Comparison

Genius Puzzles vs Cryptogram Tale

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

Head to head
About

Genius Puzzles

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
Read full description

Master your mind with the most comprehensive logic puzzle collection on the App Store! Genius Puzzles brings you 40+ unique logic games in one elegant, ad-supported package. From classics like Traintracks and Flood to mind-bending challenges like Net, Slant, and Twiddle, there’s an infinite supply of puzzles for every skill level. Why Genius Puzzles? • 40+ Games in One: Why download 40 apps when you can have one? • Infinite Puzzles: Every grid is dynamically generated—you’ll never play the same puzzle twice. • Expert Help: Stuck? Every game now includes "Pro Tips" and refined guides to help you master the logic. • Beautifully Optimized: Seamless support for Dark Mode and full iPad multitasking (Split View & Slide Over). • Play Anywhere: No internet? No problem. All puzzles are available offline. • Sync Your Progress: Start a challenge on your iPhone and finish it on your iPad via iCloud. Challenge Yourself with: Traintracks, Flood, Net, Slant, Twiddle, Mines, Towers, Tents, Galaxies, and over 30 more! Join thousands of players and see how you rank on the Game Center leaderboards. If you enjoy the collection, consider removing ads with a one-time purchase to support future updates!

About

Cryptogram Tale

Decode encrypted messages to reveal hidden stories. This word puzzle game challenges you to break codes by substituting letters, offering hundreds of tales and thousands of cryptograms to solve. Customize your experience with various fonts and color schemes, and use hints when needed.

Highlights
  • Hundreds of tales
  • Thousands of cryptograms
  • Dozens of fonts
  • Different color schemes
  • In-game hints
Features
Read full description

Break the code and unravel the story! Can you decode all of the passages and discover the story within? Challenge yourself with this puzzle word game! A Cryptogram is a message encoded by switching the actual letters with different letters. • Hundreds of Tales! • Thousands of Cryptograms! • Dozens of Fonts! • Different color schemes! • Hints for when you're stuck!

Screenshots

Genius Puzzles3 screens
Cryptogram Tale4 screens

Verdict

The call

Genius Puzzles and Cryptogram Tale both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 72% of Cryptogram Tale's written reviews are positive against 63% of Genius Puzzles's. Cryptogram Tale also leads on ratings volume (1.6K vs 466). On price, rating, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Genius Puzzles sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Cryptogram Tale sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Genius Puzzles against 4.6 for Cryptogram Tale. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 466 and 1.6K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of Genius Puzzles's written reviews are positive against 72% of Cryptogram Tale's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Genius Puzzles versus Cryptogram Tale: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGenius PuzzlesCryptogram Tale
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (466 ratings)4.6 (1.6K ratings)
Positive reviews63.1% of reviews72.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4661.6K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.6 — better17.1
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB160 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperPirate Monkey Studios LLCGammaLateral LLC

Customer experience

Genius Puzzles

All ratings466 ratings
Positive90.3%
Neutral5.6%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews103 reviews
Positive63.1%
Neutral13.6%
Negative23.3%

Cryptogram Tale

All ratings1,591 ratings
Positive92.8%
Neutral3.2%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews138 reviews
Positive72.5%
Neutral8.7%
Negative18.8%

User reviews

Genius Puzzles

From 466 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

  • 🐛 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

Cryptogram Tale

From 1.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Hundreds of cryptograms
  • 📚 Interesting stories and literature
  • 👍 No ads unless you want a hint
  • 💡 Hints available by watching ads
  • 🔒 No glitches or annoying ads

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 🔍 Difficulty level not always clear
  • 🔍 Capitalized words revealed after first letter
  • 🔍 Some stories not well-suited for cryptograms
  • 🔍 Ads can't always be closed

Bugs and requests

Genius Puzzles

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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 Tale

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Progress getting deleted
  • Ads not loading properly
  • Keyboard not opening automatically

Requested features

6 requests
  • More modern and diverse stories
  • Ability to choose story titles
  • Cursor that skips to next blank space
  • Undo button
  • Trigger warnings for dark/disturbing content
Show 1 more
  • More classical music options

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Genius Puzzles

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99
3 purchases

Cryptogram Tale

One-time3
  • Get 30 Hints$0.99
  • Get 70 Hints$1.99
  • Remove Ads$9.99

Questions

Is Genius Puzzles free?
Genius Puzzles is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cryptogram Tale free?
Cryptogram Tale is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Genius Puzzles or Cryptogram Tale?
Genius Puzzles and Cryptogram Tale are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 466 and 1.6K ratings respectively.
Do Genius Puzzles or Cryptogram Tale have ads?
Both Genius Puzzles and Cryptogram Tale show ads.
Which is updated more often, Genius Puzzles or Cryptogram Tale?
Genius Puzzles ships an update every 3 months, and Cryptogram Tale every 3 months. Most recently, Genius Puzzles was updated on October 7, 2026 and Cryptogram Tale on October 15, 2026.

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