# Cryptogram Tale vs Scioly Codebusters

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Scioly Codebusters at none against Cryptogram Tale's 3. Scioly Codebusters also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). Cryptogram Tale's advantage is ratings volume (1.6K vs 17). On price, rating and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Cryptogram Tale sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Scioly Codebusters asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Cryptogram Tale against 4.6 for Scioly Codebusters. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cryptogram Tale has 1.6K ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 72% of Cryptogram Tale's written reviews are positive against 86% of Scioly Codebusters's.

Cryptogram Tale ships an update every 3 months, Scioly Codebusters weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and July 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cryptogram Tale | Scioly Codebusters |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (1.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cryptogram-tale/id966436749/reviews)** | [4.6 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scioly-codebusters/id6642683299/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.6K** | 17 |
| Positive reviews | 72.5% of reviews | **85.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 160 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.1 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [GammaLateral LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/685178329) | [Rohit Kumar](https://appshunter.io/developer/1763530306) |

## What reviewers say

### Cryptogram Tale

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cryptogram-tale/id966436749)

Decode encrypted messages to reveal hidden stories. This word puzzle game challenges you to break codes by substituting letters, offering hundreds of tales and thousands of cryptograms to solve. Customize your experience with various fonts and color schemes, and use hints when needed.

**Highlights:** Hundreds of tales, Thousands of cryptograms, Dozens of fonts, Different color schemes, In-game hints

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Get 30 Hints | $0.99 | one-time |
| Get 70 Hints | $1.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Hundreds of cryptograms
- 📚 Interesting stories and literature
- 👍 No ads unless you want a hint
- 💡 Hints available by watching ads
- 🔒 No glitches or annoying ads

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Difficulty level not always clear
- 🔍 Capitalized words revealed after first letter
- 🔍 Some stories not well-suited for cryptograms
- 🔍 Ads can't always be closed

**Reported bugs**

- Progress getting deleted
- Ads not loading properly
- Keyboard not opening automatically

**Requested features**

- More modern and diverse stories
- Ability to choose story titles
- Cursor that skips to next blank space
- Undo button
- Trigger warnings for dark/disturbing content


### Scioly Codebusters

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scioly-codebusters/id6642683299)

Practice codebreaking with a vast collection of quotes covering Aristocrats, Patristocrats, and Xenocrypts. Offers assisted modes with hints for beginners and manual modes for advanced users. Includes a dictionary to learn common word patterns and accelerate cipher-solving skills.

**Highlights:** Practice Aristocrats, Patristocrats, Xenocrypts, Over a thousand quotes, Assisted mode with hints, Manual mode for challenges, Unique dictionary feature, Learn common word patterns

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cryptogram Tale free?

Cryptogram Tale is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Scioly Codebusters free?

Scioly Codebusters is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Cryptogram Tale or Scioly Codebusters?

Cryptogram Tale is rated higher. Cryptogram Tale averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.6K ratings, while Scioly Codebusters averages 4.6 from 17 ratings.

### Do Cryptogram Tale or Scioly Codebusters have ads?

Cryptogram Tale shows ads; Scioly Codebusters does not.

### Which is updated more often, Cryptogram Tale or Scioly Codebusters?

Cryptogram Tale ships an update every 3 months, and Scioly Codebusters weekly. Most recently, Cryptogram Tale was updated on September 25, 2026 and Scioly Codebusters on July 6, 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.*