Hashi vs Cracking the Cryptic
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hashi
Connect islands by drawing bridges based on the number of connections each island requires. This logic puzzle game offers a challenging yet accessible experience for all ages, sharpening cognitive skills with unique puzzles updated weekly.
- Connect islands with bridges
- Logic-based puzzles
- 200+ free puzzles
- Weekly bonus puzzle
- Multiple difficulty levels
- Unlimited undo/redo
- Highlighting options
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Connect bridges between islands to form one interconnecting path! Hashi are addictive bridge-connecting puzzles which were invented in Japan. Using pure logic and requiring no math to solve, these fascinating puzzles offer endless fun and intellectual entertainment to puzzle fans of all skills and ages. Each puzzle is based on a rectangular arrangement of circles, where each circle represents an island and the number in each island tells how many bridges are connected to it. The object is to connect all islands according to the number of bridges so that there are no more than two bridges in the same direction and all bridges are interconnected enabling passage from any island to another. To create a bridge simply swipe your fingertip between two islands. The game also features highlighting options, helping see in which directions bridges are allowed and whether an island segment is about to become isolated. To help see the puzzle progress, graphic previews in the puzzle list show the progress of all puzzles in a volume as they are being solved. A Gallery view option provides these previews in a larger format. For more fun, Hashi contains no ads and includes a Weekly Bonus section providing an extra free puzzle each week. PUZZLE FEATURES • 200 free Hashi puzzles • Extra bonus puzzle published free each week • Multiple difficulty levels from very easy to extremely hard • Grid sizes up to 24x32 • Puzzle library continuously updates with new content • Manually selected, top quality puzzles • Unique solution for each puzzle • Hours of intellectual challenge and fun • Sharpens logic and improves cognitive skills GAMING FEATURES • No ads • Unlimited check puzzle • Optional bridge error warning during gameplay • Unlimited Undo and Redo • Highlight allowed bridge directions • Highlight bridge segments • Concurrently playing and saving multiple puzzles • Puzzle filtering, sorting and archiving options • Dark Mode support • Graphic previews showing puzzles progress as they are being solved • Portrait and landscape screen support (iPad only) • Track puzzle solving times • Backup & restore puzzle progress to iCloud ABOUT Hashi have also become popular under other names such as Bridges, Chopsticks and Hashiwokakero. Similar to Sudoku, Kakuro and Slitherlink, the puzzles are solved using logic alone. All puzzles in this app are produced by Conceptis Ltd. - the leading supplier of logic puzzles to printed and electronic gaming media all over the world. On average, more than 20 million Conceptis puzzles are solved each day in newspapers, magazines, books and online as well as on smartphones and tablets across the world. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.conceptispuzzles.com/index.aspx?uri=info/doc/220
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!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Hashi at 4.9 against Cracking the Cryptic's 4.4. Hashi also leads on review sentiment (94% vs 72%) and ratings volume (1K vs 210). Cracking the Cryptic's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, ads, 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
Both are free to download. Hashi sells 15 one-off in-app purchases and Cracking the Cryptic sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Hashi holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1K and 210 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of Hashi's written reviews are positive against 72% of Cracking the Cryptic's.
Hashi ships an update every 4 months, Cracking the Cryptic every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hashi | Cracking the Cryptic |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (1K ratings) — better | 4.4 (210 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 94.4% of reviews — better | 72.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1K — better | 210 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 234 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Conceptis Ltd. | Nick Carney |
Customer experience
Hashi
Cracking the Cryptic
User reviews
Hashi
From 1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🔒 No intrusive ads
- 🚀 Smooth gameplay and controls
- 💡 Variety of difficulty levels
- 👍 Clean and well-designed interface
Room to improve
- 💰 Expensive for additional puzzle packs
- 🐛 Occasional bugs or glitches
- 💡 Lack of a bookmark/save feature for harder puzzles
Cracking the Cryptic
From 210 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Best sudoku app
- 👍 Great variety of puzzles
- 👍 Excellent user interface
- 👍 Challenging and fun puzzles
- 👍 Constant updates with new puzzles
Room to improve
- 🐛 Hints are often incorrect or unhelpful
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes, especially after updates
- 🔋 Battery draining issues
- 🔒 Too many in-app purchases required to access content
Bugs and requests
Hashi
Reported bugs
3 issues- App sometimes crashes or freezes
- Accidental bridge drawing due to sensitivity issues
- Puzzle progress not saving properly
Requested features
3 requests- More free puzzles or content updates
- Ability to save/bookmark progress on harder puzzles
- Hint system or tutorial for learning the game
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
In-app purchases
Hashi
- Hard Snacks 1$0.99
- Easy Variety 1$1.99
- Medium Variety 1$1.99
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- Hard Variety 1$1.99
- Easy Variety 2$1.99
- Medium Variety 2$1.99
- Hard Variety 2$1.99
- Medium Variety 3$1.99
- Hard Variety 3$1.99
- Big & Medium 1$1.99
- Big & Tough 1$1.99
- Easy Variety - Large 1$2.99
- Medium Variety - Large 1$2.99
- Hard Mega 1$3.99
- Medium Mega 1$3.99
Cracking the Cryptic
- CTC Worms - James Sinclair$0.99
- CTC Worms - Marty Sears$0.99
- CTC Worms - Zetamath$1.99
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- 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
Questions
Is Hashi free?
Is Cracking the Cryptic free?
Which has better reviews, Hashi or Cracking the Cryptic?
Do Hashi or Cracking the Cryptic have ads?
Which is updated more often, Hashi or Cracking the Cryptic?
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