Best Cryptic Crosswords vs UpWord
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
UpWord
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
| Parameter | Best Cryptic Crosswords | UpWord |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (316 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 83.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 316 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 63 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Teazel | Olaf 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
Best Cryptic Crosswords
- pack of cryptic crosswords$0.99
- pack of Cryptic Crosswords5 variants$0.99
- get all 6 cryptic packs$3.99
UpWord
- Remove ads$3.99
Questions
Is Best Cryptic Crosswords free?
Is UpWord free?
Do Best Cryptic Crosswords or UpWord have ads?
Which is updated more often, Best Cryptic Crosswords or UpWord?
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