Comparison

Detectea vs Cold Case Tracer

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

Head to head
About

Detectea

Investigate fictional phones to uncover hidden secrets and solve mysteries. Explore messages, photos, and payments to piece together the truth and send proof to clients. Uncover new cases and secrets as you progress through interactive episodes.

Highlights
  • Investigate realistic fictional phone apps
  • Find clues in chats, photos, notes, payments, maps, emails
  • Send proof back to the client
  • Answer deduction questions
  • Use hints when stuck
  • Unlock new cases and secrets
Read full description

Detectea is a fake-phone mystery game built for anyone who lives for messy DMs, hidden receipts, suspicious timelines, and drama that does not add up. Every episode gives you a new fictional phone to investigate. Open familiar apps, search messages, photos, notes, payments, maps, calls, emails, and social DMs, then send the proof that actually matters. The truth is never in one place. You have to connect names, dates, locations, screenshots, payments, and tiny contradictions to figure out what really happened. In the first episode, Cindy says her boyfriend Noah disappears every Thursday night. She sends you a copy of his phone and asks you to find out what he is hiding. At first, it looks like a classic relationship mess. But the more you search, the more the story starts to turn. Why play Detectea? - Investigate realistic fictional phone apps - Find clues in chats, photos, notes, payments, maps, emails, and more - Send proof back to the client when you catch something important - Answer short deduction questions to connect the drama - Use hints when you are stuck - Unlock new cases, new phones, and new secrets across episodes Detectea is for players who like interactive stories, mystery games, clue hunting, gossip, relationship drama, and the feeling of finding the one screenshot that changes everything. All phone content is fictional and created for gameplay. Detectea does not access, display, or investigate any real person's private phone. Detectea Premium Subscription Plan: - Weekly: $4.99 - Yearly: $49.99 Payments and Renewal: * Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase. * Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. * Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period. * You can manage or turn off auto-renew in your Apple ID account settings at any time after purchase. * No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during the active subscription period. Privacy Policy: https://www.apptricksstudio.com/detectea/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Cold Case Tracer

Uncover the truth by examining a simulated phone's messages, photos, and data. Connect clues on an evidence board and accuse the killer in this interactive detective story. Your first case is free to play.

Highlights
  • Simulated phone with chats, photos, and data
  • Interactive live chat with client
  • Evidence board with red string connections
  • Escalating hint system
  • Multiple European case locations
  • Unlockable cases via subscription
Features
Read full description

Someone is lying. The phone knows. Redstring is a found-phone detective story. A client messages you in a live chat, hands you the victim's phone, and asks you to find the truth — from the first message to the final accusation. Every text, photo, voice memo, bank line and map ping is evidence. Read between the lines. Crack the passcodes. Pin the red string. Name the killer. YOUR FIRST CASE IS FREE Play "The Kessler File" from the opening message to the verdict — a full investigation, with no paywall in the middle of the story. A LIVE CHAT WITH THE CLIENT The person who knew the victim talks to you the whole way — asking the questions, reacting to your answers, and finally asking you to name a suspect. Type what you found; the story reacts. SNOOP A FULLY SIMULATED PHONE - Chats and DMs, including the deleted ones - A gallery with Hidden and Recently Deleted albums - Locked notes, voice memos, calendar, bank statements, browser tabs and location history - Every app can hide a clue. Nothing is random. PIN IT ON THE BOARD Your evidence board pins each discovery and links it with red string. Leave for days, come back, and the case is exactly where you left it — progress is saved per case. STUCK? ASK FOR A HINT Up to three escalating hints per question nudge you toward the evidence without spoiling the answer. Smart answer-matching understands what you mean. NAME THE TRUTH The final question is an accusation. Get it right and the case closes; get it wrong and you can reconsider the suspects. 10 CASES AT LAUNCH — MORE ON THE WAY Murder, disappearance, blackmail and betrayal across Europe — Paris, Berlin, Lisbon, Vienna, Amsterdam, Prague, Copenhagen and Barcelona. Fully playable in 8 languages. REDSTRING PASS Case 1 is free forever. The Redstring Pass unlocks every case: - Weekly: $4.99 per week - Annual: $29.99 per year - Lifetime: $39.99 one-time — not a subscription Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; manage or cancel anytime in Settings - Apple Account - Subscriptions. Terms of Use (EULA): https://redstring-98526.web.app/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://redstring-98526.web.app/privacy.html Redstring is a work of interactive fiction. All characters, phones, messages and events are fictional; any resemblance to real people or events is coincidental. The app never accesses your real messages, photos or data.

Screenshots

Detectea4 screens
Cold Case Tracer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Cold Case Tracer at freemium against Detectea's subscription. Cold Case Tracer also leads on review sentiment (29% vs 8%) and rating (4.3 vs 4.1). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Detectea sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Cold Case Tracer sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Cold Case Tracer holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 60 and 46 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 8% of Detectea's written reviews are positive against 29% of Cold Case Tracer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Detectea ships an update fortnightly, Cold Case Tracer every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Detectea versus Cold Case Tracer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDetecteaCold Case Tracer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (60 ratings)4.3 (46 ratings) — better
Positive reviews8.3% of reviews28.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings60 — better46
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size417 MB130 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperApp Tricks StudioOguzhan Yildirim

Customer experience

Detectea

All ratings60 ratings
Positive76.7%
Neutral1.7%
Negative21.7%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive8.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative83.3%

Cold Case Tracer

All ratings46 ratings
Positive80.4%
Neutral6.5%
Negative13.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive28.6%
Neutral28.6%
Negative42.9%

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Detectea

Subscriptions8
  • Weekly Premium7 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Weekly Premium$4.997 Days
  • Weekly Premium7 Days trial$6.997 Days
Show 5 more
  • Weekly Premium$6.997 Days
  • Annual Premium$19.991 Year
  • Annual Premium1 Year trial$49.991 Year
  • Annual Premium$49.991 Year
  • Premium Annual1 Year trial$49.991 Year
7 purchases

Cold Case Tracer

Subscriptions3
  • Redstring Pass — Weekly$6.997 Days
  • Annual Pass — Special Offer$19.991 Year
  • Redstring Pass — Annual$39.991 Year
One-time4
  • Reveal the Answer$1.99
  • 5 Reveals$4.99
  • 10 Reveals$7.99
Show 1 more
  • All Cases — Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is Detectea free?
Detectea is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cold Case Tracer free?
Cold Case Tracer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Detectea or Cold Case Tracer?
Cold Case Tracer is rated higher. Detectea averages 4.1 out of 5 from 60 ratings, while Cold Case Tracer averages 4.3 from 46 ratings.
Do Detectea or Cold Case Tracer have ads?
Neither Detectea nor Cold Case Tracer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Detectea or Cold Case Tracer?
Detectea ships an update fortnightly, and Cold Case Tracer every 8 days. Most recently, Detectea was updated on October 15, 2026 and Cold Case Tracer on October 14, 2026.

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