Comparison

Crossgrams vs Phraseology

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

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

Crossgrams4 screens
Phraseology4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Crossgrams ships an update every 2 weeks, Phraseology weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Crossgrams versus Phraseology: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCrossgramsPhraseology
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (21 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews86.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings21 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB11 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperNevercenter Ltd. Co.Zachary Smithson

Customer experience

Crossgrams

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

Phraseology

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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
1 purchases

Phraseology

Subscriptions1
  • Phraseology Premium7 Days trial$2.991 Month

Questions

Is Crossgrams free?
Crossgrams is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Phraseology free?
Phraseology is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Crossgrams or Phraseology?
Phraseology is rated higher. Crossgrams averages 5.0 out of 5 from 21 ratings, while Phraseology averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Crossgrams or Phraseology have ads?
Phraseology shows ads; Crossgrams does not.
Which is updated more often, Crossgrams or Phraseology?
Crossgrams ships an update every 2 weeks, and Phraseology weekly. Most recently, Crossgrams was updated on October 25, 2026 and Phraseology on October 13, 2026.

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