Cortex vs Cognilo
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Cortex
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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.
Cognilo
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Five puzzles. Six minutes. Your next personal best. Cognilo is a daily puzzle game for adults, designed for phone and tablet screens. Each day it serves the Daily 5: five short brain games picked for your level across memory, focus, logic, numbers, spatial and language. It is untimed by default, needs no account and works offline. WHAT IS COGNILO? A calm puzzle app built around one short daily session. You play five rounds, see a clear result for each one and get a practical tip for the next attempt. Your first puzzle starts straight away, with no sign-up and no questionnaire. HOW LONG DOES THE DAILY 5 TAKE? About six minutes. Each Daily 5 plays five of the six categories and rotates, so every category comes round across the week. WHAT PUZZLES ARE INCLUDED? - Pattern Recall: hold a lit pattern in mind, then tap it back. - Signal Sort: apply a rule to a stream of signals without slipping. - Rule Chain: find the rule behind a sequence and continue it. - Real Numbers: everyday money and time sums, worked out in your head. - Rotation Match: spot the rotated twin among mirrored impostors. - Word Bridge: unscramble, categorise and spot the odd word. - Market Run: remember a shopping list, keep to a budget, adapt. - Quick Signal: a recreational reaction round. IS IT ADAPTIVE? Yes. Every round is set to your current level, and each puzzle shows a plain-language reason for why it was picked today. Tell Cognilo a round felt too easy or too hard and the next one responds. Choose untimed Precision, timed Sprint for a push, or unrated Zen when you just want to play. HOW DOES COGNILO SHOW PROGRESS? Six skills are tracked separately with Performance Ratings that only move when several sessions agree, so one good morning or one tired evening does not rewrite your profile. The Cognilo Benchmark uses held-out rounds you never train on, so familiarity cannot flatter the result. Ratings describe how you play Cognilo puzzles; they are not a measure of intelligence or health. WHAT HAPPENS AFTER EACH ROUND? You get a strategy tip for that specific game, notes on pace versus accuracy, and an unrated Review replay of any round that slipped, showing exactly what you picked and what the right answer was. WILL IT STAY INTERESTING? The Neural Core evolves across nine tiers, Frontiers reach to 2400, six Mastery tracks teach the technique behind each skill, and 58 achievements wait to be found. DO I HAVE TO KEEP A STREAK? No. Rhythm counts days per week instead of an unbroken streak, and Grace and Vacation cover busy weeks. Add a quiet reminder if you want one, or ask Siri to start your Daily 5. IS MY DATA PRIVATE? Cognilo is local-first: no account, no ads and no tracking. Your history stays on your device and you can export it as JSON at any time. Purchases, restores and optional Game Center leaderboards need a connection. Competition is off by default. IS COGNILO FREE? Yes. The free tier is complete: the Daily 5, all six skills, ratings, the Benchmark and achievements. Cognilo Pro is an optional auto-renewing monthly or annual subscription that adds Pressure Response and Interference in the Performance Lab, weekly and monthly reports, and up to 12 months of rating history in your current Era. Prices, billing periods and any eligible trial are shown by the App Store before purchase. Continue Free closes the paywall without buying. Restore Purchases is on the paywall and in Settings. Manage or cancel in your Apple account subscriptions. Play your first puzzle today, and come back tomorrow for your next personal best. Privacy Policy: https://cognilo.rork.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Cortex at 16.4 against Cognilo's 18.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Cortex sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Cognilo sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Cortex ships an update every 11 days, Cognilo fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cortex | Cognilo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days โ better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad โ better |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 โ better | 18.0 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 46 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Stephane de Barbanson | James Gray |
In-app purchases
Cortex
- Unlock all games$3.99
Cognilo
- Pro Monthly ยท Brain Training$9.991 Month
- Pro Annual ยท Brain Training7 Days trial$44.991 Year









