Comparison

Pythagorea vs Cracking the Cryptic

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

Head to head
About

Pythagorea

Explore geometry through engaging puzzles on a squared grid. Solve over 350 tasks across 28 subjects, with over 70 terms defined in an accessible glossary. This app offers a friendly interface to train your mind and imagination.

Highlights
  • Over 350 geometric tasks
  • 28 subjects to explore
  • 70+ geometric terms glossary
  • Intuitive construction tools
  • Focus on natural laws, regularity, and symmetry
  • Friendly interface
Features
Read full description

Study geometry while playing on squared paper. > 350+ tasks: from very simple to really geometric puzzles > 28 subjects to explore > 70+ geometric terms in a glossary > Easy to use > Friendly interface > Train your mind and imagination *** About *** Pythagorea is a collection of geometric puzzles of different kind that can be solved without complex constructions or calculations. All objects are drawn on a grid whose cells are squares. A lot of levels can be solved using just your geometric intuition or by finding natural laws, regularity, and symmetry. *** Just play*** There are no sophisticated instruments. You can construct straight lines and segments only and set points in line intersections. It looks very easy but it is enough to provide an infinite number of interesting problems and unexpected challenges. *** All definitions at your fingertips *** If you forgot a definition, you can instantly find it in the app’s glossary. To find the definition of any term that is used in conditions of a problem, just tap on the Info (“i”) button. *** Is this game for you? *** Euclidea users can take a different view of constructions, discover new methods and tricks, and check their geometric intuition. If you have just started your acquaintance with geometry, the game will help you understand important ideas and properties of the Euclidean geometry. If you passed the course of geometry some time ago, the game will be useful to renew and check your knowledge because it covers most of ideas and notions of the elementary geometry. If you are not on good terms with geometry, Pythagorea will help you to discover another side of the subject. We get a lot of user responses that Pythagorea and Euclidea made it possible to see the beauty and naturalness of geometric constructions and even fall in love with geometry. And do not miss your chance to familiarize children with mathematics. Pythagorea is an excellent way to make friends with geometry and benefit from spending time together. *** Main topics *** > Length, distance, and area > Parallels and perpendiculars > Angles and triangles > Angle and perpendicular bisectors, medians, and altitudes > Pythagorean Theorem > Circles and tangents > Parallelograms, squares, rhombuses, rectangles and trapezoids > Symmetry, reflection, and rotation *** Why Pythagorea *** Pythagoras of Samos was a Greek philosopher and mathematician. He lived in 6th century BC. One of the most famous geometric facts bears his name: the Pythagorean Theorem. It states that in a right triangle the square of the length of the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the squares of those of the two other sides. While playing Pythagorea you often meet right angles and rely on the Pythagorean Theorem to compare lengths of segments and distances between points. That is why the game is named after Pythagoras. *** The tree *** The Pythagoras tree is a fractal constructed from squares and right-angled triangles. Your Pythagoras tree grows up with each solved problem. Each tree is unique: no other tree has the same form. And after all levels are completed you will see its blossom. Everything depends on you. Good luck! *** Questions? Comments? *** Send in your inquiries and stay up-to-date on the latest Pythagorea news at https://www.euclidea.xyz/

About

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.

Highlights
  • Handcrafted Sudoku puzzles
  • Curated by expert constructors
  • Classic and unique variants
  • Regularly released puzzle packs
  • Free introductory puzzle pack
Features
Read full description

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

Pythagorea4 screens
Cracking the Cryptic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Pythagorea at 4.8 against Cracking the Cryptic's 4.4. Pythagorea also leads on review sentiment (94% vs 72%) and ratings volume (1K vs 208). Cracking the Cryptic's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Pythagorea sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Cracking the Cryptic sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pythagorea holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1K and 208 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of Pythagorea's written reviews are positive against 72% of Cracking the Cryptic's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pythagorea ships an update every 2 months, Cracking the Cryptic every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 14, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Pythagorea versus Cracking the Cryptic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPythagoreaCracking the Cryptic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1K ratings) — better4.4 (208 ratings)
Positive reviews94.4% of reviews — better72.1% of reviews
Number of ratings1K — better208
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size91 MB234 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHORIS INTERNATIONAL LIMITEDNick Carney

Customer experience

Pythagorea

All ratings1,024 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral1.6%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews216 reviews
Positive94.4%
Neutral1.9%
Negative3.7%

Cracking the Cryptic

All ratings208 ratings
Positive84.1%
Neutral6.3%
Negative9.6%
Written reviews147 reviews
Positive72.1%
Neutral13.6%
Negative14.3%

User reviews

Pythagorea

From 1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Engaging and fun puzzle game
  • 💡 Challenging yet educational geometry puzzles
  • 🚀 No ads or in-app purchases
  • 🧠 Helps improve geometry and spatial skills
  • 👍 Enjoyable for all ages

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Some puzzles may have unclear or incorrect instructions
  • 💡 Lack of progress tracking or ability to skip puzzles
  • 💡 No in-app solutions or hints when stuck
  • 💡 Limited zoom functionality makes some puzzles difficult

Cracking the Cryptic

From 208 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Best sudoku app
  • 👍 Great variety of puzzles
  • 👍 Excellent user interface
  • 👍 Challenging and fun puzzles
  • 👍 Constant updates with new puzzles

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Hints are often incorrect or unhelpful
  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes, especially after updates
  • 🔋 Battery draining issues
  • 🔒 Too many in-app purchases required to access content

Bugs and requests

Pythagorea

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Certain puzzles (e.g. 10.29) may have bugs in solution checking
  • Compatibility issues on some older devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add progress tracking and ability to resume games
  • Provide solutions or hints for puzzles
  • Improve puzzle instructions and clarity
  • Implement zoom functionality for better visibility

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

3 purchases

Pythagorea

One-time3
  • Thanks to developers$0.99
  • Many thanks to developers$4.99
  • Many, many thanks to developers$24.99
13 purchases

Cracking the Cryptic

One-time13
  • CTC Worms - James Sinclair$0.99
  • CTC Worms - Marty Sears$0.99
  • CTC Worms - Zetamath$1.99
Show 10 more
  • 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 Pythagorea free?
Pythagorea is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cracking the Cryptic free?
Cracking the Cryptic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pythagorea or Cracking the Cryptic?
Pythagorea is rated higher. Pythagorea averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1K ratings, while Cracking the Cryptic averages 4.4 from 208 ratings.
Do Pythagorea or Cracking the Cryptic have ads?
Neither Pythagorea nor Cracking the Cryptic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pythagorea or Cracking the Cryptic?
Pythagorea ships an update every 2 months, and Cracking the Cryptic every 3 weeks. Most recently, Pythagorea was updated on October 14, 2026 and Cracking the Cryptic on October 14, 2026.

Other comparisons