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Cracking the Cryptic icon
APP STORE

Cracking the Cryptic

Nick Carney · Games · United States store
NOT IN TOP 100 HERE
View on App Store ↗ Instagram card
Revenue a month, worldwide EST
$1.7K
Likely $580 to $5.2K
▼ 35.1% in 14 days
New ratings
+0
in 2 days, 442 in total
Rating
4.4 of 5
210 ratings in this store
Countries it ranks in
2
was 2 on Oct 17, 2026

Revenue

Estimated from the grossing charts of Oct 24, 2026 in the 53 countries we track, and ratings growth on the App Store.

EST. REVENUE / YEAR · WORLDWIDE
$20.9K
No Google Play version found
EST. LIFETIME DOWNLOADS
7.3K to 21K
Estimated from ratings count
WHERE IT EARNS · EST. / MONTH
  • Greece #73 Games: Board$943 · 54%
  • Finland #100 Games: Board$798 · 46%
HOW SURE ARE WE
Small app: combines its grossing ranks with ratings growth (8.6 new ratings a month on average since launch). Tested on 418 apps with verified revenue: typically off by about 2.6 times, so the range is wide. Countries we don't track (and Google Play in China, which doesn't exist) aren't included, and neither are ads or web payments. Gross revenue before store fees.
RATINGS
210
AVG RATING
4.41
PRICE
Free
AGE
4.3y
LAST UPDATE
150d ago
VERSION
1.2.36
SIZE
234 MB
AGE RATING
4+

Last 30 days

From our daily snapshots of every grossing chart and daily ratings counts.

DAYS IN A GROSSING CHART
13 / 30
COUNTRIES NOW
2 (was 0)
NEW RATINGS, LAST 2 DAYS
+0
EST. REVENUE A MONTH, DAILY · APP STORE EST
Show daily values
Sep 25, 2026not in a grossing chart
Sep 26, 2026not in a grossing chart
Sep 27, 2026not in a grossing chart
Sep 28, 2026not in a grossing chart
Sep 29, 2026not in a grossing chart
Sep 30, 2026not in a grossing chart
Oct 1, 2026not in a grossing chart
Oct 2, 2026not in a grossing chart
Oct 3, 2026not in a grossing chart
Oct 4, 2026not in a grossing chart
Oct 5, 2026not in a grossing chart
Oct 6, 2026not in a grossing chart
Oct 7, 2026not in a grossing chart
Oct 8, 2026not in a grossing chart
Oct 9, 2026not in a grossing chart
Oct 10, 2026$2.7K a month
Oct 11, 2026not in a grossing chart
Oct 12, 2026$2.8K a month
Oct 13, 2026$8.4K a month
Oct 14, 2026$4K a month
Oct 15, 2026$4.1K a month
Oct 16, 2026$4K a month
Oct 17, 2026$7.1K a month
Oct 18, 2026$1.9K a month
Oct 19, 2026not in a grossing chart
Oct 20, 2026$8.6K a month
Oct 21, 2026$625 a month
Oct 22, 2026not in a grossing chart
Oct 23, 2026$2.1K a month
Oct 24, 2026$1.7K a month
The same estimate as the headline, saved every day. Best rank Sep 25, 2026: not ranked. Now: #73 Games: Board · GR.
RATINGS IN THE CORE COUNTRIES, DAILY
Show daily values
Oct 22, 2026442 ratings
Oct 23, 2026442 ratings
Oct 24, 2026442 ratings
442 on Oct 22, 2026, 442 on Oct 24, 2026. New ratings track new downloads, even outside the charts.

Money and momentum

Measured from the store, not estimated.

