Comparison

Cracking the Cryptic vs Three Moves

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

Three Moves

Guide a ceramic fox through handcrafted puzzles by making three strategic moves. Solve 48 unique challenges across four chapters, utilizing garden elements like hedges and planters to reach the fountain. Enjoy a relaxing, ad-supported experience with optional hints and unlimited undos.

Highlights
  • 48 handcrafted puzzles
  • Four chapters
  • Three-move mechanic
  • No timer, unlimited undo
  • Offline play
  • Original ceramic artwork
  • Accessibility features
Features
Read full description

A little garden. Three moves. Guide a curious ceramic fox to its fountain in 48 handcrafted puzzles across four chapters. Every swipe moves the fox and every flower planter together. Hedges shape your path, planters become helpful stopping points, and pressure stones open matching bamboo gates. Finish with the fox resting at the fountain after exactly three moves. Take all the time you need. • 48 puzzles across four chapters, from your first slide to two intertwined circuits. • No timer, with unlimited undo, retry, and optional hints. • An illustrated tutorial explaining every garden piece. • Original ceramic artwork and mellow lo-fi music. • Direction buttons, VoiceOver board inspection, larger text, and Reduce Motion support. • Every puzzle works offline. No game account required. Free to play with occasional ads between completed puzzles. A one-time Remove Ads purchase removes advertising without changing your progress. No subscription. Advertising and purchases require a connection; puzzles do not.

Screenshots

Cracking the Cryptic4 screens
Three Moves4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Three Moves at 5.0 against Cracking the Cryptic's 4.4. Cracking the Cryptic's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (211 vs 2). On price, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 10 one-off in-app purchases and Three Moves sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Three Moves holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cracking the Cryptic has 211 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Cracking the Cryptic versus Three Moves: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCracking the CrypticThree Moves
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (211 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings211 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks—
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size234 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNick CarneyKing Of The Hour, LLC

Customer experience

Cracking the Cryptic

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

Three Moves

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Three Moves

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Cracking the Cryptic

One-time10
  • CTC Worms - James Sinclair$0.99
  • CTC Worms - Marty Sears$0.99
  • CTC Worms - Michael Lefkowitz$1.99
Show 7 more
  • 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
1 purchases

Three Moves

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$0.99

Questions

Is Cracking the Cryptic free?
Cracking the Cryptic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Three Moves free?
Three Moves is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Cracking the Cryptic or Three Moves?
Three Moves is rated higher. Cracking the Cryptic averages 4.4 out of 5 from 211 ratings, while Three Moves averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Cracking the Cryptic or Three Moves have ads?
Three Moves shows ads; Cracking the Cryptic does not.

Other comparisons