Cold Case Trace vs Unsealed
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Unsealed
Explore a leaked phone to uncover evidence and solve cold cases. Dig through messages, photos, and more to trace suspects and piece together the truth. Use hints when needed to progress through each mystery.
- Explore a full phone's contents
- Investigate messages, gallery, mail, notes, maps
- Cross-reference evidence to build timelines
- Find clues like screenshots and deleted texts
- Use hints with 'Keys'
- Build a personal case archive
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Someone handed you their phone. Something doesn't add up. Unsealed drops you into someone else's leaked phone — and an unsolved case that isn't as simple as it looks. Unlock it, dig through every app, and trace the suspects before the story runs out. EVERY CASE IS A FULL PHONE Messages, Gallery, Mail, Notes, Maps — each app hides evidence. Missing persons, unsolved murders, suspects who aren't telling the truth. Cross-reference names, dates, and locations until the timeline breaks. FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE Answer questions using what you actually find — screenshots, deleted texts, hidden photos, mysterious calls at 3 AM. Every clue moves the case forward. STUCK? USE A KEY Some secrets sit behind a lock. Spend Keys to reveal a hint when you need one — no ads, no timers, just help on your terms. YOUR OWN CASE ARCHIVE Every solved mystery joins your archive. Track progress, revisit old cases, and open the next one when you're ready. New cases, new suspects, new secrets to uncover. Privacy Policy: https://app.notion.com/p/Unsealed-Privacy-Policy-0775842900388226959a81a9c0e1781d Terms of Use: https://app.notion.com/p/Unsealed-Terms-Conditions-1f458429003882ed9cb20149d4bd4748
Screenshots
Verdict
Cold Case Trace and Unsealed both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 67% of Unsealed's written reviews are positive against 40% of Cold Case Trace's. Unsealed also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 9 days). Cold Case Trace's advantage is ratings volume (62 vs 7). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Cold Case Trace sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days and Unsealed sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Cold Case Trace against 4.6 for Unsealed. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cold Case Trace has 62 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 40% of Cold Case Trace's written reviews are positive against 67% of Unsealed's.
Cold Case Trace ships an update every 9 days, Unsealed every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cold Case Trace | Unsealed |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (62 ratings) | 4.6 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 62 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 135 MB | 73 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Oguzhan Yildirim | Ilya Vishneuski |
Customer experience
Cold Case Trace
Unsealed
In-app purchases
Cold Case Trace
- Redstring Pass — Weekly$6.997 Days
- Annual Pass — Special Offer$19.991 Year
- Redstring Pass — Annual$39.991 Year
- Reveal the Answer$1.99
- 5 Reveals$4.99
- 10 Reveals$7.99
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- All Cases — Lifetime$49.99
Unsealed
- Unsealed Premium Weekly$2.997 Days
- Unsealed Premium Yearly$12.991 Year
Questions
Is Cold Case Trace free?
Is Unsealed free?
Which has better reviews, Cold Case Trace or Unsealed?
Do Cold Case Trace or Unsealed have ads?
Which is updated more often, Cold Case Trace or Unsealed?
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