# Best Cryptic Crosswords — user reviews > 98 indexed App Store user reviews of Best Cryptic Crosswords by Teazel, rated 4.80/5 from 312 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/best-cryptic-crosswords/id1317774772/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/best-cryptic-crosswords/id1317774772.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 266 · 4★ 34 · 3★ 9 · 2★ 2 · 1★ 1 ## What do users think of Best Cryptic Crosswords? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🚀 Great puzzles - 👍 Enjoyable challenge - 👍 Reasonably difficult - 👍 User-friendly interface - 👍 Good value for money **Cons** - 🐛 Clues with barely any connection to answers - 🐛 Repeated clues and answers - 🐛 Lack of explanations for clues - 🐛 In-app purchases required to unlock more puzzles **Commonly reported bugs** - Purchases disappearing after device change - App crashing issues - Anticipatory cursor movement causing unintended letter changes **Most requested features** - Clue explanation feature - More varied and challenging clues - Ability to track completed clues - Regular updates with new puzzle packs ## Newest reviews (15 of 98) ### 4/5 — Good cryptics, large enough grid and keyboard *2026-06-09* These are okay cryptics, and I prefer using this app to doing other cryptics in Puzzazz, in which the grid and keyboard are too small on my phone, this because Puzzazz shows multiple clues while BestCrosswordCryptics shows just one (in portrait view). ### 4/5 — Cryptic crosswords I can solve *2025-09-03* I was really great to find a bunch of cryptic crosswords - my Dad and I used to the the ones in the Age back when we got hard copy papers. But only on certain days because every creator is different and some’s minds just did not work the way either of ours did. The only reason I’ve given this 4 starts, is because while I can solve the puzzles, some answers I figure out without actually understanding how it fit with the clue. I checked online and for those, they couldn’t figure it out either. Also a minor thing is the way it jumps around assuming where you are going next, which if you’ve made a mistake, trying to go back, you end up changing letters where you do ‘t mean too. ### 3/5 — Help *2024-12-26, version 1.10* How do I get this please? ### 5/5 — Enjoy these in my spare time *2024-12-15* Really like these crosswords and is something my partner and I do together. Better than scrolling through twitter. ### 5/5 — Cryptic *2024-12-04, version 1.10* Great selection of crosswords, excellent value ### 5/5 — Great games *2024-11-24* I love doing the on my commute - it’s a great way to disengage after work. ### 4/5 — needs more puzzles *2024-10-31* the app is great and the puzzles are just the right level for me only downside is that no new packs are ever added ### 5/5 — Entertaining *2024-09-21, version 1.10* Excellent mix of anagrams etc. ### 5/5 — Brilliant *2024-06-19, version 1.9* Great app lots of crosswords with no annoying adverts ### 4/5 — Love it *2024-03-31* It can be hard to find cryptic crosswords. These are challenging enough to be interesting but not so hard as to be frustrating. I have purchased all the packs and they are worth every penny. Five stars! ### 5/5 — Great Fun & Very Good Value *2024-02-25, version 1.9* Really enjoyable. Reasonably difficult without being impossible and they are UK centred crosswords. Extremely good value for money. ### 5/5 — Good! *2024-01-16* Sticky stuff needs a sunny vitamin. ### 5/5 — V good *2023-12-23* Got this one after completing the Learn Cryptic Crosswords app, would highly recommend (although I do miss the explain answer feature - turns out my vocabulary isn’t as broad as is needed to crack cryptics!) ### 5/5 — At last! *2023-11-03* After trying a dozen or more crossword apps over many years I’ve finally found one that is really good. I find cryptic crosswords far more challenging, and it’s English rather than American. I liked it so much after trying a couple that I purchased all 6 packs straight away, and that is the first time I have ever made an in-app purchase in the 12 years of iPad usage. Just brilliant, thanks. John ### 5/5 — Cryptic clues *2023-10-01, version 1.9* This cryptic crossword app is worth every penny… definitely keeping me busy . ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Where have they gone? *2025-03-29, version 1.10* Purchase all the packs a while ago, now they have disappeared and I have to pay again, not great! ### 1/5 — Repetitive *2025-03-11* Clues and answers repeat in most puzzles. ### 1/5 — Not free *2024-07-19, version 1.9* I only got 2 free games then it locked, requesting money. No thanks . ### 1/5 — Needs explanations, so many clues are unfathomable! *2021-11-10* This app is not as good as the other cryptic crosswords app that we tried, many clues are just impossible ### 1/5 — I don’t want adverts *2021-04-17* I look away when adverts are on. I would be happy to pay for them to be turned off. If is so frustrating to be looped through adverts all the time. I am getting close to deleting the app, which is a pity because the crosswords are good. I do understand why adverts are forced- because the advertisers give you more money. It’s not about crosswords and you charging for that, it’s about you making money from advertisers. ### 1/5 — Lazy and obscure *2019-03-06* The earlier version of this was great. There were help clues and explanations. This one has no clues or explanations and the answers are conjured from thin air. Save your money. ### 1/5 — Nagware! *2018-12-03, version 1.5* I paid to unlock all puzzles only to find that I am nagged constantly for a rating. Hopefully this review will stop the nagging. ### 2/5 — Sometimes so stupid! *2026-03-06* “Show a third of retailers in the money”. Ans: “PRETENCE”. I love cryptic. The challenge is great but when you shake your head and …. I’m sticking with the freebies, thanks! ### 2/5 — Terrible clues on some *2026-01-08* Yes, I know these are cryptic clues. However, many of them have barely the most tenuous connection to the answers. Usually when an answer is revealed to a tricky clue there is an “aaah, clever” moment, at least with the best written ones. With many here I’ve been left wondering if clues were written with AI, or someone who just doesn’t understand that cryptic clues NEED TO BE SOLVEABLE, and not just have some peripheral connection with their answers in their wording. If you have both clue and answer in front of you, in MOST cases the thinking behind the clue should become apparent. But that is not the case with far too many of the clues here to put it down to my own shortcomings. The clues in Teazel’s cryptic app are generally far better. ### 2/5 — Changed phone, lost purchase! *2021-02-02* Was enjoying the app but I had to change my phone and even though my progress was restored on the new phone, my purchase doesn’t seem to be! All the puzzles are locked again and it’s asking me to re-buy what I’ve already paid for? ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Just right *2026-07-31* Hard enough to make you think, not so difficult it frustrates. ### 5/5 — Great Value *2026-03-28* Witty puzzles at just the right difficultly level. There's a slight geographical lean to the UK audience (football teams, British counties etc.) but not too much. Overall a really good, value for money app for those who enjoy a challenging but entirely doable set of puzzles. ### 5/5 — Glitch *2026-03-16, version 1.11* Puzzles appear locked I purchased this app and paid to access all the puzzles. I can see the packs however most of the puzzles are locked and only 2 puzzles are available per pack. Please can you explain how to access them. Thanks ### 5/5 — Quick and fun *2026-02-12* If you’re into a cryptic challenge, these puzzles are not it. But they’re fun to do and take little time if you’re an experienced solver. ### 5/5 — Great puzzles! *2026-02-05* Almost done with this very enjoyable challenge. Hoping there’s a new installment available! ### 5/5 — Finally cracking it! *2025-10-23* As the only member of my family who didn’t ‘do’ cryptic crosswords I found them very frustrating. You just need to know ‘oh, that’s a signal for this’ or ‘this abbreviation means that’. I tried to learn from a book, but the ‘Learn Cryptic Crosswords app’ also from Teazel is much better and more engaging, and this app gives you reasonably easy practice. ### 5/5 — My daily brain teaser. *2025-09-03, version 1.10* I’ve enjoyed the daily challenge of these puzzles. But now I’ve completed all 300 I’m left wanting more - please? ### 5/5 — Clear cryptic *2025-04-11, version 1.10* Not the most difficult such as the best of The Times, The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph. But clever and interesting and joyful to do. Would be very good for cryptic crossword beginners. ### 5/5 — Straight up and down (and across) *2025-03-18* This is the most straightforward implementation of a cryptic crossword app that you can get. No frills, no complications, just the crosswords. Enough puzzles here for weeks or months of entertainment, depending on your skill. If you like the sound of that, this is a very easy buy. ### 5/5 — Jeff *2025-03-02, version 1.10* I like the iPad format. Crosswords are just about my level. Very enjoyable. Produce some more. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-03.*