# Astraware Acrostic vs Crostics

The clearest difference is ads: Crostics at none against Astraware Acrostic's shown. Crostics also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (92% vs 76%). Astraware Acrostic's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 6 months). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Astraware Acrostic sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Crostics sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Crostics holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Crostics has 630 ratings behind it against 53, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Astraware Acrostic's written reviews are positive against 92% of Crostics's.

Astraware Acrostic ships an update every 6 weeks, Crostics every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Astraware Acrostic | Crostics |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (53 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astraware-acrostic/id1133591036/reviews) | **[4.8 (630 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crostics/id1204549053/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 53 | **630** |
| Positive reviews | 76.2% of reviews | **92.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 35 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Astraware Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/392328106) | [John Blackburn](https://appshunter.io/developer/1637339755) |

## What reviewers say

### Astraware Acrostic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astraware-acrostic/id1133591036)

Solve word clues to uncover a vertical target word. Enjoy quick puzzles perfect for short breaks, with daily and weekly challenges. Features include helpful hints and global leaderboards.

**Highlights:** Solve word clues to find a vertical target word, 50 built-in free puzzles, Daily and weekly new puzzles, Global leaderboard competition, Vowel/consonant highlighting, Helpful hints available

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Puzzles Plus | $1.99 | per month |
| Puzzles Plus | $2.99 | per 3 months |
| Puzzles Plus | $7.99 | per year |
| Easy Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Tough Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Ad-Free Daily Puzzles | $2.99 | one-time |
| Deluxe Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Calendar Pack 2017 | $4.99 | one-time |


### Crostics

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crostics/id1204549053)

Engaging word puzzles that combine crosswords and quote deciphering. Solve clues to reveal a hidden quote, or use parts of the quote to solve the clues. Enjoy a beautifully designed, ad-free experience with adjustable difficulty.

**Highlights:** Reveal hidden quotes, Decipher clues using quote, Unlimited hints, Undo functionality, Light and Dark mode, Help section

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Book | $1.99 | one-time |
| 2 Books | $3.99 | one-time |
| 4 Books | $5.99 | one-time |
| 8 Books | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Clean, intuitive, and modern interface
- 🎮 Fun and engaging gameplay mechanics
- 💡 Custom keyboard for faster input
- 🔇 Minimal, delightful sound effects
- ⭐ High-quality puzzle content

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional freezing and resizing issues
- 😴 Repetitive content across 100 levels
- ⚠️ Very easy difficulty level
- 📏 Shorter puzzles than traditional magazines
- 🔤 Unclear multi-word answer formatting

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes occasionally
- Unexpected resizing of interface elements
- Delete function requires multiple presses (workaround: long press available)

**Requested features**

- More puzzle books and content
- Word count indicators in clues (e.g., '2 words', '3 words')
- Spaces in clues for multi-word answers
- Author attribution guessing feature
- Ability to view solved puzzles after completion


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Astraware Acrostic free?

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

### Is Crostics free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Astraware Acrostic or Crostics?

Crostics is rated higher. Astraware Acrostic averages 4.5 out of 5 from 53 ratings, while Crostics averages 4.8 from 630 ratings.

### Do Astraware Acrostic or Crostics have ads?

Astraware Acrostic shows ads; Crostics does not.

### Which is updated more often, Astraware Acrostic or Crostics?

Astraware Acrostic ships an update every 6 weeks, and Crostics every 6 months. Most recently, Astraware Acrostic was updated on November 2, 2026 and Crostics on November 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.*