Comparison

Word Drop Game vs Retrogram

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

Head to head
About

Word Drop Game

A straightforward word game where players strategically drop letters to form words before the stack becomes too high. It offers a pure, uninterrupted gameplay experience with no ads or in-app purchases.

Highlights
  • Letter dropping mechanics
  • Word formation challenges
  • Progressive difficulty
  • Ad-free experience
  • No in-app purchases
  • Pure gameplay focus
Features
Read full description

Stop your grinin' and drop your letters. This fun game will keep you entertained for hours, days, maybe more. Letter fall, straight away. But this isn't a problem, this is an opportunity. An opportunity to make words. As many as you can. Before the letter stack gets too high, and you lose. No advertising, no in app purchasing, no menus, no high scores. Just pure game play.

About

Retrogram

Challenge your vocabulary with a daily word puzzle. Create as many words as possible from seven letters. Enjoy a stylish, retro-themed experience designed to sharpen your mind and introduce you to new words.

Highlights
  • Daily hand-made puzzles
  • Solve puzzles together via SharePlay
  • Apple Watch compatibility
  • No ads
  • Discover new words
Features
Read full description

Think you’re a word nerd? Put your vocabulary to the test with new word puzzles every day Retrogram is a love letter to the 1970s — a cozy collection of handcrafted word games, curious words and satisfying puzzles to make part of your daily routine PLAY EVERY DAY SPELLOTRON Make as many words as you can using seven letters. Find the pangram, climb the ranks and discover interesting stories behind some of your favorite words WORDWAY Build a bridge of words from one word to another. Use the letters you’re given and find a path across the board THERE’S MORE Subscribe to Retrogram to catch up on the past week of daily puzzles, explore the Puzzle Vault, play limited-edition bonus packs, switch things up with vintage app icons, and play after dark with Neon Nites FEATURES * Two handcrafted word puzzles every day * Play today’s Spellotron and Wordway puzzles for free * Catch up on the past seven days * A growing Vault of bonus puzzles * Limited-edition puzzle packs * Neon Nites dark theme * Vintage alternate app icons * SharePlay — solve together over FaceTime * Play Spellotron on your Apple Watch * No ads, ever Additional details Privacy policy: https://retrogram.app/#privacy Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Word Drop Game1 screens
Retrogram4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Retrogram at Free against Word Drop Game's $0.99. Retrogram also leads on rating (4.4 vs 1.0) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 39 months). Word Drop Game's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.6). On ads 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

Retrogram is free to download; Word Drop Game costs $0.99 up front. Retrogram sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Word Drop Game asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Retrogram holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Retrogram has 320 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Word Drop Game ships an update every 39 months, Retrogram every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 4, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Word Drop Game versus Retrogram: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWord Drop GameRetrogram
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating1.0 (1 ratings)4.4 (320 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—66.1% of reviews
Number of ratings1320 — better
Update frequencyEvery 39 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB145 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJOhn Lyonsin Color

Customer experience

Word Drop Game

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Retrogram

All ratings320 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral2.5%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive66.1%
Neutral9.7%
Negative24.2%

Bugs and requests

Word Drop Game

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Retrogram

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Words marked as missed that were actually found
  • Puzzle letters changing when spinning the wheel
  • Apple Watch app no longer functioning
  • Game progress deletion without explanation
  • Inconsistent word acceptance across different puzzles
Show 2 more
  • Hint feature disappeared in recent updates
  • Contact support only available through Apple Mail

Requested features

10 requests
  • Access to previous/archived puzzles
  • Multiple puzzles per day or puzzle difficulty levels
  • Statistics tracking (completion rate, pangram frequency)
  • Hint system that doesn't impact streak
  • Word find rate percentages for context
Show 5 more
  • Immediate answer reveal after puzzle completion
  • Cheaper one-time purchase option instead of subscription
  • In-game dispute method for word validation
  • Apple Watch functionality restoration
  • Automatic daily prefix posting on social media

In-app purchases

None

Word Drop Game

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Retrogram

Subscriptions2
  • Daily Puzzle (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • Daily Puzzle (Yearly)$29.991 Year
One-time8
  • Where in the World$3.99
  • 80s Dinner Party$4.99
  • Gaming Icons$4.99
Show 5 more
  • Stone Cold$4.99
  • Flower Power$4.99
  • Dear Reader$4.99
  • Outer Rim$4.99
  • Daily Puzzle (For Life)$49.99

Questions

Is Word Drop Game free?
Word Drop Game costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Retrogram free?
Retrogram is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Word Drop Game or Retrogram?
Retrogram is rated higher. Word Drop Game averages 1.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Retrogram averages 4.4 from 320 ratings.
Do Word Drop Game or Retrogram have ads?
Neither Word Drop Game nor Retrogram shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Word Drop Game or Retrogram?
Word Drop Game ships an update every 39 months, and Retrogram every 3 weeks. Most recently, Word Drop Game was updated on September 4, 2026 and Retrogram on September 27, 2026.

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