# Crostix — Acrostic word puzzles > Digital acrostic puzzles with automatic letter placement and hints. (iPhone/iPad app by Mountford Line.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crostix/id317959702 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Mountford Line](https://appshunter.io/developer/317783633) - Category: Games, Word - Price: $4.99 with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.70/5 from 49 App Store ratings · 85 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 16.0 · 37 MB - Languages: American English, European Spanish - Released: 2009-06-06 - Data updated: 2026-08-24 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crostix/id317959702/reviews.md ## What is Crostix? Welcome to the world of acrostics! An acrostic, also called a crostic or double crostic, is a cousin of crossword puzzles, with clues and answers whose letters are rearranged to form a quote from a famous (or not-so-famous) author. If you're familiar with acrostics, you will quickly see how convenient they are on the iPhone, because letters are automatically copied to the correct place as you type them in. Crostix, the online library of acrostic puzzles, is now available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. It includes 150 puzzles, from easy to fiendishly hard, and you can buy more puzzles right in the application. For free sample puzzles, download the aptly-named Crostix Free. The program has all the features you'd expect: - get hints for a single letter or an entire word, - see your score, based on how many hints you needed, - change the font size by pinching, - rotate the device as you like, and - get help on all program options. If you're new to the world of acrostics, the application also includes a short tutorial to get you started. ## Key features - Automatic letter placement - 150+ included puzzles - In-app puzzle purchases - Hint system for letters/words - Scoring based on hints used - Adjustable font size - Device rotation support ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: $4.99. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | HeadLines | $1.99 | one-time | | The Golden Treasury | $1.99 | one-time | | Crostix Book Four | $1.99 | one-time | | Guest Author: Gordon Frakes | $1.99 | one-time | | Crostix Book Five | $1.99 | one-time | | Crostix, Book Six | $1.99 | one-time | | Crostix Book Seven | $1.99 | one-time | | Guest Author: Gordon Frakes 2 | $1.99 | one-time | | Crostix Book Eight | $1.99 | one-time | | Crostix Book Nine | $1.99 | one-time | | Crostix Book Ten | $1.99 | one-time | | Crostix Book Eleven | $1.99 | one-time | | Crostix Book Thirteen | $0.99 | one-time | | Crostix Book Twelve | $0.99 | one-time | ## Chart rankings - #114 in Top Paid · Word (US App Store) ## What do users think of Crostix? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 👍 Great game/app - 💡 Challenging puzzles - 👍 Fun to complete - 💡 Good variety of puzzles - 👍 Easy to use interface - 💡 Interesting quotes - 👍 Well worth the price - 💡 Automatic letter transfer - 👍 Good brain fun - 💡 Well-designed interface - 👍 Clever puzzles - 💡 Nice gradations on clues - 👍 Good vocabulary builder - 💡 Removes tedium of paper puzzles - 👍 Addictive **Cons** - 🐛 App crashes - 🐛 Puzzles not opening - 🐛 In-app purchases not working - 🐛 Data waiting errors - 🐛 Lost progress after reinstall - 🐛 Offensive content in puzzles - 🐛 Obscure US references - 🐛 Repeated clues - 🐛 Lack of punctuation - 🐛 US-centric content - 🐛 Religious references - 🐛 Unsolvable puzzles - 🐛 Clunky interface **Commonly reported bugs** - Library is gone, no record of puzzles - App not working with latest iOS - In-app purchases do not all work - Books 10 & 11 will not open - AppStore shows purchased but app says waiting for data - App crashes - In-app purchase feature does not work - Paid for book, charged again after update - Completed puzzles show blank after update - App is waiting for data - Misspelling in puzzle quote - Cannot buy Book 5 - App only checks for new puzzles every 30 days **Most requested features** - Add more puzzles - Add free starting letters - Add ability to skip filled squares - Add display for first letters of clue answers - Add score tracking - Add more challenging puzzles - Add more US-centric puzzles - Add more religious references - Add dark mode - Add puzzle title in top bar ## Recent user reviews (10 of 85) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crostix/id317959702/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Great game! *2026-07-11, version 4.0* I love this game! I feel like the puzzles are challenging, and fun to complete. I’m so glad there are more to purchase and download! I can’t begin to express just how excited I was when I randomly checked on this app and saw that it had been updated! This is by far one of my most favorite games on my phone! ### 5/5 — Something is broken… *2026-07-10, version 4.0* What the heck happened to this app? The colors are all wrong, making it impossible to see the letters you’ve already entered in the quote. I hope you guys fix this soon… ### 1/5 — Like this a lot, but…. *2025-03-19, version 3.3* I’ve enjoyed this, and bought many of the add on packs, but for the past few months, whenever I finish one I try to go back to the library and everything is gone. So