Best Cryptic Crosswords vs Daily Thread
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
Daily Thread
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Find the one word that threads five clues together, using as few clues as possible. Each clue connects to the answer in a completely different way: an idiom, a compound word, a double meaning, a piece of pop culture. The first clue could mean anything. By the third, the thread starts to click. Start with one clue. Every wrong guess reveals the next. Get it in one and you're Uncanny. Get it in five and you Got there. A new thread every day. Same puzzle for everyone. Share your result with a spoiler-free emoji grid and see who found the thread fastest. FEATURES · One new daily puzzle, every day · Practice rounds to learn the game · Streaks, history and personal stats · Spoiler-free emoji sharing · Play offline, anywhere · Optional daily reminders · Private iCloud sync across your devices
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Daily Thread at every 11 days against Best Cryptic Crosswords's every 7 months. Best Cryptic Crosswords's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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 Daily Thread sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Best Cryptic Crosswords ships an update every 7 months, Daily Thread every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Best Cryptic Crosswords | Daily Thread |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (312 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 83.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 312 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 11 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Teazel | Zachary Ellis |
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
Daily Thread
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
Daily Thread
- Thread Archive$0.99
Questions
Is Best Cryptic Crosswords free?
Is Daily Thread free?
Do Best Cryptic Crosswords or Daily Thread have ads?
Which is updated more often, Best Cryptic Crosswords or Daily Thread?
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