# Genius Puzzles vs Cryptogram Tale

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Genius Puzzles | Cryptogram Tale |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (466 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/genius-puzzles/id545640777/reviews) | [4.6 (1.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cryptogram-tale/id966436749/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 466 | **1.6K** |
| Positive reviews | 63.1% of reviews | **72.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 16 MB | 160 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.6** | 17.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Pirate Monkey Studios LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/393107357) | [GammaLateral LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/685178329) |

## 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 Tale

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cryptogram-tale/id966436749)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Get 30 Hints | $0.99 | one-time |
| Get 70 Hints | $1.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- Progress getting deleted
- Ads not loading properly
- Keyboard not opening automatically

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*