Comparison

Lone Star Puzzles vs Cipher

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

Head to head
About

Lone Star Puzzles

This logic puzzle game challenges you to place stars on a grid so that each row, column, and region has the correct number of stars, without any touching. Solve puzzles to reveal constellations and enjoy daily challenges and competitive modes.

Highlights
  • 12,500 unique puzzles
  • Interactive constellation sky map
  • Daily challenges with leaderboards
  • Challenge mode with opponents
  • Battle Rush mode
  • Intelligent hint system
  • Offline play
Features
Read full description

Somewhere in the night sky, the stars have scattered. Each one sits alone in its region, waiting to be placed — waiting to be found. Your mission: reunite them all. Lone Star is a beautifully crafted star-placement puzzle game inspired by the classic Star Battle logic genre. Place stars on the grid so that every row, column, and region contains exactly the right number — but no two stars may touch, not even diagonally. Simple to learn, deeply satisfying to master. A Sky Full of Stories Every puzzle you solve lights up a star in the constellation map. Watch as scattered points of light connect into the shapes of real constellations — Orion, Cassiopeia, Ursa Major, and more. Complete entire constellations to see the night sky come alive. Can you reunite every lone star with its constellation? 12,500 Puzzles Across Five Difficulty Levels - Beginner (6×6) — Learn the ropes with compact grids - Easy (7×7) — Build confidence with a bit more room - Medium (8×8) — A satisfying challenge for steady solvers - Hard (9×9) — Push your logic to the limit - Expert (10×10) — Only the sharpest minds prevail Three Daily Challenges Come back every day for fresh puzzles. Track your streak and compete on Game Center leaderboards for the fastest solve times. Challenge Mode Play against opponents in three difficulty levels. In the special Battle Rush mode, you race through five puzzles in a row! Features: - 12,500 unique puzzles - Interactive constellation sky map — trace 87 real constellations as you progress - Three daily challenges with separate leaderboards and streak tracking - Challenge mode, play against your opponent in three difficulty levels - Battle Rush: race through five puzzles in a row. The fastest wins! - Intelligent hint system when you need a gentle nudge - Undo, auto-save, and pick up right where you left off - Detailed statistics — track your times, streaks, and completion - No internet required — all puzzles included, play anywhere For Every Stargazer Whether you have five minutes or an hour, Lone Star offers the perfect balance of calm focus and logical challenge. Start with Beginner and work your way up to Expert as the puzzles grow in size and complexity. Every star has a place. Every constellation has a story. Find them all.

About

Cipher

Features
Read full description

No ads during puzzles. Every day, a new encoded quote waits for you. Crack the cipher, reveal the message, keep your streak alive. Tap a coded letter. Tap what you think it means. Watch the quote unlock - one letter at a time. - Daily puzzle, fresh every day - Free play with hundreds of quotes - Earn coins, use hints when stuck - Track your streak and stats - Dark, clean design built for focus Simple to learn. Satisfying to solve. By using this app, you agree to the Apple Standard Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Lone Star Puzzles4 screens
Cipher4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Cipher at none against Lone Star Puzzles's shown. Cipher also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 6 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, 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. Lone Star Puzzles sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Cipher sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lone Star Puzzles ships an update every 6 weeks, Cipher every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Lone Star Puzzles versus Cipher: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLone Star PuzzlesCipher
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 6 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlexander SehlkeEldar Tutnjic

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Lone Star Puzzles

Subscriptions1
  • Pro+$0.991 Month
One-time1
  • Pro Upgrade$2.99
6 purchases

Cipher

Subscriptions2
  • Cipher Pass Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Cipher Pass Yearly$17.991 Year
One-time4
  • 50 Coins$0.99
  • 120 Coins$1.99
  • 300 Coins$3.99
Show 1 more
  • Cipher Pass Lifetime$34.99

Questions

Is Lone Star Puzzles free?
Lone Star Puzzles is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cipher free?
Cipher is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Lone Star Puzzles or Cipher have ads?
Lone Star Puzzles shows ads; Cipher does not.
Which is updated more often, Lone Star Puzzles or Cipher?
Lone Star Puzzles ships an update every 6 weeks, and Cipher every 6 days. Most recently, Lone Star Puzzles was updated on October 23, 2026 and Cipher on October 13, 2026.

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