Comparison

Best Cryptic Crosswords vs 25 Letters

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 300 professional cryptic crosswords
  • 12 free puzzles
  • Pinch and zooming grid
  • Landscape mode with clue list
  • Cheats and answer checking
  • British style puzzles
Features
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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

About

25 Letters

Features
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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

Best Cryptic Crosswords4 screens
25 Letters4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Best Cryptic Crosswords versus 25 Letters: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBest Cryptic Crosswords25 Letters
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (315 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews83.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings315 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB103 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTeazelNATHAN 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

3 purchases

Best Cryptic Crosswords

One-time3
  • pack of cryptic crosswords$0.99
  • pack of Cryptic Crosswords5 variants$0.99
  • get all 6 cryptic packs$3.99
4 purchases

25 Letters

One-time4
  • 5 Swaps Pack$0.99
  • 25 Letters Plus$1.99
  • 11 Swap Bonus Back$1.99
Show 1 more
  • 25 Swaps Mega Pack$3.99

Questions

Is Best Cryptic Crosswords free?
Best Cryptic Crosswords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is 25 Letters free?
25 Letters is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Best Cryptic Crosswords or 25 Letters have ads?
25 Letters shows ads; Best Cryptic Crosswords does not.
Which is updated more often, Best Cryptic Crosswords or 25 Letters?
Best Cryptic Crosswords ships an update every 7 months, and 25 Letters every 3 months. Most recently, Best Cryptic Crosswords was updated on November 6, 2026 and 25 Letters on October 30, 2026.

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