Comparison

Best Cryptic Crosswords vs UpWord

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
Read full description

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

UpWord

Features
Read full description

UpWord is a turn-based word game with a twist you won't find anywhere else: you can stack tiles on top of tiles. Play crossword-style across a glowing neon board, then go vertical — build a new letter on top of an existing one, up to three layers high. Every layer multiplies that tile's value (×2 on the second, ×3 on the third), so one clever stack can swing the whole game. Only the top letter counts towards words, and a three-high square locks for the rest of the match. FEATURES • Stack to score — the tile-stacking twist turns familiar word play into fresh strategy • Practise anytime — play offline against three bot difficulties, from warm-up to ruthless • Challenge friends online — turn-based matches you pick up whenever; share a code to invite anyone • Learn in a minute — a quick How to Play walks you through the rules and scoring • Clean neon interface, built-in dictionary, live scoring, swap and pass HOW STACKING WORKS 1. Someone plays a word — say CAT. 2. You stack an R on the T to make CAR — that R scores double. 3. An opponent stacks again to make FAD — the new tile scores triple, then locks. Transform your own words, ladder your own stacks, set up multipliers — building on your own tiles is fair play. Free to play, with an optional one-time Remove Ads purchase. Words, but with altitude. Download UpWord and start stacking.

Screenshots

Best Cryptic Crosswords4 screens
UpWord4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Best Cryptic Crosswords at none against UpWord's shown. Best Cryptic Crosswords also leads on iOS requirement (10.0 vs 16.0). UpWord's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days 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 UpWord sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Best Cryptic Crosswords ships an update every 7 months, UpWord every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Best Cryptic Crosswords versus UpWord: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBest Cryptic CrosswordsUpWord
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (316 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews83.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings316 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS10.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB63 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTeazelOlaf Andreas Ovrum

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

UpWord

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
1 purchases

UpWord

One-time1
  • Remove ads$3.99

Questions

Is Best Cryptic Crosswords free?
Best Cryptic Crosswords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is UpWord free?
UpWord is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Best Cryptic Crosswords or UpWord have ads?
UpWord shows ads; Best Cryptic Crosswords does not.
Which is updated more often, Best Cryptic Crosswords or UpWord?
Best Cryptic Crosswords ships an update every 7 months, and UpWord every 3 days. Most recently, Best Cryptic Crosswords was updated on November 13, 2026 and UpWord on November 10, 2026.

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