The Guides vs Cipher Challenge
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Hundreds of challenging codes and puzzles
- Interactive ciphers
- Fragmented story to unravel
- Integrated decoding tools (Morse, binary)
- Screenshot saving for clues
- Distress support system
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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
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.
- Multiple cipher modes
- Letter frequency analysis
- Multiplayer competition
- Unlocked quote gallery
- Score history tracking
- iCloud sync across devices
- Hard mode challenge
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
The Guides ships an update every 4 months, Cipher Challenge every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on September 29, 2026.
| Parameter | The Guides | Cipher Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (731 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 87.7% of reviews — better | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 731 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 45 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 2 Fountains LLC | Bao Lei |
Customer experience
The Guides
Cipher Challenge
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
The Guides
No in-app purchases
Cipher Challenge
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is The Guides free?
Is Cipher Challenge free?
Which has better reviews, The Guides or Cipher Challenge?
Do The Guides or Cipher Challenge have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Guides or Cipher Challenge?
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