# Not Evil Sudoku vs Cracking the Cryptic

The clearest difference is update cadence: Not Evil Sudoku at every 9 days against Cracking the Cryptic's every 3 weeks. Not Evil Sudoku also leads on ratings volume (1.1K vs 210). Cracking the Cryptic's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Not Evil Sudoku sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Cracking the Cryptic sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Not Evil Sudoku holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Not Evil Sudoku has 1.1K ratings behind it against 210, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Not Evil Sudoku's written reviews are positive against 72% of Cracking the Cryptic's.

Not Evil Sudoku ships an update every 9 days, Cracking the Cryptic every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 27, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Not Evil Sudoku | Cracking the Cryptic |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/not-evil-sudoku/id1614071642/reviews)** | [4.4 (210 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cracking-the-cryptic/id1629992934/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | 210 |
| Positive reviews | **74.7% of reviews** | 72.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 23 MB | 234 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ashish Selvaraj](https://appshunter.io/developer/1614070948) | [Nick Carney](https://appshunter.io/developer/1434235673) |

## What reviewers say

### Not Evil Sudoku

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/not-evil-sudoku/id1614071642)

Enjoy a distraction-free Sudoku experience with helpful features like hints and real-time validation. Track your progress, compete globally, and customize the app with themes. Play daily puzzles for free or upgrade for unlimited games and advanced statistics.

**Highlights:** Fully offline play, No ads or distractions, Real-time move validation, Shake for hints, Daily puzzles with leaderboards, Customizable themes and icons, Notes and auto-clear notes

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Clean, minimalistic design
- 🔒 No ads or tracking
- 👍 Customizable features
- 👍 Good puzzle difficulty
- 👍 Helpful community

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Disappearing numbers glitch
- 🐛 App icon doesn't change for dark mode
- ⏱️ Limit of one game per day on free version
- 💰 Paid version considered expensive by some

**Reported bugs**

- Disappearing numbers when closing the app
- Numbers swapping to incorrect spots

**Requested features**

- Add auto-clear notes option without move validation
- Provide more theme color options
- Implement a 'warm' mode similar to other sudoku apps
- Add ability to remove notes after number is placed
- Highlight all instances of a number in the puzzle


### Cracking the Cryptic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cracking-the-cryptic/id1629992934)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CTC Worms - James Sinclair | $0.99 | one-time |
| CTC Worms - Marty Sears | $0.99 | one-time |
| CTC Worms - Zetamath | $1.99 | one-time |
| CTC Worms - Blobz | $1.99 | one-time |
| CTC Worms - Michael Lefkowitz | $1.99 | one-time |
| CTC Worms - Phistomefel | $1.99 | one-time |
| GAS Volume #1 | $2.99 | one-time |
| GAS Volume #2 | $2.99 | one-time |
| CTC Approachable Sudoku #1 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Domino Sudoku Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Lines Variety Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Classic Volume #2 | $4.99 | one-time |
| CTC Fog Pack #1 | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Best sudoku app
- 👍 Great variety of puzzles
- 👍 Excellent user interface
- 👍 Challenging and fun puzzles
- 👍 Constant updates with new puzzles

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Hints are often incorrect or unhelpful
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes, especially after updates
- 🔋 Battery draining issues
- 🔒 Too many in-app purchases required to access content

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Not Evil Sudoku free?

Not Evil Sudoku 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, Not Evil Sudoku or Cracking the Cryptic?

Not Evil Sudoku is rated higher. Not Evil Sudoku averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Cracking the Cryptic averages 4.4 from 210 ratings.

### Do Not Evil Sudoku or Cracking the Cryptic have ads?

Neither Not Evil Sudoku nor Cracking the Cryptic shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Not Evil Sudoku or Cracking the Cryptic?

Not Evil Sudoku ships an update every 9 days, and Cracking the Cryptic every 3 weeks. Most recently, Not Evil Sudoku was updated on October 27, 2026 and Cracking the Cryptic on October 27, 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.*