Comparison

The Guides vs Cipher Challenge

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

Head to head
About

The Guides

Embark on a journey of challenging codes, puzzles, and interactive ciphers that test your wit and imagination. Unravel a fragmented story by finding clues and patterns, utilizing integrated decoding tools and a distress support system.

Highlights
  • Hundreds of challenging codes and puzzles
  • Interactive ciphers
  • Fragmented story to unravel
  • Integrated decoding tools (Morse, binary)
  • Screenshot saving for clues
  • Distress support system
Features
Read full description

Featured by Apple in: 15 Most Mind-Bending Puzzlers, 15 Most Mysterious Games, The Best Games You’ve Never Played, Challenge Your Brain, Best New Games * * * * * “Best Mobile Games of 2015” — CNET “Best iOS Games of 2015” — Apple ‘N’ Apps “Best One Handed Mobile Games for Long Commutes” — Appcessories * * * * * Consisting of hundreds of extremely challenging codes, puzzles and interactive ciphers, The Guides is a journey that will challenge your wit, stretch your imagination and test your ingenuity in unique and innovative ways. Simply stated, they’re not easy. Progressing will be difficult, but you have the appropriate tools at your disposal. Everything you need to proceed is — or has been — provided. Look for clues and patterns to build on what you have learned. Remember what you have seen as for no detail is too subtle or insignificant. As you explore deeper, you’ll begin to unravel the enigma of The Guides. Peculiar, isn't it? • • • • • • • "From the word 'Go'... it tells you nothing. And you have to work it out for yourself. And that, my friends, that is cool." James Gilmour for App Spy "The Guides gets under your skin... you’ll find yourself thinking about it outside of the game and coming back for more." Jennifer Allen for 148apps "The Guides is one of the year’s most interesting puzzle games. It’s a beautifully designed toy box filled with an enormous variety of code-breaking ciphers and visual riddles..." Owen Faraday for Pocket Tactics "It's brilliant, uncompromising, satisfying, and one of the best games I have ever played on my phone... quite possibly on any platform." chanandler of App Army for Pocket Gamer • • • • • • • • Four Sections and 100 pages embedded with countless challenges. • Meticulously designed interactive puzzles and ciphers with each being more unique than the last. • Piece together the fragmented story to reveal the source of the messages. • Various game mechanics such as the code interface screen and the title bar to provide added layers of support. • Integrated decoding tools — including morse, binary and many more — to assist you on your journey. • Ability to save screenshots to keep track of invaluable clues and notes. • A distress support system is available if you find yourself stuck, but use sparingly, for your transmissions are limited. Official Site: theguidesapp.com General Inquiries: info@theguidesapp.com Twitter: twitter.com/theguidesapp Facebook: fb.com/theguidesapp Instagram: instagram.com/theguidesapp

About

Cipher Challenge

Engage your mind with a variety of cipher decoding challenges. Practice different cipher types, track your progress, and compete with friends. Unlock quotes and sync your achievements across devices.

Highlights
  • Multiple cipher modes
  • Letter frequency analysis
  • Multiplayer competition
  • Unlocked quote gallery
  • Score history tracking
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • Hard mode challenge
Read full description

A cipher decoding game. Cipher modes: Aristocrat, Patristocrat, Caesar, Random substitution cipher, K1 cipher, K2 cipher Additional features: - See letter frequency table and cipher letter -> original letter mapping table - Share link or game id to friends and compete on the same puzzle - View all the unlocked quotes - See score history - Unlocked quotes and scores are sync'ed across iPhone, iPad and Mac computers through iCloud - Enable hard mode for a special challenge Also perfect for Science Olympiad (SciOly) Codebusters practice.

Screenshots

The Guides4 screens
Cipher Challenge4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Cipher Challenge at Free against The Guides's $2.99. Cipher Challenge also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 4 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). The Guides's advantage is ratings volume (731 vs 4) and review sentiment (88% vs 67%). On ads, 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

Cipher Challenge is free to download; The Guides costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Cipher Challenge holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Guides has 731 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 88% of The Guides's written reviews are positive against 67% of Cipher Challenge's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Guides ships an update every 4 months, Cipher Challenge every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on September 29, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
The Guides versus Cipher Challenge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe GuidesCipher Challenge
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (731 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews87.7% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings731 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS8.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer2 Fountains LLCBao Lei

Customer experience

The Guides

All ratings731 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral0.5%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews219 reviews
Positive87.7%
Neutral4.1%
Negative8.2%

Cipher Challenge

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

The Guides

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Puzzle solutions not being accepted correctly
  • App crashes or freezes when switching between puzzles

Requested features

3 requests
  • More frequent updates and new content
  • Improved UI and accessibility options
  • Hint system or gradual difficulty scaling

Cipher Challenge

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

The Guides

No in-app purchases

None

Cipher Challenge

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Guides free?
The Guides costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cipher Challenge free?
Cipher Challenge is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Guides or Cipher Challenge?
Cipher Challenge is rated higher. The Guides averages 4.8 out of 5 from 731 ratings, while Cipher Challenge averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do The Guides or Cipher Challenge have ads?
Neither The Guides nor Cipher Challenge shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Guides or Cipher Challenge?
The Guides ships an update every 4 months, and Cipher Challenge every 5 weeks. Most recently, The Guides was updated on September 29, 2026 and Cipher Challenge on September 29, 2026.

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