Comparison

Go Cryptic vs Foolscap

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

Head to head
About

Go Cryptic

Solve challenging cryptic clues daily against the clock. Improve your skills, climb leaderboards, and compete with friends. Features hints and a streak indicator for enhanced gameplay.

Highlights
  • Daily cryptic clues
  • Timed challenges
  • Streak indicator
  • Optional hints
  • Real-time head-to-head play
  • Global and group leaderboards
  • Submit your own clues
Features
Read full description

Go Cryptic challenges you to solve cryptic clues against the clock. Leant to solve, get better everyday. Each day gives you two clues — one easy and one hard. Use hints wisely, solve quickly, and climb the leaderboards. Beat the clock to earn maximum points Streak indicator Optional hints to help you crack trickier clues Play head-to-head in real time Leaderboards — compete with players worldwide, create and join groups to compete against your friends, family and colleagues Submit clues and see your clue featured as clue of the day Go Cryptic brings classic cryptic puzzle-solving into a fast, competitive format you can play anytime. https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Foolscap

Features
Read full description

A short ladder of cryptic clues every morning, five to seven of them, and after each answer you see exactly how the clue was built. Solve a rung and Foolscap opens the clue beside your answer: which words were the definition, and what the anagram, hidden word or charade did to reach it. A new ladder is composed on your iPhone each day and never repeats. Two rungs of every ladder are free, and the whole ladder is free for your first three days. Foolscap Plus opens the rest of each day's ladder and every past day. THE WHY, SHOWN EVERY TIME A cryptic clue has two halves: a straight definition, and a piece of wordplay that reaches the same answer by a different road. Most people know that in theory and still cannot see it in a live clue. So every time you solve a rung, Foolscap names the route: which words were the definition, and what the setter did to the rest. After a few mornings the patterns start to look familiar, and clues you would once have skipped begin to give way. HOW THE LADDER CLIMBS Each rung you solve hands one letter to the next rung, inked in the margin the moment you set it. Nothing you work out is wasted, and the ladder gets easier as you climb. Every ladder has a theme, named at the top of the sheet. EVERY CLUE IS CHECKED BEFORE YOU SEE IT Each clue is verified on your device before it is shown: the wordplay leads to the answer, the definition fits, and no other word also solves it. A clue that cannot be made fair is never shown, so you are not left stuck on something that was broken from the start. WHO IT IS FOR People who have always wanted to read a cryptic and never had one explained, and regular solvers who want a short, fair ladder with their coffee instead of a full grid. A ladder takes about five to twelve minutes. Stuck on a rung? Show the answer and you still get the wordplay. A QUIET DAILY RITUAL • A fresh, fair cryptic ladder every day • Every solve reveals its own wordplay • No streak counter and no timer • Calm, letterpress design made for a slow morning solve PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Composed on your iPhone. Nothing leaves your device. • No account, no email, no ads, no tracking • Works offline, including in airplane mode • The archive is recomposed on your phone when you open a day. Nothing is stored or uploaded. WHAT IS FREE AND WHAT PLUS ADDS Two rungs of every ladder are free, and the whole ladder is free for your first three days after installing. Foolscap Plus opens the complete daily ladder every day and the full archive of past days, each one recomposed on your phone when you open it. SUBSCRIPTION TERMS Foolscap Plus is an auto-renewing subscription. • Annual: $59.99 per year, with a 7-day free trial • Monthly: $9.99 per month A one-time Foolscap Plus Lifetime purchase ($99.99) is also available. It is not a subscription and it never renews. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. A subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription, and turn off auto-renew, in Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Privacy Policy: https://hadgerapps.github.io/foolscap/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://hadgerapps.github.io/foolscap/terms Foolscap makes no claim to improve your memory, vocabulary, or cognition. It is a calm word game, made to be enjoyed.

Screenshots

Go Cryptic4 screens
Foolscap3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Go Cryptic at every 2 days against Foolscap's every 6 weeks. Go Cryptic also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Go Cryptic sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Foolscap sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Go Cryptic ships an update every 2 days, Foolscap every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Go Cryptic versus Foolscap: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGo CrypticFoolscap
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB5 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperDavid HoldenVassiliy Shmigirilov

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Go Cryptic

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Premium$19.991 Year
3 purchases

Foolscap

Subscriptions2
  • Foolscap Plus (Monthly)$9.991 Month
  • Foolscap Plus (Annual)7 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time1
  • Foolscap Plus Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is Go Cryptic free?
Go Cryptic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Foolscap free?
Foolscap is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Go Cryptic or Foolscap have ads?
Neither Go Cryptic nor Foolscap shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Go Cryptic or Foolscap?
Go Cryptic ships an update every 2 days, and Foolscap every 6 weeks. Most recently, Go Cryptic was updated on October 30, 2026 and Foolscap on October 31, 2026.

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