Comparison

Dear Reader vs Squiggle Drop

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

Squiggle Drop

Unleash your creativity to solve physics-based puzzles by drawing a single shape. Explore 100 levels with multiple solutions and build your own city with earned rewards. Regular updates and daily challenges keep the fun going.

Highlights
  • Draw shapes to solve puzzles
  • 100 unique levels
  • Build and customize a city
  • Daily challenges
  • Leaderboards and achievements
  • Regular content updates
Features
Read full description

Use your creativity and imagination to solve charming physics puzzles by drawing a single shape and watching what unfolds! Complete the objectives of 100 puzzles (with more on the way), each with multiple and often surprising solutions. How you draw your solution is up to you! Solve puzzles and earn rewards to build your very own Squiggletown! Unlock buildings, cosmetics and various upgrades as you expand your own personal city. Squiggle Drop Features: - 100 levels - Regular Content Updates - Daily Challenges - Challenging your friends to beat your scores - Leaderboards and Achievements

Screenshots

Dear Reader4 screens
Squiggle Drop4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Squiggle Drop at 14K against Dear Reader's 572. Squiggle Drop also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). Dear Reader's advantage is review sentiment (68% vs 56%). On price, ads, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Squiggle Drop holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Squiggle Drop has 14K ratings behind it against 572, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of Dear Reader's written reviews are positive against 56% of Squiggle Drop's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dear Reader ships an update every 3 months, Squiggle Drop monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Dear Reader versus Squiggle Drop: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDear ReaderSquiggle Drop
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (572 ratings)4.7 (14K ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.4% of reviews — better56.0% of reviews
Number of ratings57214K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TViPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size387 MB289 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperLocal No. 12Noodlecake

Customer experience

Dear Reader

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

Squiggle Drop

All ratings13,568 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral3.9%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews398 reviews
Positive56.0%
Neutral15.1%
Negative28.9%

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

Squiggle Drop

From 14K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🤩 Fun and entertaining game
  • 🧠 Challenging puzzles that stimulate the mind
  • 🎶 Relaxing and enjoyable music
  • 👍 Simple and intuitive gameplay

Room to improve

  • 🤯 Levels require pixel-perfect precision
  • 🤔 Hints/solutions don't always work as intended
  • 😡 Frustrating when unable to progress due to difficulty
  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches

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

Squiggle Drop

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Achievements resetting or not tracking properly
  • Physics issues causing objects to behave unexpectedly
  • Drawing inputs not registering correctly

Requested features

4 requests
  • More levels and content updates
  • Ability to skip or replay levels
  • Improved precision controls for touch devices
  • Clearer level instructions and objectives

In-app purchases

None

Dear Reader

No in-app purchases

None

Squiggle Drop

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dear Reader free?
Dear Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Squiggle Drop free?
Squiggle Drop is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Dear Reader or Squiggle Drop?
Squiggle Drop is rated higher. Dear Reader averages 4.5 out of 5 from 572 ratings, while Squiggle Drop averages 4.7 from 14K ratings.
Do Dear Reader or Squiggle Drop have ads?
Neither Dear Reader nor Squiggle Drop shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dear Reader or Squiggle Drop?
Dear Reader ships an update every 3 months, and Squiggle Drop monthly. Most recently, Dear Reader was updated on September 17, 2026 and Squiggle Drop on September 24, 2026.

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