Cracking the Cryptic vs Northsense
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
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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!
Northsense
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Northsense is a 90-second daily exercise for your sense of direction. Every day, the app names a bearing — north, southwest, 47 degrees — and asks you to point your iPhone at it. Tap to lock when you think you're aimed right; we measure the angular error and score the round. Five rounds make a Daily Quest. Get under 30° average error and your streak counts up. It's not a navigation tool. It's a training game — for hikers, orienteers, sailors, walkers, geocachers, kids learning geography, or anyone who likes a small daily mental warm-up. FOUR MODES • Daily Quest — five rounds, a fresh combination of bearings every day. Build a streak. • Free Practice — pick your own target. Tap as many times as you like. • No-eyes Quest (Pro) — voice prompts and haptics only. Close your eyes and trust your instinct. • Memory Walk (Pro) — face a direction, walk a few steps in any way you like, then point back from memory. Daily Quest and Free Practice are free. Northsense Pro, a one-time in-app purchase, unlocks No-eyes Quest and Memory Walk. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account. No cloud. No analytics, advertising, or tracking. Every score stays on your device. Apple's own CoreLocation and CoreMotion frameworks read heading and step data only while you're inside a round. WORKS WITH WHAT YOU HAVE • iPhone with a magnetometer (any model from the last decade). • Home Screen Widget showing today's streak and the last seven days. • Live Activity on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island during a quest. A daily minute. A sharper compass instinct. ---
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Northsense at none against Cracking the Cryptic's 13. Cracking the Cryptic's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and ads 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. Northsense asks for nothing beyond the download.
Cracking the Cryptic ships an update every 3 weeks, Northsense every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cracking the Cryptic | Northsense |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (208 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 72.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 208 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 234 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nick Carney | Ilia Filiaev |
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
Northsense
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
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- 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
Northsense
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Cracking the Cryptic free?
Is Northsense free?
Do Cracking the Cryptic or Northsense have ads?
Which is updated more often, Cracking the Cryptic or Northsense?
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