Hex Touch vs Cracking the Cryptic
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hex Touch
A two-player abstract strategy board game where players aim to connect opposite sides of a hexagonal board with their chosen color. The game guarantees a winner, as a chain must form by the time all cells are colored.
- Two-player gameplay
- Hexagonal board
- Connect opposite sides
- Abstract strategy
- Guaranteed winner
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Hex is a board game for two players. The red player trys to connect the two red borders with a chain of red cells by coloring empty cells red, while the blue player trys the same with the blue borders. The game can never end with a draw:When all cells have been colored, there must exists either a red chain or a blue chain. Good luck!
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.
- Handcrafted Sudoku puzzles
- Curated by expert constructors
- Classic and unique variants
- Regularly released puzzle packs
- Free introductory puzzle pack
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Cracking the Cryptic at 72% against Hex Touch's 17%. Cracking the Cryptic also leads on rating (4.4 vs 3.6) and ads (none vs shown). Hex Touch's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On price 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
Both are free to download. Cracking the Cryptic sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Hex Touch asks for nothing beyond the download.
Cracking the Cryptic holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cracking the Cryptic has 208 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of Hex Touch's written reviews are positive against 72% of Cracking the Cryptic's.
Hex Touch ships an update every 9 months, Cracking the Cryptic every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 9, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hex Touch | Cracking the Cryptic |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (8 ratings) | 4.4 (208 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 17.2% of reviews | 72.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 8 | 208 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 234 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kevin White | Nick Carney |
Customer experience
Hex Touch
Cracking the Cryptic
Bugs and requests
Hex Touch
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
Hex Touch
No in-app purchases
Cracking the Cryptic
- CTC Worms - James Sinclair$0.99
- CTC Worms - Marty Sears$0.99
- CTC Worms - Zetamath$1.99
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- 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 Hex Touch free?
Is Cracking the Cryptic free?
Which has better reviews, Hex Touch or Cracking the Cryptic?
Do Hex Touch or Cracking the Cryptic have ads?
Which is updated more often, Hex Touch or Cracking the Cryptic?
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