Comparison

Cold Case Trace vs TeaSpy

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

Head to head
About

Cold Case Trace

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.

About

TeaSpy

Features
Read full description

A client just handed you a phone. Unlocked. Nobody is watching. You're a detective at the TeaSpy agency. He said he was at his brother's. Her story changed three times. Someone didn't come home. It's all in that phone, and now it's your case. Read the group chat where his friends cover for him. Find the album that isn't in the album list. Check who he texts after midnight and how much he sent her on Friday. Crack the PIN on the locked notes, because it's somebody's birthday and you're about to work out whose. Then a timestamp stops matching a story and the whole thing turns over. Stomach drop. Wide awake at 1am. You are not putting it down until you know the rest. • 8 full cases. New phone, new life, new mess. Some are cheating, some are much worse • The first 8 questions of every case are free • Hints when you're stuck, stickers for the catches nobody else made • No wifi, no account needed • More cases in the works Everyone in TeaSpy is invented. Every message and photo was written by our writers. TeaSpy cannot open a real phone and never asks for your contacts, photos, location, camera or mic. It's a story you solve, not a tool. Be as nosy as you like. It's fiction. Terms of Use: https://teaspy.fun/terms Privacy Policy: https://teaspy.fun/privacy

Screenshots

Cold Case Trace4 screens
TeaSpy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Cold Case Trace at none against TeaSpy's shown. Cold Case Trace also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs monthly). TeaSpy's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). 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. Cold Case Trace sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days and TeaSpy sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cold Case Trace ships an update every 9 days, TeaSpy monthly. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Cold Case Trace versus TeaSpy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCold Case TraceTeaSpy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (62 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews40.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings62 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterMonthly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size135 MB261 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperOguzhan YildirimMURAT ERKAL

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Cold Case Trace

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
3 purchases

TeaSpy

Subscriptions3
  • TeaSpy Pro Weekly$4.997 Days
  • TeaSpy Pro Yearly Offer$19.991 Year
  • TeaSpy Pro Yearly3 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Cold Case Trace free?
Cold Case Trace is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TeaSpy free?
TeaSpy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Cold Case Trace or TeaSpy have ads?
TeaSpy shows ads; Cold Case Trace does not.
Which is updated more often, Cold Case Trace or TeaSpy?
Cold Case Trace ships an update every 9 days, and TeaSpy monthly. Most recently, Cold Case Trace was updated on October 25, 2026 and TeaSpy on October 25, 2026.

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