Runners don't guess whether they're getting faster: they have times. Cryptogram solvers mostly guess. Cipher Munch closes that gap: every solve is timed, every cipher type is tracked separately, and the app quietly builds the training log you'd never keep by hand.
Step 1: get a baseline
Solve five hint-free Aristocrats at your normal pace. Then open Statistics:
The stats screen shows puzzles solved (today, this week, this month, all-time), your fastest and average solve times, an activity chart with hint-free and with-hints series shown separately, and per-cipher completion. That average time is your baseline: write it down, or just remember the chart's shape.
Step 2: make practice unskippable
Speed comes from frequency of practice more than from any technique. The daily streak counter sits on the main menu, and it only asks for one puzzle a day. One easy Atbash on a busy day keeps the chain alive; the chain keeps you opening the app; opening the app is 90% of practice. The achievement system layers on top: badges for totals, per-cipher milestones, and streak lengths, each shareable as a gold medallion when you want to gloat responsibly.
Step 3: remove one helper at a time
Speed you owe to the helpers isn't speed you own. Every few weeks, turn one off (error highlighting first, then frequency counts) and let your average time absorb the hit. It will recover within a week or two, and the recovered speed is real: it comes from pattern recall in your head, not tools on the screen. This is the single most reliable way to bend the curve, and the per-cipher toggle memory means you can run different levels for different ciphers (training wheels on Patristocrats, none on Aristocrats).
Step 4: read the chart honestly
Two things to watch in the activity chart: the hint-free share of your solves should grow over time, and your average time should fall within a cipher type (comparing Aristocrat times to Patristocrat times tells you nothing). A plateau isn't failure: it usually means the current difficulty has been absorbed and it's time to move up a volume, drop a helper, or add a harder cipher.
Speed tools worth knowing
On iPad or Mac, use a hardware keyboard: arrow keys move around the board and typing maps letters instantly, easily worth a minute per puzzle. On iPhone, the custom keyboard is tuned for letter-mapping with the editing cell and its matches shown in distinct colors, so you always know where you are mid-thought.