# Hocus Puzzle vs Crafty Candy

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Crafty Candy at 16K against Hocus Puzzle's 41. Crafty Candy also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Hocus Puzzle's advantage is review sentiment (93% vs 74%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hocus Puzzle sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and Crafty Candy sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Crafty Candy holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Crafty Candy has 16K ratings behind it against 41, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 93% of Hocus Puzzle's written reviews are positive against 74% of Crafty Candy's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Hocus Puzzle ships an update fortnightly, Crafty Candy every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 26, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hocus Puzzle | Crafty Candy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (41 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hocus-puzzle/id952183548/reviews) | **[4.7 (16K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crafty-candy/id1031228862/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 41 | **16K** |
| Positive reviews | **92.9% of reviews** | 73.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 265 MB | 220 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bigpoint GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/421914256) | [Outplay Entertainment Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/468711596) |

## What reviewers say

### Hocus Puzzle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hocus-puzzle/id952183548)

Embark on a magical puzzle adventure to restore a dried-up river by mixing potions and casting spells. Explore enchanting worlds, defeat villains, and challenge friends on leaderboards. Collect costumes for powerful advantages in over 200 levels.

**Highlights:** Mix and match potions, Cast spells, Over 200 spellbinding levels, Challenge friends, Collect costumes, Leaderboards

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Welcome Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Gem Pack n°1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Special Pack 5 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Special Pack 10 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Gem Pack n°2 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Win The Level | $4.99 | one-time |
| Gem Pack n°3 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Gem Pack n°4 | $16.99 | one-time |
| Gem Pack n°5 | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and addictive game
- 🎨 Great graphics and visuals
- 🕹️ Challenging but enjoyable gameplay
- 🕰️ Good time-passer
- 🎨 Cute and colorful design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🔍 Lack of support and explanation for higher levels
- 🔋 Can be draining on battery

**Reported bugs**

- Lottery wheel not working properly
- Game freezing during updates
- Losing progress after updates

**Requested features**

- More levels and content updates
- Ability to convert coins to gems
- Option to disable ads or in-app purchases


### Crafty Candy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crafty-candy/id1031228862)

Embark on a magical match-3 puzzle adventure filled with thousands of delicious levels. Join an apprentice witch and her kitten through an enchanted land of sweet treats, crafting spells and outwitting tricky witches. Unlock new looks and enjoy a candylicious world.

**Highlights:** Thousands of fun levels, Candylicious world with sweet treats, Unlock new looks, Craft powerful spells, Magical Candy battles, Facebook progress sync

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| S Coin Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Special Offer | $1.99 | one-time |
| Special offer | $2.99 | one-time |
| M Coin Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Special offer | $5.99 | one-time |
| L Coin Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| 17% Extra Stash | $9.99 | one-time |
| Special Offer | $9.99 | one-time |
| Special offer | $12.99 | one-time |
| XL Coin Pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| Special offer | $29.99 | one-time |
| XXL Coin Pack | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Amazing game
- 🎨 Great graphics
- 🕹️ Fun and challenging
- 🕰️ Addictive gameplay
- 🎁 Generous with free boosts

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 💰 Difficult to progress without spending money
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🤯 Levels become too difficult
- 🤖 Unfair AI in some levels

**Reported bugs**

- Game resets progress
- Free boosts not working
- Levels not loading properly
- Ads causing crashes
- Purchases not registering

**Requested features**

- More level variety
- Ability to undo moves
- Offline play mode
- More customization options
- Better rewards system


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hocus Puzzle free?

Hocus Puzzle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Crafty Candy free?

Crafty Candy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Hocus Puzzle or Crafty Candy?

Crafty Candy is rated higher. Hocus Puzzle averages 4.5 out of 5 from 41 ratings, while Crafty Candy averages 4.7 from 16K ratings.

### Do Hocus Puzzle or Crafty Candy have ads?

Both Hocus Puzzle and Crafty Candy show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hocus Puzzle or Crafty Candy?

Hocus Puzzle ships an update fortnightly, and Crafty Candy every 2 months. Most recently, Hocus Puzzle was updated on August 26, 2026 and Crafty Candy on September 29, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*