Comparison

Cortex vs N

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

Head to head
About

Cortex

Features
Read full description

Cortex is an offline brain-training app: dual N-Back, a Stroop test, Schulte tables, a reaction time test and an RSVP speed reader, plus Sudoku, Nonogram and Word Search puzzles. No account, no internet, no tracking: nothing leaves your phone. Also known as: n-back memory test, Stroop effect test, Schulte grid, reflex test, speed reading trainer. Seventeen focused brain games and classic puzzles, plus Peak Hours: a personal cognitive instrument you won't find in other brain trainers. Try everything free for 3 days, then unlock it all with a single purchase. No subscription, no ads, no accounts, and nothing leaves your device. PEAK HOURS A quick reaction check you can take any time of day. Over time it charts when your mind is sharpest and reveals whether you're a morning lark, a night owl, or steady all day. Fully private, stored only on your phone. THE GAMES Memory, focus, reading, timing and spatial skills, each built around a real task: - N-Back, Sequence Memory and Remember-To for memory - Stroop, Track and Peripheral Vision for attention - Schulte Table and Speed Reader for visual scanning and reading - Mental Rotation for spatial reasoning - Inner Clock for your sense of time - Number Sequences for pattern reasoning SKILL DRILLS - Mental Math: learn a real trick, then drill it - Speed Math and Estimation for arithmetic fluency and number sense CLASSIC PUZZLES - Nonogram: solve the number clues to reveal a hidden picture - Sudoku and Word Search, as pure puzzles 3-DAY FREE TRIAL, THEN PAY ONCE Every game is unlocked free for 3 days. Keep them all forever with a single one-time purchase. No weekly trials, no renewing subscription, no surprise charges. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No accounts, no analytics, no advertising, no third-party trackers. The app works fully offline and your stats stay on your phone. Privacy here isn't a setting you switch on; it's how the app is built. BUILT FOR FOCUS A precision design made for concentration, not a candy-coloured slot machine. Make it yours with multiple themes, light or dark, and a custom accent colour. Track your personal bests at your own pace. Now fully available in nine languages.

About

N

Read full description

The classic dual n-back task, built the way a concentration game should be: no ads, no account, and nothing you do ever leaves your phone. WHAT IS DUAL N-BACK? A square lights up on a 3ร—3 grid while a letter plays. Your job: tap when the position โ€” or the sound โ€” matches the one from N steps back. It starts gentle at 1-back and scales as far as you can handle. Dual n-back is one of the most studied tasks in working-memory research, and this app follows the trial structure of the original Jaeggi et al. (2008) protocol. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO TRAIN โ€ข Guided tutorial โ€” learn 1-back in two minutes, no jargon โ€ข Full dual n-back (position + sound) at any N-level, free โ€ข Adaptive difficulty โ€” the app suggests moving up or down based on your results, or handles it automatically with Pro โ€ข Instant feedback โ€” color flashes for hits, misses, and false alarms, with glyphs for color-blind players โ€ข Statistics โ€” hit rates per stimulus type, difficulty trends, games played, streaks โ€ข A daily reminder you control, dark mode, haptics PRO, IF YOU WANT MORE One upgrade unlocks color and shape stimuli (up to quadruple n-back), automatic level progression, your full statistics history, and match-rate tuning. Subscribe monthly or annually (the annual plan starts with a 7-day free trial). Prefer to buy once and own it? Lifetime is a first-class option, not an afterthought. PRIVATE BY DESIGN The app works completely offline. No account, no tracking, no third-party SDKs, and no analytics leaving your device โ€” the App Store privacy label reads "Data Not Collected" because there is nothing to collect. Your training history belongs to you and stays on your iPhone. AN HONEST NOTE ON "BRAIN TRAINING" Research on whether n-back gains transfer to broader abilities is genuinely mixed, and we won't pretend otherwise. What we promise is a faithful, distraction-free version of the classic task and a clear view of your own progress. You will get better at n-back โ€” where that takes you is your experiment. Questions or feedback: nback.app.contact@gmail.com Terms of Use: https://mpskowron.github.io/nback-legal/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://mpskowron.github.io/nback-legal/privacy.html N-Back Pro subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Unused trial time is forfeited when a purchase completes. Lifetime is a one-time purchase, not a subscription.

Screenshots

Cortex4 screens
N4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Cortex at 16.4 against N's 18.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Cortex sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and N sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
Cortex versus N: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCortexN
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 11 daysโ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad โ€” better
Requires iOS16.4 โ€” better18.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size46 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStephane de BarbansonMICHAL PAWEL SKOWRON

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Cortex

One-time1
  • Unlock all games$3.99
3 purchases

N

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Pro Annual7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is Cortex free?
Cortex is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is N free?
N is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Cortex or N have ads?
Neither Cortex nor N shows ads.

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