Red Herring vs The Hangman's Cipher
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Red Herring
Connect words into categories in this fun and challenging puzzle game. Watch out for misleading words designed to throw you off. With multiple difficulty levels and no time limit, it's suitable for all ages.
- Group words into categories
- Identify misleading 'Red Herring' words
- Challenging and thought-provoking gameplay
- No time limit
- Three difficulty levels
- Daily puzzle
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Red Herring is the word connections game. How to play: 1. Make the connections and group words into categories. 2. Look out for the Red Herrings, pesky words whose sole purpose is to mislead you. 3. Have fun making the connections! Red Herring is a FUN, CHALLENGING, and EASY TO LEARN word connections puzzle game. Each puzzle has only one correct solution and there's no time limit. Three difficulty levels make it suitable for the whole family. Don't say we didn't warn you if you can't stop playing. Give Red Herring a try today! From the creators of 7 Little Words and Moxie. ----- Red Herring contains 25 puzzles and a daily puzzle that you can play for free. Additional puzzles are available for purchase inside the app.
The Hangman's Cipher
A unique word puzzle game that combines classic Hangman with number ciphers and logic. Decode secret phrases across multiple difficulty levels with hand-drawn animations and global leaderboards. Earn daily rewards and choose to watch ads for extra coins.
- Number cipher decoding
- Multiple difficulty levels
- Daily rewards system
- Optional ad-supported coin system
- Hand-drawn animations
- Global leaderboards
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The Hangman's Cipher is a unique twist on classic word puzzles. Decode secret phrases using number ciphers, hints, and clever logic. Features: • 4 difficulty levels: Fun, Challenging, Annoying, Insane • Daily rewards & coin system • Buy hints, extra attempts, or reveal letters • Hand-drawn animations • Global leaderboards • No forced ads - watch only when you want extra coins Perfect for word game lovers, puzzle enthusiasts, and anyone who enjoys a good brain teaser. Can you crack the cipher? This game is dedicated to my Mother.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: The Hangman's Cipher at none against Red Herring's shown. The Hangman's Cipher also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Red Herring's advantage is ratings volume (48K vs 1). 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
Both are free to download. Red Herring sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and The Hangman's Cipher sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
The Hangman's Cipher holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Red Herring has 48K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Red Herring ships an update every 3 months, The Hangman's Cipher every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Red Herring | The Hangman's Cipher |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (48K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 48K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 81 MB | 150 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Blue Ox Family Games, Inc. | Joshua Bryson |
Bugs and requests
Red Herring
Reported bugs
3 issues- Formatting issues after updates
- Inability to access previous daily puzzles
- Ads that cannot be dismissed
Requested features
5 requests- More free daily puzzles
- Less American-focused content
- Dark mode option
- Ability to replay past puzzles
- Hints system improvements
The Hangman's Cipher
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Red Herring
- Curiosity - 50 Puzzles$1.99
- Brilliant! - 50 Puzzles$1.99
- Allegro - 50 Puzzles$1.99
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Spelunking - 50 Puzzles$1.99
- Renaissance - 50 Puzzles$1.99
- IQ - 50 Puzzles$1.99
- Serendipity - 50 Puzzles$1.99
- Unlimited Hints$2.99
- Older Daily Puzzles 2014 Jul - Dec$3.99
- Quantum Leap - 175 Puzzles$4.99
The Hangman's Cipher
- 20 Hc Coins$0.99
- 50 Hc Coins$1.99
- 99 Hc Coins$2.99
