# Genius Puzzles vs Cryptogram

The clearest difference is update cadence: Cryptogram at every 3 days against Genius Puzzles's every 3 months. On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Genius Puzzles sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Cryptogram sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Genius Puzzles against 4.7 for Cryptogram. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 470 and 499 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of Genius Puzzles's written reviews are positive against 69% of Cryptogram's.

Genius Puzzles ships an update every 3 months, Cryptogram every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Genius Puzzles | Cryptogram |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (470 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/genius-puzzles/id545640777/reviews) | **[4.7 (499 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cryptogram-word-puzzle-game/id1549190465/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 470 | **499** |
| Positive reviews | 63.5% of reviews | **68.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 16 MB | 71 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Pirate Monkey Studios LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/393107357) | [Berkay Saglam](https://appshunter.io/developer/1549190677) |

## What reviewers say

### Genius Puzzles

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/genius-puzzles/id545640777)

Engage your mind with over 40 unique logic and brain games in a single app. Enjoy dynamically generated puzzles, expert tips, and offline play. Sync your progress across devices and compete on leaderboards.

**Highlights:** 40+ unique logic games, Dynamically generated puzzles, Expert Pro Tips and guides, Offline play supported, iCloud progress syncing, Game Center leaderboards

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Variety of puzzle games
- 🚀 Unlimited puzzles
- 💰 Free with minimal ads
- 🕹️ Intuitive controls
- 🧠 Challenging logic puzzles

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs in specific games (Filling, Undead, Pattern)
- 🔍 Unclear instructions for some puzzles
- 🎨 Outdated or unappealing visual design
- 🕹️ Clunky controls (pencil feature, reset button missing)
- 🔄 Inability to see completed puzzle after solving

**Reported bugs**

- Filling game numbers off by 1
- Undead game solutions not following rules
- Pattern game generating unsolvable puzzles
- Puzzle progress not saving/resetting unexpectedly

**Requested features**

- Add reset button for puzzles
- Improve pencil/notation functionality
- Provide more detailed instructions for puzzles
- Introduce a hint system or solution viewer
- Add more advanced/larger puzzle sizes


### Cryptogram

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cryptogram-word-puzzle-game/id1549190465)

Decrypt famous quotes in this engaging word puzzle game. Solve cryptograms to unlock wisdom, motivation, and inspiration. Features various categories, authors, difficulty levels, and customization options.

**Highlights:** Decrypt famous quotes, Select categories and authors, Four difficulty levels, Save favorite quotes, Hints available, Share solved quotes, Multiple color schemes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cryptogram Plus | $0.99 | per month |
| Cryptogram Plus | $2.99 | per month |
| Cryptogram Plus | $9.99 | per year |
| 5 Hints | $0.99 | one-time |
| 15 Hints | $1.99 | one-time |
| Offline Quotes | $2.99 | one-time |
| 30 Hints | $3.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $4.99 | one-time |
| 80 Hints | $8.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and intuitive user interface
- 🎮 Multiple difficulty levels for all skill levels
- 📚 Wide variety of quote categories
- 💰 Minimal ads compared to other apps
- 🧠 Engaging and mentally stimulating gameplay

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📺 Inappropriate and explicit ads appearing
- 🐛 Ads freezing the app mid-gameplay
- 📊 Data server issues affecting leaderboards
- ⚠️ GDPR compliance and data privacy concerns
- 💳 Payment issues with hint purchases

**Reported bugs**

- Ads freezing application and preventing progress
- Game completion not registering despite solving puzzle
- Hint system providing letters not in cryptogram
- Settings reverting to default after closing app
- Keyboard layout settings not saving properly

**Requested features**

- Home screen widget functionality
- Filter and search for favorite quotes
- Ad-free premium version option
- Color-coded cipher letters for pattern recognition
- Landscape mode support for tablets


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Genius Puzzles free?

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

### Is Cryptogram free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Genius Puzzles or Cryptogram?

Cryptogram is rated higher. Genius Puzzles averages 4.6 out of 5 from 470 ratings, while Cryptogram averages 4.7 from 499 ratings.

### Do Genius Puzzles or Cryptogram have ads?

Both Genius Puzzles and Cryptogram show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Genius Puzzles or Cryptogram?

Genius Puzzles ships an update every 3 months, and Cryptogram every 3 days. Most recently, Genius Puzzles was updated on October 29, 2026 and Cryptogram on October 29, 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.*