# Sidewords vs BranchWordy

The clearest difference is price: BranchWordy at Free against Sidewords's $2.99. BranchWordy also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 81%). Sidewords's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (295 vs 8). On rating, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

BranchWordy is free to download; Sidewords costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Sidewords against 4.9 for BranchWordy. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sidewords has 295 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of Sidewords's written reviews are positive against 100% of BranchWordy's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sidewords | BranchWordy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.7 (295 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sidewords/id1223257768/reviews) | **[4.9 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/branchwordy/id1338096321/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **295** | 8 |
| Positive reviews | 80.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Ad-supported |
| Best chart rank | **#75** | — |
| Size | 70 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Milkbag Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/702914608) | [Vaibhav Electronics Pvt Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/334428561) |

## What reviewers say

### Sidewords

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sidewords/id1223257768)

**Currently charting:** #75 Top Paid · Word (US App Store)

This app offers a unique blend of logic and word puzzles with no timers or penalties. It provides hundreds of puzzles of varying difficulty, with new ones added daily, and includes a bonus game. Users can customize the color scheme to suit their mood.

**Highlights:** Logic and word puzzle blend, Hundreds of puzzles, Daily new puzzles, Bonus game included, Customizable color schemes, No timers or penalties

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and engaging word game
- 💡 Original and creative concept
- 🧠 Keeps the brain working
- 😌 Relaxing gameplay, no time limit
- 🆓 Free to play, no ads

**What reviewers complain about**

- ❓ Confusing/lack of tutorial
- 🚫 Nonsense/unreal words accepted
- ❌ Real words sometimes rejected
- 🔠 Portrait mode only
- 🔄 Syncing between devices missing

**Reported bugs**

- Crash when clicking 'share solution'
- Applies unreal words
- Sometimes rejects real words

**Requested features**

- Improve tutorial or add clear instructions
- Sync between devices
- Add a scoring system or way to measure excellence
- Allow iPad rotation to landscape
- More puzzles/daily puzzles


### BranchWordy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/branchwordy/id1338096321)

This word game challenges players to form compound words by arranging base words on branching paths. It offers various difficulty levels and helpful lifelines, with an untimed mode for relaxed play.

**Highlights:** Form compound words, Arrange base words on branches, Multiple difficulty levels, Lifeline assistance, Untimed play mode

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sidewords free?

Sidewords costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is BranchWordy free?

BranchWordy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Sidewords or BranchWordy?

BranchWordy is rated higher. Sidewords averages 4.7 out of 5 from 295 ratings, while BranchWordy averages 4.9 from 8 ratings.

### Do Sidewords or BranchWordy have ads?

BranchWordy shows ads; Sidewords does not.

### Which is updated more often, Sidewords or BranchWordy?

Sidewords ships an update every 2 months, and BranchWordy every 2 months. Most recently, Sidewords was updated on October 26, 2026 and BranchWordy on October 27, 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.*