Best Cryptic Crosswords vs 25 Letters
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Best Cryptic Crosswords
Engage with 300 professionally crafted cryptic crosswords designed for accessibility. Enjoy a smooth puzzle experience on your devices with features like zooming, landscape mode, and helpful tools.
- 300 professional cryptic crosswords
- 12 free puzzles
- Pinch and zooming grid
- Landscape mode with clue list
- Cheats and answer checking
- British style puzzles
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300 professional cryptic crosswords puzzles set by Michael Curl from www.bestforpuzzles.com. 12 free puzzles with all features enabled and no ads. These are accessible cryptic puzzles set by a top setter. Features: - great for iPads and iPhones - pinch and zooming grid - landscape mode with clue list - cheats and answer checking - Resume button - British style puzzles - no ads - great value
25 Letters
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Go head to head with your opponent in the ultimate grid-building word game. Each player takes it in turn to choose a letter that both players must place in their own grid. Arrange your letters in the highest scoring way to win. Your longest scoring word in each row and each column in each direction scores: 3 points for a 3 letter word, 4 points for a 4 letter word and 7 points for a 5 letter word. GAME TYPES: Practice game vs bot, Play a random online opponent, Create a game and invite a friend. LANGUAGE SUPPORT: English only. Additional languages may be released at a later date. TIPS: - Palindromes (words that spell the same forwards and backwards will score in each direction (e.g. KAYAK). - Some words that aren't palindromes can still score in both directions (SLEEP in one direction is PEELS in the other). - Scoring a 4 letter word in each direction (8 points) is better than scoring a 5 letter word in a single direction (7 points). - Use swaps to improve your score after you've placed tiles. - Planning for difficult letters (Q, K, J, X, Z, etc) may help you if your opponent is unprepared.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Best Cryptic Crosswords at none against 25 Letters's shown. Best Cryptic Crosswords also leads on iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.0). 25 Letters's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 7 months). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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. Best Cryptic Crosswords sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and 25 Letters sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Best Cryptic Crosswords ships an update every 7 months, 25 Letters every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Best Cryptic Crosswords | 25 Letters |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (315 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 83.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 315 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 103 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Teazel | NATHAN MCKEAN |
Bugs and requests
Best Cryptic Crosswords
Reported bugs
3 issues- Purchases disappearing after device change
- App crashing issues
- Anticipatory cursor movement causing unintended letter changes
Requested features
4 requests- Clue explanation feature
- More varied and challenging clues
- Ability to track completed clues
- Regular updates with new puzzle packs
25 Letters
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Best Cryptic Crosswords
- pack of cryptic crosswords$0.99
- pack of Cryptic Crosswords5 variants$0.99
- get all 6 cryptic packs$3.99
25 Letters
- 5 Swaps Pack$0.99
- 25 Letters Plus$1.99
- 11 Swap Bonus Back$1.99
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- 25 Swaps Mega Pack$3.99
Questions
Is Best Cryptic Crosswords free?
Is 25 Letters free?
Do Best Cryptic Crosswords or 25 Letters have ads?
Which is updated more often, Best Cryptic Crosswords or 25 Letters?
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