Comparison

Line Sweeper vs Cracking the Cryptic

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

Head to head
About

Line Sweeper

This puzzle game challenges you to create a single, continuous loop by strategically placing lines. Numbered tiles indicate how many adjacent spaces must be part of the path, with a "check" function to help identify errors. It offers over 500 levels across five difficulty settings.

Highlights
  • Create a single continuous loop
  • Numbered tiles guide path placement
  • Over 500 levels
  • 5 difficulty levels
  • "Check" function highlights wrong lines
  • Autosave unfinished levels
  • Record best completion times
Features
Read full description

Linesweeper is puzzle similar to Minesweeper. Your aim is to create a single continuous non-intersecting loop. The numbered tiles can't be passed through. The number means how many of the 8 surrounding tiles should contain some part of the solution path. Linesweeper is originally invented by Jak Marshall. **** Linesweeper features **** # Content - 5 difficulty levels - more than 500 levels # Features - "Check" function can highlight wrong lines - option to enable automatically highlight wrong lines - Automatically indicate correct numbers - Autosave the process of unfinished levels - Record best completion time for each level # Challenge - Game Center Achievements - Try to complete as many levels as possible

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!

Screenshots

Line Sweeper4 screens
Cracking the Cryptic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Cracking the Cryptic at none against Line Sweeper's shown. Cracking the Cryptic also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (208 vs 8). Line Sweeper's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (86% vs 72%). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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. Line Sweeper sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Cracking the Cryptic sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Line Sweeper holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cracking the Cryptic has 208 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of Line Sweeper's written reviews are positive against 72% of Cracking the Cryptic's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Line Sweeper ships an update every 6 months, Cracking the Cryptic every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Line Sweeper versus Cracking the Cryptic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLine SweeperCracking the Cryptic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (8 ratings) — better4.4 (208 ratings)
Positive reviews85.7% of reviews — better72.1% of reviews
Number of ratings8208 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB234 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStanley LamNick Carney

Customer experience

Line Sweeper

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral14.3%
Negative0.0%

Cracking the Cryptic

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

Bugs and requests

Line Sweeper

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or 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

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Line Sweeper

One-time1
  • Upgrade to Full Version$0.99
13 purchases

Cracking the Cryptic

One-time13
  • CTC Worms - James Sinclair$0.99
  • CTC Worms - Marty Sears$0.99
  • CTC Worms - Zetamath$1.99
Show 10 more
  • 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 Line Sweeper free?
Line Sweeper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cracking the Cryptic free?
Cracking the Cryptic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Line Sweeper or Cracking the Cryptic?
Line Sweeper is rated higher. Line Sweeper averages 4.6 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Cracking the Cryptic averages 4.4 from 208 ratings.
Do Line Sweeper or Cracking the Cryptic have ads?
Line Sweeper shows ads; Cracking the Cryptic does not.
Which is updated more often, Line Sweeper or Cracking the Cryptic?
Line Sweeper ships an update every 6 months, and Cracking the Cryptic every 3 weeks. Most recently, Line Sweeper was updated on October 1, 2026 and Cracking the Cryptic on October 14, 2026.

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