Crossgrams vs Phraseology
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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!
Phraseology
Create custom word puzzles to challenge friends or test your knowledge with flashcard-style study sets. Compete daily, track your progress, and enjoy a family-friendly word game experience. It's free to play with unlimited puzzles.
- Create custom phrase challenges
- Build study sets with flashcards
- Daily Challenge mode
- Leaderboards and rank system
- Smart hints for assistance
- Offline play supported
- Stats tracking
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Challenge your friends. Guess the phrase. Win bragging rights. Phraseology is the word puzzle game where YOU set the challenge. Create a custom phrase, share a link, and watch your friends scramble to guess it — or go head-to-head on the Daily Challenge and leaderboards. ———————————————————————— HOW IT WORKS ———————————————————————— CREATE A CHALLENGE • Enter any phrase, quote, or inside joke • Add a custom hint to help (or tease) your friends • Share instantly via text, iMessage, or any app SOLVE CHALLENGES • Guess letters to uncover the hidden phrase • Use strategic hints when you're stuck • Solve in 6 tries or fewer to win STUDY SETS • Build custom flashcard-style sets for any topic • Practice phrases one card at a time in a focused game mode • Share sets with classmates or friends via a link ———————————————————————— FEATURES ———————————————————————— Daily Challenge — A fresh phrase every day for everyone Quick Play — Jump into a random puzzle any time Leaderboards — Compete on daily and weekly rankings Rank System — Climb from Elementary Student to Ph.D. in Phraseology Smart Hints — Reveal letters or unlock a 6th guess when you're stuck Stats Tracking — Win streaks, success rate, and full history Beautiful Dark Design — Vibrant gradients and smooth animations ———————————————————————— PERFECT FOR ———————————————————————— • Friend groups who love Wordle, Hangman, or crosswords • Families looking for screen-time that's actually fun • Teachers building vocabulary and comprehension exercises • Students creating study sets for test prep • Anyone who loves a creative word challenge ———————————————————————— WHY PHRASEOLOGY? ———————————————————————— Every puzzle is personal. Inside jokes, meaningful quotes, tricky riddles — you choose. It's the word game your friends will actually want to play. - No account required — jump right in - Free to play, unlimited puzzles - Works offline - Family-friendly - Optional Premium to remove ads ———————————————————————— Download Phraseology and start the challenge. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Crossgrams at none against Phraseology's shown. Crossgrams also leads on ratings volume (21 vs 4) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 17.0). Phraseology's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Crossgrams sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Phraseology sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Crossgrams against 5.0 for Phraseology. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Crossgrams has 21 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Crossgrams ships an update every 2 weeks, Phraseology weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Crossgrams | Phraseology |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (21 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 86.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 21 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 46 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nevercenter Ltd. Co. | Zachary Smithson |
Customer experience
Crossgrams
Phraseology
In-app purchases
Crossgrams
- Color Themes$0.99
- Puzzle Pack 2$0.99
- Puzzle Pack 1$0.99
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- Minis Pack 1$0.99
- Challenge Pack 1$1.99
- Challenge Pack 2$1.99
Phraseology
- Phraseology Premium7 Days trial$2.991 Month









