Comparison

Typeshift vs Word Forward

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

Head to head
About

Typeshift

This word puzzle game challenges you to unscramble letters within stacked words to form new words in the center row. It offers daily challenges with global leaderboards and special clue-based puzzles. Unlock additional content and remove ads with in-app purchases.

Highlights
  • Anagram and word search mechanics
  • Shift letter columns to spell words
  • Daily challenges with leaderboards
  • Special clue puzzles
  • Unlockable puzzle packs
  • Themes and statistics
Features
Read full description

From the creator of SpellTower, comes a new and completely original word game! Anagrams meets Word Search, with a sprinkle of Crosswords. Typeshift is the modern anagram puzzle; re-imagined from the ground up, combining wordplay, modern game design, and a mobile-first approach. In most anagram games, you search for new combinations within a single word, but in Typeshift, you search within three to five words stacked & scrambled up together. Shift columns of letters up and down as you try to spell words in the center row. Play continues until you have used all letters in a puzzle at least once. Special Clue Puzzles combine Crosswords with Anagrams as you match clever clues provided by Typeshift's various puzzle authors. - Daily Word Game Play with Global Leaderboards - Typeshift features a free daily challenge with global leaderboards. The easiest challenge for the week appears on Monday, and progressively more challenging puzzles build throughout the week. Compare your fastest Typeshift daily solving times with players around the globe! ------WHAT CRITICS ARE SAYING "Addictive and edifying, like popping a special kind of bubble wrap that expands your vocabulary.” - The Verge "Typeshift is a unmissable entry to the [word] genre." Gold Award. - Pocket Gamer "Typeshift is f*cking awesome" - Giant Bombcast "The Word Puzzle Game You've Been Waiting For" - Waypoint "Well worth your time" - Sixcolors ------WHATS IN THE “BOX”? Typeshift comes with over a hundred free puzzles, with more coming soon, plus new free daily puzzles every day. Additional puzzle packs may be purchased in-app. Purchasing any puzzle pack removes ads, and unlocks themes & detailed statistics. ------A WORD FROM THE DEVELOPER Typeshift continues my quest to re-imagine classic newspaper games in the digital era. Where SpellTower tackled word search and Really Bad Chess handled chess puzzles, Typeshift re-examines Anagrams and Crosswords. Typeshift has been a joy to develop, and I hope you have as much fun playing it as I had making it. As always, thanks so much for your support! -zach

About

Word Forward

This word puzzle game challenges players to clear a 5x5 grid by forming words. It requires strategic use of every letter tile to solve 500 unique puzzles, offering an endlessly challenging brain teaser.

Highlights
  • Spell words by tracing lines
  • Swap letters with tokens
  • Jumble tiles for new letters
  • Change letters with modifiers
  • Eliminate tiles with bombs
  • Solve 500 puzzles
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The #1 Word Game! Played by millions! “Equally a brain-teaser and a brain-pleaser” - MacWorld “An excellent buy for solo players” - TechRadar “A really fun and well-executed word game” - PocketGamer Beautifully simple. Endlessly challenging. Word Forward is the word puzzle game where every choice matters. Can you use all of the letters in the 5x5 grid to make words disappear and clear the board? Word Forward isn’t about spelling the longest words or the most clever - it’s about carefully using every tile to declare victory in 500 puzzles. It requires cunning and strategy -- Word Forward is a brain teaser that will really make you think! • SPELL words by tracing a line between tiles in any direction, including diagonally • SWAP any two letters on the grid by using a SWAP TOKEN, earned during gameplay • JUMBLE the tiles on the grid to replace all the letters with new ones when all else fails • CHANGE the letter on a tile to any other letter you choose using the SWAP MODIFIER • ELIMINATE stubborn tiles with BOMBS to get yourself out of a tight spot The latest brain-tingling puzzle game from the creators of Block Droppin Blitz.

Screenshots

Typeshift4 screens
Word Forward4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Typeshift at Free against Word Forward's $2.99. Typeshift also leads on ratings volume (497 vs 11). Word Forward's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). On update cadence and device support 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

Typeshift is free to download; Word Forward costs $2.99 up front. Typeshift sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Word Forward asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Word Forward holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Typeshift has 497 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of Typeshift's written reviews are positive against 76% of Word Forward's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Typeshift versus Word Forward: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTypeshiftWord Forward
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating4.3 (497 ratings)4.5 (11 ratings) — better
Positive reviews49.3% of reviews76.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings497 — better11
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 6 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#111 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS14.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size72 MB122 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZach GageThalamus Digital Publishing Ltd.

Customer experience

Typeshift

All ratings497 ratings
Positive80.9%
Neutral7.8%
Negative11.3%
Written reviews211 reviews
Positive49.3%
Neutral17.5%
Negative33.2%

Word Forward

All ratings11 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral9.1%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive76.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative23.5%

Bugs and requests

Typeshift

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Puzzle timer inaccuracies
  • Purchased content not restoring properly
  • Letters not registering correctly
  • Puzzles not displaying properly on some devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • More clue puzzles and puzzle packs
  • Option to reset/replay completed puzzle packs
  • Sync progress across devices
  • Support for British/Australian English
  • Built-in dictionary with better word definitions

Word Forward

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Typeshift

One-time10
  • Chocolate Puzzle Pack$0.99
  • Peppermint Puzzle Pack$0.99
  • Pecan Clue Puzzle Pack$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Walnut Clue Puzzle Pack$1.99
  • Parmesan Clue Puzzle Pack$1.99
  • Umami Clue Puzzle Pack$1.99
  • Pistachio Clue Puzzle Pack$1.99
  • Starter Bundle$1.99
  • Sophomore Bundle$1.99
  • Gumshoe Clue Bundle$3.99
None

Word Forward

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Typeshift free?
Typeshift is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Word Forward free?
Word Forward costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Typeshift or Word Forward?
Word Forward is rated higher. Typeshift averages 4.3 out of 5 from 497 ratings, while Word Forward averages 4.5 from 11 ratings.
Do Typeshift or Word Forward have ads?
Typeshift shows ads; Word Forward does not.
Which is updated more often, Typeshift or Word Forward?
Typeshift ships an update every 6 weeks, and Word Forward every 6 weeks. Most recently, Typeshift was updated on October 16, 2026 and Word Forward on October 15, 2026.

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