WHAT IT CHARGES
10 purchases listed
  • GAS Volume #1$2.99
  • Domino Sudoku Pack$4.99
  • Lines Variety Pack$4.99
  • GAS Volume #2$2.99
  • CTC Fog Pack #1$4.99
  • CTC Approachable Sudoku #1$2.99
  • CTC Worms - Marty Sears$0.99
  • Classic Volume #2$4.99
Top in-app purchases as listed on the App Store, in local prices.
REVIEW MOMENTUM
0.3 reviews / week
  • Trendfalling
  • Recent reviews average3.9 stars
  • Recent 1 and 2 star share15%
From the latest 74 written reviews, covering 1567 days.
RELEASE CADENCE
0 updates in 90 days
  • Typical gap between releases24 days
From the last 25 versions listed on the App Store.
RATING BREAKDOWN
210 ratings
5★73%
4★11%
3★6%
2★3%
1★7%

What users want

From the latest 74 reviews on the United States App Store, Jul 10, 2022 to Jun 22, 2026: 15% are 1 or 2 stars. Open a theme to read what people wrote.

WHAT THEY COMPLAIN ABOUT · SHARE OF BAD REVIEWS
Bugs, things not working18%

2 of the 1 and 2 star reviews.

★★★★★ It blows my mind that an app as simple as this can possibly even be this buggy.
★★★★★ I liked the new approach of the CTC app with separate modules for sale as in-app purchases until I discovered a glitch that no one has helped me solve.
No customer support18%

2 of the 1 and 2 star reviews.

★★★★★ I've been a Cracking the Cryptic fan since I discovered it during the pandemic. I have purchased all apps and found them all to be well worth the price. I value being able to continually re-solve puzzles to improve my…
★★★★★ No directions and no way to contact the company.
WHAT THEY ASK FOR
  • Please please please give the option to completely reset progress. 5★, Jun 22, 2026
  • I wish there were more frequent updates to add new puzzles. 4★, Sep 10, 2025
  • I wish there were more knight sudoku in this one. 5★, Jun 17, 2025
  • Add more packs please🪃🛝 5★, Jun 5, 2025
  • The puzzles are all fantastic, but if you get stuck and need a hint, you might be out of luck. 3★, Jan 17, 2025
  • Here are a few things I would improve: (1) Add the calculator more places. 5★, Dec 27, 2024
  • Also enabling the killer calculator on region sum lines puzzles would be great 5★, Sep 30, 2024
  • Also, please include a few clues on the bonus pack puzzles. 3★, May 7, 2024
WORDS THAT KEEP COMING UP IN BAD REVIEWS

Nothing stands out.

WHAT THEY LOVE · SHARE OF GOOD REVIEWS
Fun, addictive39%

20 of the 4 and 5 star reviews.

★★★★★ The puzzles are mostly fun besides that.
★★★★★ Enjoy!” message to pop up twice for each purchase every time I open the app.
★★★★★ The puzzles are very fun, ranging from easy to very challenging.
Looks great14%

7 of the 4 and 5 star reviews.

★★★★★ Once you get used to it, the UI for every other sudoku website/app will make you cry in comparison.
★★★★★ I think the interface is pretty awkward and could be improved, but the puzzles are excellent.
★★★★★ Hey Love the puzzle design
Accurate, great results14%

7 of the 4 and 5 star reviews.

★★★★★ The handmade puzzles and handwritten hints are incredible! I have never felt more satisfaction then cracking a super tough level after 3 cumulative hours. I'm not even a fan of the YouTube channel. One note for devs.…
★★★★★ You can tell this app is made by sudoku fans as every quality of life feature to be had is present.
★★★★★ I was already a big fan of the earlier apps (Killer, Arrow, etc) because of the phenomenal puzzle quality, but this app adds some features that I thought were lacking in the other ones (more colors, for example).
Useful, it helps12%

6 of the 4 and 5 star reviews.

★★★★★ Trying to decipher what the helpful clue is trying to say is a puzzle unto itself when digits are frequently mistyped as other digits.
★★★★★ It would be really useful for example on X-Sum sudokus but it's not there.
★★★★★ Helps you improve skills with each attempt.
Easy to use8%

4 of the 4 and 5 star reviews.

