Cracking the Cryptic vs Color Sudoku
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Handcrafted Sudoku puzzles
- Curated by expert constructors
- Classic and unique variants
- Regularly released puzzle packs
- Free introductory puzzle pack
Read full descriptionHide 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!
Color Sudoku
This logic puzzle game challenges you to fill color regions with numbers 1-N without adjacent repeats, even diagonally. It offers smart notes, hints, and adjustable difficulty levels from Easy to Expert, with daily challenges and customizable themes.
- Color region number filling
- No adjacent or diagonal repeats
- Smart notes and hints
- Multiple difficulty levels
- Daily challenges
- Customizable themes
Read full descriptionHide full description
A fresh Sudoku-style logic game: fill each color region with 1–N and no adjacent repeats (even diagonally). Clean design, smart notes, hints, and difficulty from Easy to Expert. Highlights: Color regions: each region uses numbers 1–N once. No repeats: adjacent cells (incl. diagonals) can’t match. Play your way: Notes, Undo/Redo, and Hints when stuck. Progression: Easy → Expert with daily challenges. Custom themes: pick palettes that match your mood. How to play: Tap a cell and place a number. Use notes to track candidates. Complete every region with 1–N, with no matching neighbors.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Cracking the Cryptic at none against Color Sudoku's shown. Cracking the Cryptic also leads on ratings volume (210 vs 10). Color Sudoku's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (100% vs 72%). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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. Cracking the Cryptic sells 13 one-off in-app purchases and Color Sudoku sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Color Sudoku holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cracking the Cryptic has 210 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Cracking the Cryptic's written reviews are positive against 100% of Color Sudoku's.
Cracking the Cryptic ships an update every 3 weeks, Color Sudoku every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cracking the Cryptic | Color Sudoku |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (210 ratings) | 4.9 (10 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 72.1% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 210 — better | 10 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 234 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nick Carney | MigoApps, LLC |
Customer experience
Cracking the Cryptic
Color Sudoku
Bugs and requests
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
Color Sudoku
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Cracking the Cryptic
- CTC Worms - James Sinclair$0.99
- CTC Worms - Marty Sears$0.99
- CTC Worms - Zetamath$1.99
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- 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
Color Sudoku
- 10 Hints$0.99
- 25 Hints$1.99
- Remove ads$1.99
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- 50 Hints$2.99
- 125 Hints$4.99
Questions
Is Cracking the Cryptic free?
Is Color Sudoku free?
Which has better reviews, Cracking the Cryptic or Color Sudoku?
Do Cracking the Cryptic or Color Sudoku have ads?
Which is updated more often, Cracking the Cryptic or Color Sudoku?
Other comparisons















