles or Cryptical have ads?

Neither Times Puzzles nor Cryptical shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Times Puzzles or Cryptical?

Times Puzzles ships an update every 3 months, and Cryptical every 5 days. Most recently, Times Puzzles was updated on October 16, 2026 and Cryptical on October 10, 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.*