Comparison

Phantolex vs Jack & Detectives

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

Head to head
About

Phantolex

A unique word game where the objective is to avoid spelling a complete word. Players take turns adding letters, strategically using powers to outmaneuver opponents and progress through challenging, endless levels. Lose, and it's game over.

Highlights
  • Avoid spelling words
  • Turn-based letter adding
  • Strategic power-ups
  • Endless challenging levels
  • Unlock rewards
Features
Read full description

“Top 5 Games of the Week” – Pocket Gamer “Phantolex is smart, brain-teasing, [and] throws surprises” – Metro.co.uk "Best and freshest [word game] on iPhone” – Stuff.tv Phantolex is a rogue-like word game with a twist: the goal is to avoid spelling the word. Think of it like hot potato - you'll take turns adding letters, but don't be the one to finish the word. As you progress, you'll use powers and face tougher levels, but if you lose, it's game over! How to Play: - Build Words: Take turns against Casp adding letters and avoid being the one to complete a word. - Strategic Powers: Use powers like Letter Rewind, Bluff Stopper, and Word Connoisseur to gain an edge. - Endless Levels: Progress through increasingly challenging levels, unlock rewards, and win a run!

About

Jack & Detectives

Engage in a turn-based social deduction game where one player is Jack the Ripper and others are detectives. Communicate only through actions to uncover the killer. Games are quick, and no players are eliminated.

Highlights
  • Turn-based gameplay
  • Social deduction mechanics
  • No player elimination
  • Cross-platform online play
  • Avatar customization
  • Match replays
  • Single-player mode
Features
Read full description

Jack the Ripper is hiding among us. Can you find him? In this turn-based detection game, two teams face off against each other: Jack the Ripper and the detectives. Jack has to get away with murder without being found out by the detectives, who in turn need to find out who he is. Unlike other detection games, you can't talk with the other players in Jack & Detectives, and you must figure out the truth based only on their actions. Players cannot get eliminated, so everyone gets to enjoy the game to its end. Furthermore, since a game only last ten minutes, you don't need to commit a lot of time just to play. ■ Jack: Commit murders without being found out. A serial killer lurking in the shadows. In order to win, he must make sure he isn't chosen during the voting phase. ■ Detectives: Find Jack, who is hidden among us. Private detectives hired by the London police. In order to win, they must correctly vote Jack out during the voting phase. ■ Jack maniac: Muddy the waters so that Jack isn't found. A maniac whose allegiance lies with Jack the Ripper. He wins if Jack wins, even if he gets voted out himself. The detectives must plan their moves to corner the suspect among them! At the start of each game, players are assigned a role at random. Then, everyone places their token on a London tile of their choosing. Jack must trick them and frame one of them! Once they have done so, night will fall, and Jack the Ripper will commit his first murder. (In certain cases, there will be no murder during the first night) Vote to choose whom to arrest! The detectives located near the crime scene will become suspects. Who's on justice's side? Who's the murderer among us? After the second murder, the voting phase starts. Everyone has to vote for the person that they think is secretly Jack the Ripper. This is where the real battle of wits between the detectives and Jack starts. ■ Cross-platform online play You can play online against console and mobile users. ■ Play against people from all over the world Win matches against worldwide challengers to earn rank points. Once you have enough rank points, your rank will go up. ■ Play with your friends Host a room to play against your friends! In room matches you can also customize the rules to your liking. ■ Personalize your avatar Lots of option to personalize your avatar, token, and animations. ■ Match replay Look back to the matches you've played in the past for useful insight. ■ Single-player mode Play against the computer to improve your skills.

Screenshots

Phantolex3 screens
Jack & Detectives4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Phantolex at none against Jack & Detectives's 6. Phantolex also leads on review sentiment (84% vs 53%) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Jack & Detectives sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Phantolex asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Phantolex holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 100 and 29 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of Phantolex's written reviews are positive against 53% of Jack & Detectives's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Phantolex versus Jack & Detectives: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhantolexJack & Detectives
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (100 ratings) — better4.5 (29 ratings)
Positive reviews84.0% of reviews — better53.4% of reviews
Number of ratings100 — better29
Update frequencyEvery 2 daysEvery 2 days
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS13.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size85 MB524 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTyler GreenCuriouspark, Inc.

Customer experience

Phantolex

All ratings97 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive84.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative12.0%

Jack & Detectives

All ratings29 ratings
Positive89.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.3%
Written reviews58 reviews
Positive53.4%
Neutral13.8%
Negative32.8%

Bugs and requests

Phantolex

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Invalid word flagged as completed
  • False positive for invalid words
  • Win/Defeat bug on run completion
  • Ad not working to continue game

Requested features

7 requests
  • Multiplayer option (1v1)
  • Definitions for words
  • Portuguese version
  • Overrule game's word errors
  • More facial expressions for Casp
Show 2 more
  • Holiday themes for UI
  • Festive characters for holidays

Jack & Detectives

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Phantolex

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Jack & Detectives

One-time6
  • 200 Coin$0.99
  • 1320 Coins$5.99
  • 3000 Coins$11.99
Show 3 more
  • 6900 Coins$23.99
  • 16000 Coins$47.49
  • 39200 Coins$94.99

Questions

Is Phantolex free?
Phantolex is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Jack & Detectives free?
Jack & Detectives is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Phantolex or Jack & Detectives?
Phantolex is rated higher. Phantolex averages 4.7 out of 5 from 100 ratings, while Jack & Detectives averages 4.5 from 29 ratings.
Do Phantolex or Jack & Detectives have ads?
Both Phantolex and Jack & Detectives show ads.
Which is updated more often, Phantolex or Jack & Detectives?
Phantolex ships an update every 2 days, and Jack & Detectives every 2 days. Most recently, Phantolex was updated on October 22, 2026 and Jack & Detectives on October 23, 2026.

Other comparisons