Comparison

Sumaddle 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

Sumaddle

This logic puzzle game transforms pencil-and-paper challenges into interactive brain teasers. Fit number combinations to clues using pure logic, with no mental arithmetic required. Enjoy over 150 free puzzles of varying difficulty, with built-in help and offline play.

Highlights
  • Interactive logic puzzles
  • Number combination fitting
  • Pure logic solving
  • Built-in help and mistake correction
  • Over 150 free puzzles
  • Offline play
  • Ad-free experience
Features
Read full description

• “Brilliant puzzle game”, UK App Store review Apr 2025 • “Best Puzzle Game I’ve Ever Played”, US App Store review Jan 2025 • “The ONLY iOS game I've never gotten tired of”, Reddit review Apr 2024 This type of logical puzzle was first seen in the Japan Puzzle Championship 2006 and is sometimes known as Doppelblock, or Smashed Sums. When played with pencil and paper, these puzzles can be hard work to solve. Sumaddle changes that by adding the essential element of interaction. This transforms the puzzles into intriguing brain teasers that unfold before your eyes. Each puzzle has a unique solution. Finding the solution involves fitting the number combinations to the clues. The app makes it easy to view the possible combinations, you don’t need to do any sums in your head. Instead, you can focus on using logic to narrow down the combinations and find a fitting arrangement. Some reasons why you will enjoy playing Sumaddle: • puzzles range in size and difficulty from small and simple to large and mind-blowing • more than 150 puzzles are included for free • all puzzles can be solved with pure logic, no mental arithmetic required • the sophisticated built-in help can explain the logical reasoning at each step and also fix mistakes if you go wrong • the built-in help is completely free, use it as much as you like • works offline (great for long journeys) • a high standard of accessibility, including comprehensive support for VoiceOver • ad-free play - there are absolutely no ads! IGRS age rating (Indonesia Game Rating System): 3+ Designed and developed in Winterthur, Switzerland

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

Sumaddle3 screens
Cracking the Cryptic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sumaddle at 4.9 against Cracking the Cryptic's 4.4. Sumaddle also leads on review sentiment (95% vs 72%) and ratings volume (767 vs 208). Cracking the Cryptic's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, update cadence, 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. Sumaddle sells 15 one-off in-app purchases and Cracking the Cryptic sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sumaddle holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 767 and 208 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 95% of Sumaddle's written reviews are positive against 72% of Cracking the Cryptic's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 21, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Sumaddle versus Cracking the Cryptic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSumaddleCracking the Cryptic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (767 ratings) — better4.4 (208 ratings)
Positive reviews94.9% of reviews — better72.1% of reviews
Number of ratings767 — better208
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB234 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJonathan BuchananNick Carney

Customer experience

Sumaddle

All ratings767 ratings
Positive98.3%
Neutral0.7%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews98 reviews
Positive94.9%
Neutral1.0%
Negative4.1%

Cracking the Cryptic

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

User reviews

Sumaddle

From 767 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and challenging game
  • 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
  • 👍 Helpful hint system
  • 🚀 No ads or data collection
  • 💡 Unique puzzle concept

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Automatic hints can be intrusive
  • 🐛 Inability to replay completed puzzles
  • 💡 Need more free/sample puzzles
  • 💡 Difficulty progression could be improved

Cracking the Cryptic

From 208 App Store ratings

What 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

Sumaddle

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Losing progress when minimizing the app
  • Inconsistent difficulty ratings

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to selectively pencil in notes
  • More difficult puzzle options
  • Synced progress across devices
  • Detailed statistics and leaderboard

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

15 purchases

Sumaddle

One-time15
  • Quirky, Pack 5$0.99
  • Very Difficult Puzzles$0.99
  • Quirky, Pack 1$0.99
Show 12 more
  • Premium 9x9 Puzzles, Pack 1$0.99
  • Crafty, Pack 1$0.99
  • Crafty, Pack 2$0.99
  • Crafty, Pack 3$0.99
  • Sneaky, Pack 1$0.99
  • Sneaky, Pack 2$0.99
  • Sneaky, Pack 3$0.99
  • Tricky, Pack 1$0.99
  • Tricky, Pack 2$0.99
  • Tricky, Pack 3$0.99
  • Assorted Puzzles$0.99
  • Puzzle Generator$9.99
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 Sumaddle free?
Sumaddle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cracking the Cryptic free?
Cracking the Cryptic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Sumaddle or Cracking the Cryptic?
Sumaddle is rated higher. Sumaddle averages 4.9 out of 5 from 767 ratings, while Cracking the Cryptic averages 4.4 from 208 ratings.
Do Sumaddle or Cracking the Cryptic have ads?
Neither Sumaddle nor Cracking the Cryptic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sumaddle or Cracking the Cryptic?
Sumaddle ships an update every 3 weeks, and Cracking the Cryptic every 3 weeks. Most recently, Sumaddle was updated on September 21, 2026 and Cracking the Cryptic on September 21, 2026.

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