Codebreaker* vs Shikaku
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Codebreaker*
Challenge your logic skills by deciphering a secret code of four distinct colors. Use black and white dots as hints to determine correct colors and positions. A fun and engaging puzzle game for strategic thinkers.
- Solve secret color codes
- Use black dot hints for correct position
- Use white dot hints for correct color, wrong position
- Four distinct colors
- Challenging logic puzzles
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Following the hints, solve the secret code consisting of four different colors. A black dot means that one of the colors is guessed and located in the correct position. A white dot means that one of the colors is guessed but located in the wrong position.
Shikaku
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Shikaku is a logic puzzle with one rule. Divide the grid into rectangles. Every rectangle holds exactly one number, and that number is how many squares it covers. Cover the whole grid and the puzzle is solved. That is the entire rulebook. There is no tutorial to sit through — the first boards are small enough that the answer is nearly visible, and by level ten you are genuinely working. ONE ANSWER, ALWAYS Every board is checked for a unique solution before you ever see it. There is never a moment where you have to guess and hope. Anything you can work out, you can prove. IT CATCHES THE MOVE THAT BROKE IT A rectangle can obey every rule and still make the rest of the puzzle impossible — leaving a number with nowhere to go, or a square nothing can reach. Shikaku tells you at the move that caused it, instead of letting you discover it twenty moves later with no idea where it went wrong. MISTAKES COST SOMETHING. FUMBLES DO NOT. Dragging across a rectangle you already placed is a mis-swipe, not an error, and costs nothing. Change your mind mid-drag, come back to where you started and let go — that cancels, free. Only real reasoning errors count against you. Three per puzzle. SEVEN DIFFICULTIES Gentle, Easy, Medium, Hard, Expert, Master and Grandmaster. The hard tiers are not simply bigger boards — a Grandmaster puzzle has fewer, larger rectangles and far less that can be read off at a glance. It is close to pure deduction. WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU KNOW Switch to marking and drag across the line between two squares to note that they belong in the same rectangle. A mark is a note to yourself and nothing more: the game never checks one against the answer, and marking costs nothing. On a hard board it is how you keep hold of what you have already proved. A NEW PUZZLE EVERY DAY The Daily Challenge is free forever. Keep it up for seven days running and you earn hints. A calendar shows every day you have played, and a day you missed can still be played. It will not mend a streak, but it is there. THREE THEMES Midnight, Slate & Teal, and Forest & Brass. Switch whenever you like. THIS WEEK One weekly board, and it resets every Sunday. It lives on your device, so there is no sign-in, no account and nothing to join — it simply works. The twelve names beside yours are the game's own rivals, marked as rivals on every row, and they do not wait for you. FRAMES YOU EARN Eight frames for your avatar, each one evidence of something you actually did: a seven-day Daily streak, a hundred puzzles solved, a Grandmaster board, a week finished in the top three. They show on the weekly board, and the rivals wear theirs too. YOUR PROGRESS IS YOURS Put it down mid-puzzle and it is exactly where you left it. Your progress lives on your device, and there is no account to make. WHAT IS FREE AND WHAT IS NOT Shikaku is free to play, with every level and every tier, and the Daily Challenge is free forever. Ads are how it pays for itself: a banner on the home, calendar, leaderboard and game screens, an occasional full-screen ad between levels, and optional videos for a hint or a second chance. One payment removes them for good and unlocks every theme. No subscription. No account. No lives, no timers, and nothing to wait for.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Codebreaker* at none against Shikaku's 2. Codebreaker* also leads on ads (none vs shown) and device support (3 vs 1). Shikaku's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 months). On price 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
Both are free to download. Shikaku sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Codebreaker* asks for nothing beyond the download.
Codebreaker* ships an update every 6 months, Shikaku fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Codebreaker* | Shikaku |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (72 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 68.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 72 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 0 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alexander Berson | MATTHEW DAVID BREMNER |
Bugs and requests
Codebreaker*
Reported bugs
4 issues- Score marked without confirmation
- Points change unexpectedly/randomly
- Colors not in the right spot can be confusing
- App seems to be in dark mode for some users
Requested features
10 requests- Add instructions/help tab
- Allow color replication/doubles
- Enable placing colors in any order
- Add a button to submit guess instead of automatic submission
- Include statistics (games won, played)
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- Add a dark mode option
- Option to skip current game and start a new one
- Consider a 5-place option
- Add sound effects
- Add a tip jar/donation option
Shikaku
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Codebreaker*
No in-app purchases
Shikaku
- 3 Hints$0.49
- Full Game$2.99
Questions
Is Codebreaker* free?
Is Shikaku free?
Do Codebreaker* or Shikaku have ads?
Which is updated more often, Codebreaker* or Shikaku?
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