Typeshift vs Downwordly
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Anagram and word search mechanics
- Shift letter columns to spell words
- Daily challenges with leaderboards
- Special clue puzzles
- Unlockable puzzle packs
- Themes and statistics
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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
Downwordly
A word building game where you strategically use available letters to form the longest possible words. Engage in turn-based multiplayer or test your skills in various solo modes, including daily challenges and puzzle-solving.
- Word building with limited letters
- Turn-based multiplayer
- Solo play modes
- Daily challenges
- Puzzle mode
- Leaderboards
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Downwordly is a word building game that challenges you to make the most out of the letters you have. Not all letters you see are playable! Use your intellect to find the best word you can make while also planning for the future. Play against your GameCenter friends in turn-based multiplayer! Play solo with an endless stack of letters! Try searching for words in Puzzle mode! Work your way through a new set of 5 layers of tiles every day in the Daily Challenge! See how you stack up against your friends and the world on the leaderboards. ========= LAYER TWO ========= • Solo Versus - Test your skills against four different difficulties of computer opponents. • 50 new Puzzles • 8 new themes • Customize your theme and app icon • Compete on 2 new leaderboards What's the longest word you can make?
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Downwordly at none against Typeshift's shown. Downwordly also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 6 weeks) and rating (4.7 vs 4.3). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. Typeshift sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Downwordly sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Downwordly holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 497 and 756 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of Typeshift's written reviews are positive against 74% of Downwordly's.
Typeshift ships an update every 6 weeks, Downwordly every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Typeshift | Downwordly |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (497 ratings) | 4.7 (756 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 49.3% of reviews | 74.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 497 | 756 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 72 MB | 90 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Zach Gage | Bird Cartel LLC |
Customer experience
Typeshift
Downwordly
User reviews
Typeshift
From 497 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Challenging and fun
- 👍 Unique and innovative game concept
- ⭐ Great brain workout
- 🎨 Elegant and minimalistic design
- 📚 Helps expand vocabulary
Room to improve
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🔍 Obscure/uncommon words used
- 🔇 Intrusive ads
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- ⚠️ Compatibility issues with newer devices
Downwordly
From 756 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fun games
- 🚀 Unique and challenging
- 👍 Visually pleasing
- 👍 Relaxing and strategic
- 👍 Addictive and engaging
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes when offline
- 🐛 Multiplayer issues
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🐛 Confusing tutorial
- 🐛 Certain puzzles unsolvable
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
Downwordly
Reported bugs
4 issues- Multiplayer games not showing up correctly
- Rewind arrow causing game to get stuck
- Puzzle mode issues with overlapping words
- Endless mode not dropping enough letters
Requested features
6 requests- Auto-orientation for iPad
- Dark theme option
- Leaderboards for Endless mode
- Hints for Puzzle mode
- Ability to restart Daily Challenge
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Improved multiplayer experience
In-app purchases
Typeshift
- Chocolate Puzzle Pack$0.99
- Peppermint Puzzle Pack$0.99
- Pecan Clue Puzzle Pack$1.99
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- 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
Downwordly
- Multiplayer+$1.99
- Layer Two$2.99









