Comparison

Dear Reader vs Crossword Explorer+

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

Head to head
About

Dear Reader

Engage with classic literature through unique word puzzles. Unscramble passages, unlock new books, and complete challenges to discover special abilities. This game transforms beloved stories into interactive wordplay experiences.

Highlights
  • Play with over 130 classic books
  • Unlock dozens of wordplay puzzle types
  • Acquire new books from a rotating selection
  • Earn Rare Books by completing goals
  • Embark on Research missions for abilities
  • Solve daily word challenges
Features
Read full description

• Play with more than a hundred classic books • Unlock dozens of ways to Wordplay • Acquire new books from a rotating selection in the Bookstore • Earn Rare Books by completing challenging Reading Goals • Embark on Research missions to unlock special abilities • Puzzle through increasingly difficult Daily Challenges “If I’m not actually reading in my down time then I’m likely playing Dear Reader.” -one of our dear players Dear Reader lets you curl up and play your favorite books, turning classic literature into clever word puzzles. Unscramble passages from famous books, unlock unique puzzles, and add new books to your library. Dear Reader includes over 130 literary classics and dozens of different types of word puzzles, from unscrambling anagrams to swapping lines of text. Dear Reader is the first and only game where you can play with the actual written words of so many tempting books of classic literature! As Game Developer’s Alissa McAloon wrote, Dear Reader is “a game that’s as difficult to put down as a good book.” Best Apple Arcade Games, IGN Top 5 Apple Arcade recommended games, Bustle Magazine 12 Best Apple Arcade games, Gamespot 10 Best Mobile Games of the Year, Paste Magazine Official Finalist, IndieCade Official Selection, Indie Megabooth GDC Showcase Official Selection, Wordplay Festival Best Gameplay Finalist, Games for Change Best Meaningful Play, International Mobile Gaming Awards

About

Crossword Explorer+

Engage your mind with daily crossword puzzles and trivia. Access thousands of puzzles with new themes each day to expand your vocabulary and general knowledge. Play anytime, anywhere on your iOS device.

Highlights
  • Daily new puzzles
  • Thousands of puzzles available
  • Variety of daily themes
  • Hints for difficult words
  • Vocabulary and general knowledge improvement
Features
Read full description

Keeping your mind sharp and active these days is hard with so many distractions to make you lose focus. Sitting down and solving a crossword is a time-tested formula to ensure that your brain stays active while you have a lot of fun answering questions on your favorite topics. With a different theme each day of the week, there is just the right amount of variety to satisfy all kinds of interests! With Crossword Explorer+, you will have access to thousands of puzzles, right on your iOS device, so that you can play your favorite crosswords when you want, wherever you want! As you solve more and more of our crosswords, your vocabulary and general knowledge will grow by leaps and bounds! In no time, you will become a master crossword solver while having tons of fun! What does Crossword Explorer+ offer? - Fun puzzles for everyone - A new puzzle every day, 365 days a year - Hints to get you past those obscure words - Bragging rights for your ever-improving general knowledge and vocabulary What are you waiting for? Download Crossword Explorer+ right now, join thousands of crossword enthusiasts and see why everyone is hooked! Write back to us with any issues or suggestions, we are all ears! Privacy Policy & Terms of Use: https://playsimple.in/privacy_aa

Screenshots

Dear Reader4 screens
Crossword Explorer+4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Dear Reader at 68% against Crossword Explorer+'s 22%. Crossword Explorer+'s advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (2.3K vs 572). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Crossword Explorer+ holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 572 and 2.3K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of Dear Reader's written reviews are positive against 22% of Crossword Explorer+'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Dear Reader versus Crossword Explorer+: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDear ReaderCrossword Explorer+
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (572 ratings)4.9 (2.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.4% of reviews — better22.4% of reviews
Number of ratings5722.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size387 MB266 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperLocal No. 12PlaySimple Games Pte Ltd

Customer experience

Dear Reader

All ratings572 ratings
Positive86.2%
Neutral5.1%
Negative8.7%
Written reviews171 reviews
Positive68.4%
Neutral11.7%
Negative19.9%

Crossword Explorer+

All ratings2,320 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral0.6%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews388 reviews
Positive22.4%
Neutral19.8%
Negative57.7%

User reviews

Dear Reader

From 572 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Engaging word puzzles
  • 📚 Variety of classic books
  • 👍 Relaxing gameplay
  • 💡 Unique concept of 'playing books'
  • 🤓 Helps improve reading and language skills

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🤔 Heavily abridged book excerpts
  • 🙄 Repetitive daily challenges
  • 💰 Expensive rare books

Crossword Explorer+

From 2.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Relaxing and fun gameplay
  • 🚀 Smooth and intuitive controls
  • 💡 Bite-sized crossword puzzles

Room to improve

  • 🤔 Puzzles too easy and repetitive
  • 📍 Heavily US-centric content
  • 🔍 Lack of difficulty options or progression
  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes reported

Bugs and requests

Dear Reader

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game progress being deleted
  • Inability to exit the library
  • Crashes when trying to purchase rare books

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more modern and popular book titles
  • Option to read full unabridged books
  • Dark mode
  • Ability to report typos and errors
  • More varied and engaging goals/achievements

Crossword Explorer+

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Black screen on startup
  • Incorrect answers and spelling errors
  • Syncing issues between devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add difficulty settings or skip easy levels
  • Improve crossword variety and reduce repetition
  • Optimize for landscape mode on iPad
  • Implement cloud save/sync across devices

In-app purchases

None

Dear Reader

No in-app purchases

None

Crossword Explorer+

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dear Reader free?
Dear Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Crossword Explorer+ free?
Crossword Explorer+ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Dear Reader or Crossword Explorer+?
Crossword Explorer+ is rated higher. Dear Reader averages 4.5 out of 5 from 572 ratings, while Crossword Explorer+ averages 4.9 from 2.3K ratings.
Do Dear Reader or Crossword Explorer+ have ads?
Neither Dear Reader nor Crossword Explorer+ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dear Reader or Crossword Explorer+?
Dear Reader ships an update every 3 months, and Crossword Explorer+ every 3 months. Most recently, Dear Reader was updated on September 17, 2026 and Crossword Explorer+ on September 23, 2026.

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