Comparison

Crossgrams vs Knotwords

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

Head to head
About

Crossgrams

This word puzzle game combines anagrams and crosswords with Sudoku-like logic. Solve puzzles by dragging letters to unscramble words, using solved letters as clues for others. Enjoy a variety of puzzle sizes, from quick challenges to extended brain teasers.

Highlights
  • Anagram and crossword puzzle hybrid
  • Drag-and-drop letter unscrambling
  • Solved letters provide clues
  • Variety of puzzle sizes
  • Daily free puzzle
  • Additional puzzle packs available
Features
Read full description

Crossgrams is a new kind of word puzzle which mixes anagrams with crosswords (and has a pinch of Sudoku). It's simple, challenging, and extremely addictive. To unscramble each puzzle, just drag letters left and right (never up or down), but watch out: it's not as easy as it seems! Each letter you solve and pin in place is a new clue for the surrounding words. Puzzles range from bite-sized fun to brain-busters you can spend a whole afternoon chipping away at, just like a weekend crossword puzzle. About in-app purchases: Crossgrams is free, and contains no ads. It comes with two free sample puzzle packs, and a daily puzzle which is always free. Purchases come in the form of additional larger puzzle packs (plus one for color themes). After careful consideration, our small indie team simply didn't want to make a game filled with ads and distractions. We hope you'll enjoy Crossgrams enough to purchase some packs so we can afford to add more puzzles, and that you'll help us spread the word about the game!

About

Knotwords

A daily word puzzle game that challenges you to arrange letters into valid words across and down. Its minimal design and intuitive progression make it an engaging and accessible brain teaser.

Highlights
  • Minimalist and elegant design
  • Logic-based word puzzles
  • Daily challenges
  • Intuitive progression system
  • Valid word arrangement
Features
Read full description

Knotwords is a minimal and elegant logic puzzle — with words. The rules are simple: arrange the letters in each section so every word is valid, across and down. Each puzzle may seem difficult at first — but like all my favorite newspaper puzzles, it gets easier as you progress. Each step guides you naturally towards the solution. This is the kind of game I've been trying to make my whole career — I'm amazed Jack and I discovered this design. We hope you like it. -- Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Crossgrams4 screens
Knotwords4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Knotwords at 8.2K against Crossgrams's 21. Crossgrams's advantage is review sentiment (87% vs 73%) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.6). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. Crossgrams sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Knotwords sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Crossgrams holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Knotwords has 8.2K ratings behind it against 21, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of Crossgrams's written reviews are positive against 73% of Knotwords's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Crossgrams ships an update every 2 weeks, Knotwords every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Crossgrams versus Knotwords: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCrossgramsKnotwords
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (21 ratings) — better4.8 (8.2K ratings)
Positive reviews86.7% of reviews — better73.0% of reviews
Number of ratings218.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better13.6
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB507 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperNevercenter Ltd. Co.Zach Gage

Customer experience

Crossgrams

All ratings21 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive86.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative13.3%

Knotwords

All ratings8,097 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral2.1%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews293 reviews
Positive73.0%
Neutral13.3%
Negative13.7%

Bugs and requests

Crossgrams

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Knotwords

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Puzzles with missing/incorrect squares
  • Incorrect words being accepted
  • Puzzles not properly credited as completed
  • Hints not matching the correct answers

Requested features

9 requests
  • Ability to turn off haptic feedback
  • Improved cursor/input behavior
  • Cloud sync across devices
  • Difficulty settings
  • Ability to see definitions of completed words
Show 4 more
  • Restart button for puzzles
  • Customizable themes
  • Daily leaderboards
  • Ability to disable hints once used

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Crossgrams

One-time6
  • Color Themes$0.99
  • Puzzle Pack 2$0.99
  • Puzzle Pack 1$0.99
Show 3 more
  • Minis Pack 1$0.99
  • Challenge Pack 1$1.99
  • Challenge Pack 2$1.99
2 purchases

Knotwords

Subscriptions1
  • Knotwords Pro subscription7 Days trial$4.991 Year
One-time1
  • Full Game$11.99

Questions

Is Crossgrams free?
Crossgrams is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Knotwords free?
Knotwords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Crossgrams or Knotwords?
Crossgrams is rated higher. Crossgrams averages 5.0 out of 5 from 21 ratings, while Knotwords averages 4.8 from 8.2K ratings.
Do Crossgrams or Knotwords have ads?
Neither Crossgrams nor Knotwords shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Crossgrams or Knotwords?
Crossgrams ships an update every 2 weeks, and Knotwords every 10 days. Most recently, Crossgrams was updated on October 21, 2026 and Knotwords on October 22, 2026.

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