# Hacktivate vs SEC_CORE

The clearest difference is update cadence: Hacktivate at weekly against SEC_CORE's every 7 months. SEC_CORE's advantage is iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hacktivate sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and SEC_CORE sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Hacktivate ships an update weekly, SEC_CORE every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hacktivate | SEC_CORE |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (33 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacktivate-capture-the-flag/id6748286602/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **33** | — |
| Positive reviews | 88.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 184 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.6** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hudson Heavy Industries](https://appshunter.io/developer/1727337256) | [Gregory Hogan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1835199521) |

## What reviewers say

### Hacktivate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacktivate-capture-the-flag/id6748286602)

Engage in a cybersecurity challenge with 240 missions across a global map, utilizing real hacking techniques. Learn skills from basic ciphers to advanced firewalls, with tutorials and scalable difficulty.

**Highlights:** 240 graded cybersecurity missions, Real-world hacking techniques, Hacker's Toolbox (hashing, encryption, ciphers), Global progression across continents, Comprehensive tutorials and documentation, Scalable difficulty for all levels, Cross-device sync (iPhone, iPad, Mac)

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hint Packet | $0.99 | one-time |
| Hint Payload | $3.99 | one-time |
| Hint Overload | $9.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Campaign | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great set of puzzles
- 👍 Fun and educational
- 👍 Brain-building
- 👍 Great idea, great implementation
- 👍 Great game

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 The price of the full game

**Reported bugs**

- 🐛 Useless but paid-for hint system

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option


### SEC_CORE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sec-core/id6760374046)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SEC_COREOPT | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hacktivate free?

Hacktivate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is SEC_CORE free?

SEC_CORE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Hacktivate or SEC_CORE have ads?

Neither Hacktivate nor SEC_CORE shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hacktivate or SEC_CORE?

Hacktivate ships an update weekly, and SEC_CORE every 7 months. Most recently, Hacktivate was updated on October 28, 2026 and SEC_CORE on October 31, 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.*