Comparison

Cold Case Tracer vs Stalky Detective

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

Head to head
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.

About

Stalky Detective

Engage in a fictional detective game where you solve mysteries by examining simulated phone data. Uncover clues within messages, photos, and notes to crack cases and deliver your verdict. Cases range in difficulty from simple dramas to complex investigations.

Highlights
  • Examine simulated phone interfaces
  • Recover deleted messages and notes
  • Crack codes to locked apps and albums
  • Collect and connect clues
  • Answer investigation questions
  • Deliver final case verdicts
  • Play offline
Features
Read full description

Stalky Detective is a fictional detective game where you solve cases by examining a simulated phone belonging to a fictional character. A client comes to you with a problem and a phone. A boyfriend never showed up for dinner and won't answer calls. A neighbour has been unreachable for two days and her phone was found on the stairwell floor. Someone is messaging a girl's friends for money from her own account. Every case is a small story where the first impression is almost always wrong. HOW IT WORKS You get a briefing from the client, then pick up the phone. Inside is a familiar interface: messages, gallery, notes, call log, calendar, browser, contacts, mail, files, social. All of it is fictional content written for the investigation. Open the chats, study the photos, read the notes and emails. Every meaningful detail is filed into your case board as a clue. WHAT YOU CAN DO - Recover deleted messages, notes and emails. That is usually where the key is hiding - Crack the codes to hidden albums and locked apps. The hints are scattered across the phone - Collect clues and connect them to each other - Answer investigation questions, which unlock only once you have enough evidence - Deliver your final verdict on the case EIGHT CASES 1. Silence at 21:47 - a boyfriend vanished for the evening and won't pick up 2. The Dropped Call - a neighbour is unreachable and her phone was found on the stairwell floor 3. Login From a New Device - an account is messaging friends for money 4. The Group Fund - part of a shared trip fund has disappeared 5. The Online Prince - money keeps going to a fiance nobody has met 6. The Wrong Phone - a guy vanishes after a party, leaving his phone 7. The 4 AM Review - a coffee shop buried in identical reviews overnight 8. Grandma Nina's Jewellery Box - a box and papers gone while grandma is away Difficulty ranges from a simple family drama to a case where you must not trust the obvious. THE IMPORTANT PART Stalky Detective is a game. The app does NOT access your real messages, contacts, calls, photos, location or accounts, and never asks for such permissions. Every phone, chat, person and event inside the game is fictional and part of the script. The app cannot be used to monitor a real person and is not intended for that. - Cases 1-3 are free to play; the rest open with a subscription - Gameplay works offline; only ads and purchases need a connection - No sign-up, no accounts - 26 languages, switchable inside the app Progress is saved on your device per case. Any case can be replayed from scratch. UPGRADE TO PREMIUM - All eight cases unlocked - New cases as soon as they launch - Enjoy an ad-free experience: no ads to interrupt your investigation Subscription Details: Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription with a free trial period will automatically renew to a paid subscription. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period at the rate of the selected plan. Subscriptions and auto-renewal may be managed by going to Account Settings after purchase. You can cancel your subscription or free trial at least 24 hours before the end of the free trial period. The cancellation will take effect the day after the last day of the current subscription period and you will be downgraded to the free service. Subscription Options: - Weekly: $6.99 (3-day free trial) - Annual: $29.99 For other currencies, the price corresponds to the same tier on the App Store Pricing Matrix. Privacy Policy - https://sites.google.com/view/stalkydetective/privacy Terms & Conditions - https://sites.google.com/view/stalkydetective/terms Support - valeriimoiseev443@gmail.com EULA - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Cold Case Tracer4 screens
Stalky Detective4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Cold Case Tracer at 4.3 against Stalky Detective's 1.0. Cold Case Tracer also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (29% vs 0%). Stalky Detective's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7). On price, update cadence, monetization model 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 Tracer sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Stalky Detective asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Cold Case Tracer holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cold Case Tracer has 46 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 29% of Cold Case Tracer's written reviews are positive against 0% of Stalky Detective's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cold Case Tracer ships an update every 8 days, Stalky Detective weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Cold Case Tracer versus Stalky Detective: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCold Case TracerStalky Detective
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (46 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews28.6% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings46 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size130 MB19 MB
Age rating9+17+
DeveloperOguzhan YildirimValeriu Moiseev

Customer experience

Cold Case Tracer

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

Stalky Detective

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

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
None

Stalky Detective

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cold Case Tracer free?
Cold Case Tracer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Stalky Detective free?
Stalky Detective is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Cold Case Tracer or Stalky Detective?
Cold Case Tracer is rated higher. Cold Case Tracer averages 4.3 out of 5 from 46 ratings, while Stalky Detective averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Cold Case Tracer or Stalky Detective have ads?
Stalky Detective shows ads; Cold Case Tracer does not.
Which is updated more often, Cold Case Tracer or Stalky Detective?
Cold Case Tracer ships an update every 8 days, and Stalky Detective weekly. Most recently, Cold Case Tracer was updated on October 14, 2026 and Stalky Detective on October 9, 2026.

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