Comparison

ClueKeeper vs Cracking the Cryptic

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

Head to head
About

ClueKeeper

Design and participate in interactive clue hunts that guide players through locations with puzzles and challenges. Explore your surroundings in new ways, even offline, with augmented reality features.

Highlights
  • Create custom clue hunts
  • Solve puzzles and riddles
  • Augmented reality clues
  • Offline play support
  • Explore surroundings
  • Play sample hunts
Features
Read full description

ClueKeeper is a powerful platform for creating and playing clue hunts! What's a clue hunt? A clue hunt is a game in which the players solve clues that lead them from one to the next. The clues can be straightforward questions, physical challenges, clever puzzles or riddles, or whatever else the hunt creator can imagine. With the help of our friends from Zappar, we even support augmented reality clues! A hunt might send players searching around their local park, through the best-kept secret spots of their city, or even across state lines. ClueKeeper hunts provide a great way to have fun and explore your surroundings in a new and exciting way! Our app even works offline, allowing you to explore off-the-beaten path areas without a consistent cell connection. To get started, try out the sample hunt "Welcome to ClueKeeper"!

About

Cracking the Cryptic

This app offers a curated collection of handcrafted Sudoku puzzles from world-renowned constructors. Explore classic and unique variants, with new puzzle packs released regularly. A free introductory pack is included with download.

Highlights
  • Handcrafted Sudoku puzzles
  • Curated by expert constructors
  • Classic and unique variants
  • Regularly released puzzle packs
  • Free introductory puzzle pack
Features
Read full description

OUR NEWEST PACK – CLASSIC VOLUME #2! Classic sudoku is where it all began, and there is still lots of skill to be deployed to solve classic puzzles, and new techniques to be explored. Nikoli, the Japanese puzzle house, named and popularised sudoku from 1984, and we have commissioned 20 puzzles from them for this Classic Sudoku 2 app. We have also created 20 ourselves, and sourced 20 more from Sam Cappleman-Lynes, the brilliant British sudoku expert. The result is a wonderful 60-puzzle pack which will delight and challenge you. -------------------- Welcome to the brand new Sudoku app from the most popular Sudoku channel, Cracking The Cryptic. Unlike other Sudoku apps, we feature handcrafted and curated puzzles from the world’s best Sudoku constructors. Each collection features puzzles made by various authors that are now familiar names to those who follow the channel. Authors like Phistomefel, Clover, Sam Cappleman-Lynes, Christoph Seeliger, Richard Stolk, jovi_al, Qodec, Prasanna Seshadri and of course, Simon and Mark! Downloading Cracking the Cryptic will give you access to our first free collection – a variety pack by Prasanna Seshadri featuring 7 puzzles inspired from our previous Sudoku apps; Sandwich, Classic, Chess, Thermo, Miracle, Killer and Arrow Sudoku. We also have purchasable packs designed for all skill levels and featuring many unique variants not seen previously. We’ll be releasing more free and paid packs in the future so keep an eye on the app for more Sudoku content from Cracking The Cryptic!

Screenshots

ClueKeeper4 screens
Cracking the Cryptic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ClueKeeper at none against Cracking the Cryptic's 13. Cracking the Cryptic's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (208 vs 20). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. Cracking the Cryptic sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. ClueKeeper asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ClueKeeper holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cracking the Cryptic has 208 ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of ClueKeeper's written reviews are positive against 72% of Cracking the Cryptic's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ClueKeeper ships an update every 3 months, Cracking the Cryptic every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 6, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
ClueKeeper versus Cracking the Cryptic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterClueKeeperCracking the Cryptic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (20 ratings) — better4.4 (208 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews72.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings20208 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB234 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperClueKeeper LLCNick Carney

Customer experience

ClueKeeper

All ratings20 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Cracking the Cryptic

All ratings208 ratings
Positive84.1%
Neutral6.3%
Negative9.6%
Written reviews147 reviews
Positive72.1%
Neutral13.6%
Negative14.3%

Bugs and requests

ClueKeeper

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Cracking the Cryptic

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Puzzle progress and purchases disappearing after updates
  • Incorrect rules or hints in certain puzzles
  • Crashes and freezes, especially on older devices or Macs
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between portrait and landscape modes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more color options for pencil marking and highlighting
  • Implement a way to clear progress or start puzzles from scratch
  • Integrate all CTC apps into a single app for better organization
  • Add keyboard support, especially on Mac
  • Improve the quality and clarity of hints

In-app purchases

None

ClueKeeper

No in-app purchases

13 purchases

Cracking the Cryptic

One-time13
  • CTC Worms - James Sinclair$0.99
  • CTC Worms - Marty Sears$0.99
  • CTC Worms - Zetamath$1.99
Show 10 more
  • CTC Worms - Blobz$1.99
  • CTC Worms - Michael Lefkowitz$1.99
  • CTC Worms - Phistomefel$1.99
  • GAS Volume #1$2.99
  • GAS Volume #2$2.99
  • CTC Approachable Sudoku #1$2.99
  • Domino Sudoku Pack$4.99
  • Lines Variety Pack$4.99
  • Classic Volume #2$4.99
  • CTC Fog Pack #1$4.99

Questions

Is ClueKeeper free?
ClueKeeper is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cracking the Cryptic free?
Cracking the Cryptic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ClueKeeper or Cracking the Cryptic?
ClueKeeper is rated higher. ClueKeeper averages 4.6 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while Cracking the Cryptic averages 4.4 from 208 ratings.
Do ClueKeeper or Cracking the Cryptic have ads?
Neither ClueKeeper nor Cracking the Cryptic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ClueKeeper or Cracking the Cryptic?
ClueKeeper ships an update every 3 months, and Cracking the Cryptic every 3 weeks. Most recently, ClueKeeper was updated on September 6, 2026 and Cracking the Cryptic on September 21, 2026.

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