there’s no record of any of the puzzles. I’ve played previously like they’re used to be. And there’s no puzzles at all I have to delete the game and re-download it every single time. Don’t know what but something’s gone wrong and I’m extremely disappointed. ### 3/5 — Finally broken with latest iOS *2025-02-08, version 3.3* Seems doubtful this will get fixed since the website is no longer up. But the app has quit working with the newest iOS ### 1/5 — Broken app? *2024-12-26, version 3.3* A week or so ago this app, which I have used and enjoyed for years, began to malfunction on my phone (iOS). Developers web site does not work either. Does anyone know if they are still around? ### 5/5 — Great game! *2024-10-04, version 3.3* I love this game! I feel like the puzzles are challenging, and fun to complete. I’m so glad there are more to purchase and download! Note: after updating to iOS 18, I had to delete and reinstall which means I have to start over on the puzzles, but that’s fine with me. I’m impressed that an app that has gone 7 years without an update is holding strong! ### 5/5 — My favorite Anacrostics in electronic form *2022-06-10, version 3.3* I’ve always loved Anacrostics. I’ve been doing them with pencil and paper for years. This app works just like the printed ones, but once completely filled in, you get immediate feedback as to whether all entries are correct. They’re fun and challenging, especially at the higher difficulty levels. ### 5/5 — STILL THE BEST WORD APP!!! *2020-10-19, version 3.3* . ### 4/5 — Great app but no updates for several years! *2019-12-10, version 3.3* I love this app, but there have been no new puzzles for several years. It's easy to use and most of the puzzles are information and fun to solve. I like the more complicated puzzles, not the gag lines. However, the Sherlock Holmes puzzles are extremely difficult. I exhausted the Mumford puzzles quite a while ago, which makes the current version of the app worthless. PLEASE add more puzzles soon! ### 4/5 — Great app *2019-04-26, version 3.3* One of the few I’ll actually pay for which says a lot. I’ve always loved this kind of puzzle. I’d love it it started with some “free” letters on the puzzle to get you started but all in all I really enjoy playing. ## Frequently asked questions about Crostix ### What is an acrostic puzzle? An acrostic puzzle, also known as a crostic, is a word game where the answers to clues, when their letters are rearranged, form a quote from an author. It's a cousin to crossword puzzles but focuses on revealing a hidden message. ### What features does this app offer? The app provides automatic letter placement as you type, a library of over 150 puzzles, the ability to purchase more puzzles within the application, hints for letters or words, a scoring system based on hint usage, adjustable font sizes, and support for device rotation. ### How much does the app cost? The app itself is free to download and includes a substantial number of puzzles. Additional puzzle packs can be purchased directly within the application if you wish to expand your puzzle library. ### What devices is this app compatible with? This application is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices. It is designed to work seamlessly across these Apple mobile platforms. ### Can I get help if I'm stuck on a puzzle? Yes, the app includes a helpful hint system. You can request a hint for a single letter or an entire word to assist you in solving the puzzle. Your score is also affected by the number of hints you utilize. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 4.0 — 2026-07-03 Crostix has been completely rewritten for modern iPhones and iPads. ### 3.3 — 2016-10-04 This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon. Three new books! Crostix Books 12 and 13, and a second book of Larry Katzman's Gaglines puzzles. Updated for iOS 10. Unfortunately, that also means you will need at least iOS 8 to run this new version. Our apologies to those using older devices. But most importantly, we hope that this new version fixes the evil and long-standing bug which caused the app to be stuck in "Waiting for Data" mode for new books. Let us know if you still have problems with this; fixing it is our number one priority. ### 3.2 — 2015-04-20 New puzzles: Books Ten and Eleven by Sharon (along with some special puzzle books to bribe you to help spread the word), a book of puzzles by new author Joe Lex, and a book of puzzles in Spanish! The program has also been updated for the latest Apple devices. ### 2.7 — 2014-06-05 Two new books, Crostix 8 and 9, with more of Sharon's puzzles. The library menu has also been improved to show your progress for each book. A few puzzle typo fixes. ### 2.6 — 2013-12-18 Two new books! For regular mortals: GagLines, a book of acrostic puzzles where the quote is the caption of a cartoon. And for those seeking the ultimate challenge: Elementary, My Dear Watson, fiendishly hard themed acrostics taken from the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. ## More apps by Mountford Line - [Crostix Free](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crostix-free/id317783630) All apps by Mountford Line: https://appshunter.io/developer/317783633 --- *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 2026-08-24.*