Comparison

Cracking the Cryptic vs Crowns Logic Game

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
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!

About

Crowns Logic Game

This is a logic puzzle game where players strategically place crowns on a grid. Each row, column, and color region must have one crown, and adjacent cells cannot contain crowns. It offers over 1500 levels with varying difficulty and intuitive controls.

Highlights
  • Strategic crown placement
  • Grid-based logic puzzles
  • 1500+ difficulty levels
  • Progressive level unlocking
  • Intuitive tap controls
  • Automatic progress saving
Features
Read full description

Welcome to Crowns. Crowns is a puzzle game, expertly crafted to blend the timeless appeal of logic puzzles with innovative strategic elements. Designed to stand out in the gaming landscape, Crowns challenges players to master a sophisticated grid-based puzzle, where the goal is to strategically place crowns while adhering to specific rules. Each row, column, and color region must contain exactly one crown, and crowns cannot be placed in adjacent cells. Features: Intellectually Stimulating Gameplay: Engage in a unique mix of logic and strategy that will keep your mind sharp and entertained for hours. Visually Appealing Design: Enjoy a beautifully designed game with playful fonts and vibrant colors that enhance the gaming experience. Varied Difficulty Levels: Tackle over 1500 meticulously crafted levels, including easy, medium, hard, expert, legendary and more each offering a distinct challenge. Progressive Unlocking: Begin with the first level in each difficulty category and unlock new levels as you conquer each challenge. Simple, Intuitive Controls: Place and remove crowns with ease using straightforward tap controls, making the game accessible for all ages. Track Your Progress: Your progress is automatically saved, allowing you to resume your game anytime. Download Crowns now and dive into a world of logical challenges and strategic thinking. Whether you’re looking for a quick puzzle to solve or a complex challenge to immerse yourself in, Crowns offers something for everyone. Compete against your peers, climb the leaderboard, and prove your prowess. Can you complete all 60 levels and become the ultimate Crown Master? Find out today! Features: Engaging Gameplay: Enjoy a unique blend of logic puzzles and strategy, designed to keep your brain engaged and entertained. Beautiful Design: Experience a visually pleasing game with playful fonts and vibrant colors that make each level a joy to play. Multiple Difficulty Levels: Test your skills across 1500 easy, medium and hard levels, each carefully crafted to provide the perfect challenge. Progressive Unlocking: Start with the first level in each difficulty category and unlock new levels as you complete each challenge. Intuitive Controls: Easily place and remove crowns with simple tap controls, making the game accessible to players of all ages. Track Your Progress: Your progress is saved automatically, so you can pick up where you left off anytime.

Screenshots

Cracking the Cryptic4 screens
Crowns Logic Game4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Cracking the Cryptic at none against Crowns Logic Game's shown. Cracking the Cryptic also leads on review sentiment (72% vs 61%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Crowns Logic Game's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Cracking the Cryptic sells 13 one-off in-app purchases and Crowns Logic Game sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Crowns Logic Game holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Crowns Logic Game has 2.5K ratings behind it against 208, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 72% of Cracking the Cryptic's written reviews are positive against 61% of Crowns Logic Game's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cracking the Cryptic ships an update every 3 weeks, Crowns Logic Game every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Cracking the Cryptic versus Crowns Logic Game: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCracking the CrypticCrowns Logic Game
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (208 ratings)4.8 (2.5K ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.1% of reviews — better60.7% of reviews
Number of ratings2082.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size234 MB126 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNick CarneyBenjamin Miller

Customer experience

Cracking the Cryptic

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

Crowns Logic Game

All ratings2,457 ratings
Positive96.6%
Neutral1.8%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews122 reviews
Positive60.7%
Neutral19.7%
Negative19.7%

User reviews

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

Crowns Logic Game

From 2.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great game
  • 🚀 No ads or interruptions
  • 🚀 Lots of levels
  • 👍 Simple and no-nonsense design

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Multiple solutions possible for some levels
  • 🔍 Hints not very helpful
  • 🔍 Difficulty not increasing enough at higher levels
  • 🔍 Repetitive level designs

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

Crowns Logic Game

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Levels with multiple solutions
  • Ads appearing despite purchase to remove them
  • Incorrect placement detection
  • Repeated levels after certain point

Requested features

6 requests
  • More challenging levels
  • Unique solutions for all levels
  • Better hints and level progression
  • Undo button
  • Sync progress across devices
Show 1 more
  • Dark mode and customization options

In-app purchases

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
10 purchases

Crowns Logic Game

One-time10
  • Premium Icon Pack$0.99
  • Unlock All Levels$0.99
  • 100 Hints$0.99
Show 7 more
  • All Star Pack$1.99
  • Legends Pack$1.99
  • Symmetry Pack$1.99
  • Grandmaster Pack$1.99
  • Remove Ads Only$5.99
  • All Level Packs$6.99
  • Remove Ads & Unlimited Hints$7.99

Questions

Is Cracking the Cryptic free?
Cracking the Cryptic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Crowns Logic Game free?
Crowns Logic Game is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Cracking the Cryptic or Crowns Logic Game?
Crowns Logic Game is rated higher. Cracking the Cryptic averages 4.4 out of 5 from 208 ratings, while Crowns Logic Game averages 4.8 from 2.5K ratings.
Do Cracking the Cryptic or Crowns Logic Game have ads?
Crowns Logic Game shows ads; Cracking the Cryptic does not.
Which is updated more often, Cracking the Cryptic or Crowns Logic Game?
Cracking the Cryptic ships an update every 3 weeks, and Crowns Logic Game every 5 days. Most recently, Cracking the Cryptic was updated on October 14, 2026 and Crowns Logic Game on October 17, 2026.

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