# Crossword vs Best Cryptic Crosswords

The clearest difference is ads: Best Cryptic Crosswords at none against Crossword's shown. Best Cryptic Crosswords also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (83% vs 70%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Crossword sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year and Best Cryptic Crosswords sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Best Cryptic Crosswords holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 153 and 316 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Crossword's written reviews are positive against 83% of Best Cryptic Crosswords's.

Crossword ships an update every 5 months, Best Cryptic Crosswords every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Crossword | Best Cryptic Crosswords |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (153 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crossword/id1061490811/reviews) | **[4.8 (316 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/best-cryptic-crosswords/id1317774772/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 153 | **316** |
| Positive reviews | 70.0% of reviews | **83.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 months** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 101 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | **10.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Havos](https://appshunter.io/developer/309789068) | [Teazel](https://appshunter.io/developer/576525182) |

## What reviewers say

### Crossword

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crossword/id1061490811)

Engage with a vast collection of American-style crosswords, featuring adjustable grid sizes and difficulty levels. Enjoy unlimited on-the-fly generated puzzles and utilize helpful tools like validation and a built-in solver. Supports multiple languages and spelling preferences for a personalized experience.

**Highlights:** Adjustable grid zoom and movement, Multiple grid sizes and difficulty levels, On-the-fly grid generation for unlimited play, Thousands of straight and general knowledge clues, US/UK English spelling options, Built-in crossword solver and hints, Crosswords in French, German, and Dutch

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Supporter (no ads) | $4.99 | per year |
| Stack of 1300 Coins | $0.99 | one-time |
| Stack of 3000 Coins | $1.99 | one-time |
| Stack of 8000 coins | $3.99 | one-time |
| Stack of 20000 Coins | $9.99 | one-time |


### Best Cryptic Crosswords

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/best-cryptic-crosswords/id1317774772)

Engage with 300 professionally crafted cryptic crosswords designed for accessibility. Enjoy a smooth puzzle experience on your devices with features like zooming, landscape mode, and helpful tools.

**Highlights:** 300 professional cryptic crosswords, 12 free puzzles, Pinch and zooming grid, Landscape mode with clue list, Cheats and answer checking, British style puzzles

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| pack of cryptic crosswords | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Cryptic Crosswords | $0.99 | one-time |
| get  all 6 cryptic packs | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great puzzles
- 👍 Enjoyable challenge
- 👍 Reasonably difficult
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 👍 Good value for money

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Clues with barely any connection to answers
- 🐛 Repeated clues and answers
- 🐛 Lack of explanations for clues
- 🐛 In-app purchases required to unlock more puzzles

**Reported bugs**

- Purchases disappearing after device change
- App crashing issues
- Anticipatory cursor movement causing unintended letter changes

**Requested features**

- Clue explanation feature
- More varied and challenging clues
- Ability to track completed clues
- Regular updates with new puzzle packs


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Crossword free?

Crossword is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Best Cryptic Crosswords free?

Best Cryptic Crosswords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Crossword or Best Cryptic Crosswords?

Best Cryptic Crosswords is rated higher. Crossword averages 4.4 out of 5 from 153 ratings, while Best Cryptic Crosswords averages 4.8 from 316 ratings.

### Do Crossword or Best Cryptic Crosswords have ads?

Crossword shows ads; Best Cryptic Crosswords does not.

### Which is updated more often, Crossword or Best Cryptic Crosswords?

Crossword ships an update every 5 months, and Best Cryptic Crosswords every 7 months. Most recently, Crossword was updated on November 6, 2026 and Best Cryptic Crosswords on November 11, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*