Comparison

Word Forward vs Squish Garden

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

Squish Garden

Merge colorful jellies to grow larger blooms and clear space before the jar fills. Compete for high scores, tackle daily challenges, or duel friends in this satisfying puzzle game.

Highlights
  • Jelly merging mechanic
  • Classic, Daily, and Journey modes
  • Multiplayer duels
  • Global leaderboards
  • Customizable settings (sound, haptics, motion)
  • Optional cosmetic purchases
Features
Read full description

Bounce, squish and merge your way from tiny jellies to giant blooms. Make every drop count before the jar fills up. Drop a jelly into the garden. When two matching jellies touch, they combine into something bigger. The bigger they grow, the less room you have—and the more satisfying your next match becomes. Reach the giant Aurora Lily, then combine two to clear them in a burst of bloom. PLAY YOUR WAY Chase your high score in Classic, try the shared Daily challenge, or travel the Journey through eight hand-drawn gardens, each jar a little trickier than the last. Illustrated goals explain what to grow and how many aimed matches you need before each new garden begins. TWO JARS. ONE WINNER. Challenge a friend with a code or jump into Quick Match. Big merges charge storm attacks that send extra jellies into your rival’s jar. Keep yours under control and outlast them. No account required. You can also practice against three levels of computer rival. MADE TO SQUISH Eleven colorful garden jellies bounce, squeeze and spring back as the pile grows. Save your garden and pick up where you left off, with sound, haptics and Reduced Motion settings to suit you. Free to play on iPhone and iPad. The optional Moonlight Garden palette is a one-time cosmetic purchase that never changes your score or gives an advantage. Optional Garden Rescue packs clear up to five small jellies in Journey or Classic. Choose up to five small creatures anywhere in the jar, tap again to deselect, then Clear uses one rescue. Choosing is free; paid refill packs contain 5 or 15 uses. Existing introductory credits remain available. Rescued runs can unlock gardens, with separate best scores. Daily and multiplayer stay item-free. Consumable balances stay on this device and do not expire. Restore permanent purchases from the Shop. Ads appear only between finished solo gardens or as an optional video that grants 1 saved Garden Rescue, once per UTC day. Quiet Garden removes automatic ads; reward videos stay optional. Ads never interrupt a live garden, lesson or duel. Need a hand? squishgarden.com/support GLOBAL GARDEN SCORES Open Leaderboards from Home to compare Classic, Daily and individual Journey scores. Choose personal initials or a garden name with an automatic number. Share your standing and challenge a friend. Celebrate a Top 100 finish, then chase your next place. Joining is optional; rescued runs stay local. Daily resets at midnight UTC. Choose and replay unlocked Journey gardens from Home or the map button during Journey.

Screenshots

Word Forward4 screens
Squish Garden4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Squish Garden at Free against Word Forward's $2.99. Squish Garden also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and update cadence (daily vs every 6 weeks). Word Forward's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On 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

Squish Garden is free to download; Word Forward costs $2.99 up front. Squish Garden sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Word Forward asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Squish Garden holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Word Forward has 11 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Word Forward ships an update every 6 weeks, Squish Garden daily. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Word Forward versus Squish Garden: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWord ForwardSquish Garden
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (11 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings11 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksDaily — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#112 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS9.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size122 MB30 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperThalamus Digital Publishing Ltd.Sunny Nagra

Customer experience

Word Forward

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

Squish Garden

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Word Forward

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Squish Garden

One-time3
  • 5 Garden Rescues$1.99
  • Moonlight Garden$2.99
  • 15 Garden Rescues$4.99

Questions

Is Word Forward free?
Word Forward costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Squish Garden free?
Squish Garden is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Word Forward or Squish Garden?
Squish Garden is rated higher. Word Forward averages 4.5 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Squish Garden averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Word Forward or Squish Garden have ads?
Squish Garden shows ads; Word Forward does not.
Which is updated more often, Word Forward or Squish Garden?
Word Forward ships an update every 6 weeks, and Squish Garden daily. Most recently, Word Forward was updated on October 26, 2026 and Squish Garden on October 25, 2026.

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