★★★★★ The puzzles are very fun, ranging from easy to very challenging.
★★★★★ I love the variant sudoku is available through here and the intuitive app layout.
★★★★★ The UI is gorgeous and very straightforward to a re-emerging sudoku enthusiast.

Found by matching words and phrases in the reviews, not read by a person. A review can count toward more than one theme.

What users say

Latest reviews, United States App Store.

★★★★★Jun 22, 2026
Please let us reset

I love this app and the puzzles - I have spent hours playing. However, I’ve gotten to the point where I would love to replay but the empty stars just doesn’t give the same feeling of progression because the number on the pack select menu doesn’t change. I’ve tried deleting multiple ways, but something about the way it’s saved in iCloud makes it impossible. Please please please give the option to completely reset progress.

★★★★★May 25, 2026
Awesome! Love all of the puzzles especially the new worm by blobz!

But can we please have a setting to keep the calculator available? Some of the non killer puzzles require math but don’t have a calculator available. Also I really want to see more yin yang puzzles! (:

★★★★★May 9, 2026
The hint system would be more useful if it weren't riddled with typos

Trying to decipher what the helpful clue is trying to say is a puzzle unto itself when digits are frequently mistyped as other digits. Normally I try to be forgiving of typos, but they're especially egregious here where the meaning changes entirely. The puzzles are mostly fun besides that.

★★★★★Nov 17, 2025
Hard and not unlocked

All of these apps follow the same pattern and are generally geared for the very advanced to expert solvers. Also, I paid money for this app, so there is 0.0 reason why I need to complete some number of puzzles to get to other ones. I am not a great solver to any degree, but not a beginner. The 1-stars are generally very difficult for me. My final complaint is the absolute battery hog these apps are. There is a “battery saver” mode, but they drain battery like nobody’s business, so completely close the app when you are not playing. Other than that, I’ve bought them all and get tp about 3-start before giving up.

★★★★★Oct 29, 2025
Purchase pop up

Very good app and I’ve recently made two purchases for new levels which causes the “Purchase Complete: Your content has been unlocked. Enjoy!” message to pop up twice for each purchase every time I open the app. So every time I open the app I’m getting four pop ups. Can be quite annoying.

★★★★★Oct 14, 2025
Shockingly buggy for how simple it is.

Even after the latest update, the app still freezes and crashes, to the point where I have to put my phone to sleep to escape the app. Additionally, the app frequently loses all progress on a puzzle. Twice now in the past week I've been 75% done with a puzzle and I've put my phone away for a moment only to find all my progress on the level erased. Additionally additionally, this is more minor, but every time I am immediately greeted by two popups that say "Your purchase has been successful" that I have to close in order to progress. It's just really annoying. Furthermore, in the new fog of war packs, the line tool draws underneath the fog which is really annoying when trying to do arrow and thermo puzzles. It blows my mind that an app as simple as this can possibly even be this buggy. Puzzles are fun though and I like the channel.

Apps like this

Same category, earning about as much.

Store screenshots

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App Store ads

Apple Search Ads this app ran in the last 90 days, from Apple's public ad repository.

No App Store ads in the EU
None in the last 90 days.

Apple only publishes ads shown in the EU (EU Digital Services Act), with a 7 day delay. An app that advertises only outside the EU shows nothing here.

Growth research

Where this app is buying and earning its users. Each link opens pre filtered.

ASO keywords

Most repeated terms in the listing. Highlighted ones also appear in the title.

sudoku11classic5puzzles5cracking cryptic5classic sudoku3sam cappleman3cappleman lynes3prasanna seshadri3pack3cracking3cryptic3skill2puzzle2sam2cappleman2lynes2channel2collection2authors2prasanna2seshadri2featuring2packs2

What's new in 1.2.36

The Sudoku Worm of Zetamath is out now!

Released Jul 8, 2022. Current version shipped May 27, 2026.

Store 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!

See this store page in another country

Prices, ranks and reviews are per country. Revenue above is already worldwide.

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