Comparison

Listen vs Decoding Word Puzzle

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

Head to head
About

Listen

This game trains your hearing by presenting sound cues that you must respond to correctly to navigate obstacles and absorb energy. It uses adaptive algorithms to adjust difficulty to your individual performance level, based on principles of perceptual learning and auditory neuroscience.

Highlights
  • Auditory training game
  • Perceptual learning principles
  • Reward-based framework
  • Adaptive difficulty algorithms
  • Sound cue response
  • Brain fitness
Features
Read full description

Listen is an auditory training game produced by the University of California Riverside (UCR) Brain Game Center for Mental Fitness and Well-being; A research unit focused on brain fitness methods and applications. Listen integrates principles of perceptual learning and auditory neuroscience in a reward-based game framework that reinforces program adherence and maintains training efficacy. In the game experience, players find themselves in control of a wisp that must navigate through perilous obstacles by responding appropriately to specific sound cues in order to absorb energy from objects in the environment. The sound cues are based upon language primitives and sound features that selectively drive neurons in the auditory cortex of the brain. While at first the sounds are easy to discriminate, the game’s adaptive algorithms measure each players’ ability to discern the sounds and trains players at their individual threshold of performance. Give it a listen and train your hearing.

About

Decoding Word Puzzle

Engage your mind with a word puzzle game featuring quotes from famous figures, literature, and movies. Solve creatively designed levels with hints and letter matching, enhanced by beautiful hand-drawn art and an unfolding narrative.

Highlights
  • Quote-based puzzles
  • Word creation and letter matching
  • Contextual hints
  • Hand-drawn artwork
  • Narrative mode
  • Daily challenges
Features
Read full description

Discover the Thrill of Puzzle Solving in "Decoding Word Puzzle"! Welcome to Decoding Word Puzzle, an exceptional and stimulating word challenge game! Dive into a realm filled with quotes from renowned figures, timeless literature, and intriguing movie lines, all sprinkled with a touch of humor. Each level is brimming with insight and cleverness, just waiting for you to unveil. Game Features: Varied Levels: Tackle ingeniously crafted puzzles that blend word creation, contextual hints, and letter matching, providing an exhilarating mental workout. Visual Splendor: Each stage is adorned with breathtaking hand-drawn artwork, offering a stunning artistic experience that enriches your puzzle-solving adventure. Engaging Activities: Participate in butterfly gathering, koi tournaments, daily treasures, and ongoing challenges—there's always something fresh and thrilling to explore! Narrative Mode: Unlock captivating plots as you advance through the game. Complete levels to unveil more mysteries, drawing you deeper into an enchanting story. Prepare to stimulate your intellect and relish a delightful gaming experience with Decoding Word Puzzle! Download now and embark on your adventure!

Screenshots

Listen4 screens
Decoding Word Puzzle4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Decoding Word Puzzle at 4.9 against Listen's 3.1. Decoding Word Puzzle also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (11K vs 12). Listen's advantage is review sentiment (44% vs 27%). 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Decoding Word Puzzle holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Decoding Word Puzzle has 11K ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 44% of Listen's written reviews are positive against 27% of Decoding Word Puzzle's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Listen ships an update every 6 weeks, Decoding Word Puzzle daily. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Listen versus Decoding Word Puzzle: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterListenDecoding Word Puzzle
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (12 ratings)4.9 (11K ratings) — better
Positive reviews44.4% of reviews — better27.1% of reviews
Number of ratings1211K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size129 MB255 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNortheastern University Information ServicesPeace Word Studio

Customer experience

Listen

All ratings12 ratings
Positive58.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative41.7%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive44.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative55.6%

Decoding Word Puzzle

All ratings11,338 ratings
Positive97.7%
Neutral0.7%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews225 reviews
Positive27.1%
Neutral14.2%
Negative58.7%

Bugs and requests

Listen

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Decoding Word Puzzle

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Forced to restart from beginning after update
  • Frequent crashes and freezes

Requested features

2 requests
  • More puzzle content
  • Option to disable ads

In-app purchases

None

Listen

No in-app purchases

None

Decoding Word Puzzle

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Listen free?
Listen is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Decoding Word Puzzle free?
Decoding Word Puzzle is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Listen or Decoding Word Puzzle?
Decoding Word Puzzle is rated higher. Listen averages 3.1 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Decoding Word Puzzle averages 4.9 from 11K ratings.
Do Listen or Decoding Word Puzzle have ads?
Neither Listen nor Decoding Word Puzzle shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Listen or Decoding Word Puzzle?
Listen ships an update every 6 weeks, and Decoding Word Puzzle daily. Most recently, Listen was updated on October 2, 2026 and Decoding Word Puzzle on October 20, 2026.

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