# Best Cryptic Crosswords vs Cryptical

The clearest difference is update cadence: Cryptical at every 5 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 16.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Best Cryptic Crosswords sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Cryptical sells 10 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, Cryptical every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Best Cryptic Crosswords | Cryptical |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (312 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/best-cryptic-crosswords/id1317774772/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **312** | — |
| Positive reviews | 83.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 7 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Teazel](https://appshunter.io/developer/576525182) | [Benjamin Law Smith](https://appshunter.io/developer/6800681102) |

## What reviewers say

### Best Cryptic Crosswords

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/best-cryptic-crosswords/id1317774772)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| pack of cryptic crosswords | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Cryptic Crosswords | $0.99 | one-time |
| get  all 6 cryptic packs | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great puzzles
- 👍 Enjoyable challenge
- 👍 Reasonably difficult
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 👍 Good value for money

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Clues with barely any connection to answers
- 🐛 Repeated clues and answers
- 🐛 Lack of explanations for clues
- 🐛 In-app purchases required to unlock more puzzles

**Reported bugs**

- Purchases disappearing after device change
- App crashing issues
- Anticipatory cursor movement causing unintended letter changes

**Requested features**

- Clue explanation feature
- More varied and challenging clues
- Ability to track completed clues
- Regular updates with new puzzle packs


### Cryptical

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cryptical/id6800680958)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| No. 1C by Linden | $0.29 | one-time |
| No. 2 by Vytautus | $0.29 | one-time |
| No. 3 by Vytautus | $0.29 | one-time |
| No. 4 by Vytautus | $0.29 | one-time |
| Dogs by Linden | $0.29 | one-time |
| Mammals by Linden | $0.29 | one-time |
| Insects by Linden | $0.29 | one-time |
| No. 6 by Doc | $0.49 | one-time |
| Hint and explanation token top up | $0.49 | one-time |
| Animal-themed (x5) by Linden | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Best Cryptic Crosswords free?

Best Cryptic Crosswords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Cryptical free?

Cryptical is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Best Cryptic Crosswords or Cryptical have ads?

Neither Best Cryptic Crosswords nor Cryptical shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Best Cryptic Crosswords or Cryptical?

Best Cryptic Crosswords ships an update every 7 months, and Cryptical every 5 days. Most recently, Best Cryptic Crosswords was updated on October 13, 2026 and Cryptical on October 10, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*