Comparison

What They See vs Cryptic Coach

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

Head to head
About

What They See

This app simulates various vision conditions and color blindness in real-time using your device's camera. Explore how different visual impairments and animal vision affect perception, with educational guides and sharing capabilities.

Highlights
  • Real-time vision condition simulation
  • Colorblindness simulation
  • Animal vision simulation
  • Dyslexia text transformation
  • In-depth educational guides
  • Photo and video capture with simulation
  • Sharing capabilities
Features
Read full description

Ever wondered what the world looks like through someone else's eyes? What They See turns your iPhone camera into a real-time vision simulator. Point it at anything and instantly see how someone with colorblindness, cataracts, myopia, or dyslexia experiences the world. Built with optometrists and educators in mind, but made for anyone who's ever been curious about how other people (and animals) see. VISION CONDITIONS - Myopia and hyperopia with depth-aware blur powered by LiDAR - Glaucoma, macular degeneration (dry and wet), retinitis pigmentosa, and diabetic retinopathy - Cataracts: nuclear, cortical, posterior, and mixed types - Astigmatism with full prescription and axis support, plus keratoconus - Presbyopia with an age slider from 40 to 70 - Floaters, visual snow, and night blindness - Drunk vision that shows how alcohol affects sight - Baby vision from newborn through 52 weeks of development COLORBLINDNESS - Deuteranopia, protanopia, tritanopia, and monochromacy - Adjustable severity so you can see mild to complete color shifts DYSLEXIA - Multiple research-backed simulation types available in 39 languages - Point your camera at any text and see it transform in real time ANIMAL VISION - See the world as a dog, cat, deer, bee, eagle, shark, octopus, fly, spider, owl, snake, mantis shrimp, and more - Ever wonder why your dog can't find the orange ball in green grass? Now you'll know. LEARN MORE WITH DEEP DIVES - Every simulation includes an in-depth educational guide - A deep dive for every simulation, with statistics, interactive charts, diagrams, and world maps - Understand the science behind each condition, not just what it looks like USE YOUR OWN PHOTOS - Import any photo from your library and apply any filter CAPTURE AND SHARE - Take photos and record video with any simulation active - Share what you see with family, students, patients, or friends NO SUBSCRIPTIONS - Buy only the filters you want, or unlock everything once. No subscriptions, ever. WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING "I can totally see how this is useful from a patient education perspective. Like showing a parent what their child's vision is like." - Optometrist "This would be extremely helpful! I have parents all the time asking me to describe what their kids see." - Optometrist "The colorblind filters are genius for helping me decide what colors to choose when trying to make things more accessible." - Board game designer "This is amazing! I'll probably be using it every day!" - Optometrist Whether you're an eye care professional explaining a diagnosis, a teacher building empathy in your classroom, a parent understanding your child's vision, or just someone curious about the world, What They See lets you step into someone else's perspective. Download now and see the world through new eyes. What They See is designed for educational purposes and is not intended for medical diagnosis. Vision is deeply personal, and individual experiences may vary. Our simulations are built on published research and developed in consultation with optometrists, special education teachers, dyslexia specialists, and veterinary professionals.

About

Cryptic Coach

Master cryptic crosswords with structured lessons and practice puzzles. Solve daily clues with video explanations and access a vault of past puzzles. Submit your own clues to join the community.

Highlights
  • Structured lessons
  • Curated practice puzzles
  • Daily clue with video explanation
  • Vault of past daily clues
  • Submit your own clues
  • Community solving
Features
Read full description

Cryptic Coach helps you master cryptic crosswords. Learn techniques through structured lessons, practice with curated puzzles, and solve a daily clue with video explanations. Access the vault of previous daily cryptic clues and submit your own clues for potential inclusion. Everything you need to improve your cryptic solving skills. We're just getting started, so expect regular updates and new features as we grow. Come join the community and let's solve together! Terms and conditions at: https://www.crypticcoach.com/terms

Screenshots

What They See4 screens
Cryptic Coach4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Cryptic Coach at 100% against What They See's 33%. Cryptic Coach also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.3) and update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). What They See's advantage is ratings volume (40 vs 2). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. What They See sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Cryptic Coach sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Cryptic Coach holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: What They See has 40 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of What They See's written reviews are positive against 100% of Cryptic Coach's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

What They See ships an update fortnightly, Cryptic Coach weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
What They See versus Cryptic Coach: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWhat They SeeCryptic Coach
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (40 ratings)4.5 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings40 — better2
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size85 MB40 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperSpecial Glasses LLCTEGS LABS LTD

Customer experience

What They See

All ratings39 ratings
Positive82.1%
Neutral5.1%
Negative12.8%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral22.2%
Negative44.4%

Cryptic Coach

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

10 purchases

What They See

One-time10
  • Astigmatism$1.99
  • Cataracts$1.99
  • Protanopia$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Tritanopia$1.99
  • Baby Vision$2.99
  • All Color Blindness$3.99
  • All Dyslexia Simulations$4.99
  • All Vision Impairments$12.99
  • Unlock Everything$14.99
  • Unlock Everything$24.99
2 purchases

Cryptic Coach

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Membership$8.991 Month
  • Yearly Membership3 Days trial$69.991 Year

Questions

Is What They See free?
What They See is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cryptic Coach free?
Cryptic Coach is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, What They See or Cryptic Coach?
Cryptic Coach is rated higher. What They See averages 4.3 out of 5 from 40 ratings, while Cryptic Coach averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.
Do What They See or Cryptic Coach have ads?
Neither What They See nor Cryptic Coach shows ads.
Which is updated more often, What They See or Cryptic Coach?
What They See ships an update fortnightly, and Cryptic Coach weekly. Most recently, What They See was updated on November 9, 2026 and Cryptic Coach on November 5, 2026.

Other comparisons