# Cracking the Cryptic vs Pathways

The clearest difference is rating: Pathways at 4.8 against Cracking the Cryptic's 4.4. Pathways also leads on review sentiment (90% vs 72%). Cracking the Cryptic's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (210 vs 27). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Cracking the Cryptic sells 13 one-off in-app purchases and Pathways sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Pathways holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cracking the Cryptic has 210 ratings behind it against 27, 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 90% of Pathways's.

Cracking the Cryptic ships an update every 3 weeks, Pathways every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cracking the Cryptic | Pathways |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (210 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cracking-the-cryptic/id1629992934/reviews) | **[4.8 (27 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pathways-spatial-logic-puzzle/id6754125972/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **210** | 27 |
| Positive reviews | 72.1% of reviews | **90.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 234 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nick Carney](https://appshunter.io/developer/1434235673) | [William Arbuckle](https://appshunter.io/developer/1846740693) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Pathways

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pathways-spatial-logic-puzzle/id6754125972)

A minimalist logic puzzle game where players guide a dot to its home space by drawing colored paths. It offers increasing difficulty levels and daily challenges, with an option for advanced features like custom level creation.

**Highlights:** Draw colored paths to guide a dot, Solve spatial reasoning puzzles, Progress through increasing grid sizes, Daily timed puzzles with score sharing, Create and share custom levels, No ads, playable offline

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Support Developpment | $0.99 | one-time |
| Support Developpment | $1.99 | one-time |
| Support Developpment | $4.99 | one-time |
| Pathways PRO | $7.99 | one-time |
| Support Developpment | $7.99 | one-time |
| Support Developpment | $9.99 | one-time |
| Support Developpment | $14.99 | one-time |
| Support Developpment | $19.99 | one-time |
| Support Developpment | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cracking the Cryptic free?

Cracking the Cryptic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Pathways free?

Pathways is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Cracking the Cryptic or Pathways?

Pathways is rated higher. Cracking the Cryptic averages 4.4 out of 5 from 210 ratings, while Pathways averages 4.8 from 27 ratings.

### Do Cracking the Cryptic or Pathways have ads?

Neither Cracking the Cryptic nor Pathways shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Cracking the Cryptic or Pathways?

Cracking the Cryptic ships an update every 3 weeks, and Pathways every 2 months. Most recently, Cracking the Cryptic was updated on October 25, 2026 and Pathways on October 24, 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.*