Comparison

Word Forward vs Knotwords

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

Head to head
About

Word Forward

This word puzzle game challenges players to clear a 5x5 grid by forming words. It requires strategic use of every letter tile to solve 500 unique puzzles, offering an endlessly challenging brain teaser.

Highlights
  • Spell words by tracing lines
  • Swap letters with tokens
  • Jumble tiles for new letters
  • Change letters with modifiers
  • Eliminate tiles with bombs
  • Solve 500 puzzles
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The #1 Word Game! Played by millions! “Equally a brain-teaser and a brain-pleaser” - MacWorld “An excellent buy for solo players” - TechRadar “A really fun and well-executed word game” - PocketGamer Beautifully simple. Endlessly challenging. Word Forward is the word puzzle game where every choice matters. Can you use all of the letters in the 5x5 grid to make words disappear and clear the board? Word Forward isn’t about spelling the longest words or the most clever - it’s about carefully using every tile to declare victory in 500 puzzles. It requires cunning and strategy -- Word Forward is a brain teaser that will really make you think! • SPELL words by tracing a line between tiles in any direction, including diagonally • SWAP any two letters on the grid by using a SWAP TOKEN, earned during gameplay • JUMBLE the tiles on the grid to replace all the letters with new ones when all else fails • CHANGE the letter on a tile to any other letter you choose using the SWAP MODIFIER • ELIMINATE stubborn tiles with BOMBS to get yourself out of a tight spot The latest brain-tingling puzzle game from the creators of Block Droppin Blitz.

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

Word Forward4 screens
Knotwords4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Knotwords at Free against Word Forward's $2.99. Knotwords also leads on ratings volume (8.2K vs 11) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). Word Forward's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and chart position (#113 vs unranked). On review sentiment, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Knotwords is free to download; Word Forward costs $2.99 up front. Knotwords sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Word Forward asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Knotwords holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Knotwords has 8.2K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 76% of Word Forward's written reviews are positive against 73% of Knotwords's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Word Forward ships an update every 6 weeks, Knotwords every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Word Forward versus Knotwords: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWord ForwardKnotwords
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (11 ratings)4.8 (8.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.5% of reviews — better73.0% of reviews
Number of ratings118.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#113 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better13.6
Further details — not scored
Size122 MB507 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThalamus Digital Publishing Ltd.Zach Gage

Customer experience

Word Forward

All ratings11 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral9.1%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive76.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative23.5%

Knotwords

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

Bugs and requests

Word Forward

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

None

Word Forward

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Knotwords

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

Questions

Is Word Forward free?
Word Forward costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Knotwords free?
Knotwords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Word Forward or Knotwords?
Knotwords is rated higher. Word Forward averages 4.5 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Knotwords averages 4.8 from 8.2K ratings.
Do Word Forward or Knotwords have ads?
Neither Word Forward nor Knotwords shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Word Forward or Knotwords?
Word Forward ships an update every 6 weeks, and Knotwords every 10 days. Most recently, Word Forward was updated on October 15, 2026 and Knotwords on October 22, 2026.

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