# Smartichoke vs ShiftFive

The clearest difference is ads: Smartichoke at none against ShiftFive's shown. Smartichoke also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.0). ShiftFive's advantage is ratings volume (6 vs 1). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Smartichoke sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and ShiftFive sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Smartichoke against 5.0 for ShiftFive. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ShiftFive has 6 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

Smartichoke ships an update every 8 days, ShiftFive monthly. The most recent releases landed on July 4, 2026 and June 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Smartichoke | ShiftFive |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartichoke/id1110159333/reviews) | [5.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shiftfive/id6502816034/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **6** |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 5 MB | 68 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Too Much Smart, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/809009622) | [Braxton Smallwood](https://appshunter.io/developer/1732527885) |

## What reviewers say

### Smartichoke

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartichoke/id1110159333)

This word puzzle game challenges you to find words of four or more letters within available petals. Strategic letter selection, with bonuses for connected letters and penalties for disconnected ones, adds depth. Earn points for longer words, streaks, and clearing petals.

**Highlights:** Find words of four or more letters, Bonus and penalty petals for strategic play, Earn points for longer words and streaks, Rotate the Smartichoke for different perspectives, Automatic game saving, Optional token purchases for letter swaps

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Smartichoke | $0.99 | one-time |
| Smartichoke Swaps (100) | $0.99 | one-time |
| 100 Smartichoke Tokens | $0.99 | one-time |
| Smartichoke Swaps (500) | $1.99 | one-time |
| 1,000 Smartichoke Tokens | $2.99 | one-time |
| 10,000 Smartichoke Tokens | $9.99 | one-time |


### ShiftFive

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shiftfive/id6502816034)

Engage in a strategic letter elimination game where you guess a five-letter word. Utilize color-coded feedback to eliminate letters and score points. Unlock rewards and themed word packs for extended gameplay.

**Highlights:** Strategic letter elimination, Color-coded feedback system, Daily Classic and Daily Shift modes, Unlockable rewards, Themed Word Packs, Scoring based on efficiency

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| It's Spooky Word Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Gettin' Swoll Word Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pass the Popcorn Word Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| The Feels Word Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Nom Nom Word Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Feel the Beat Word Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| To Be Young Word Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| It's a Zoo Word Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| On the Go Word Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| 5 Word Packs + Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| 10 Word Packs+Unlimited+No Ads | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Smartichoke free?

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

### Is ShiftFive free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Smartichoke or ShiftFive?

Smartichoke and ShiftFive are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 6 ratings respectively.

### Do Smartichoke or ShiftFive have ads?

ShiftFive shows ads; Smartichoke does not.

### Which is updated more often, Smartichoke or ShiftFive?

Smartichoke ships an update every 8 days, and ShiftFive monthly. Most recently, Smartichoke was updated on July 4, 2026 and ShiftFive on June 11, 2026.

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