Dear Reader vs Squiggle Drop
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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• 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
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.
- Draw shapes to solve puzzles
- 100 unique levels
- Build and customize a city
- Daily challenges
- Leaderboards and achievements
- Regular content updates
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Dear Reader | Squiggle Drop |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (572 ratings) | 4.7 (14K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 68.4% of reviews — better | 56.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 572 | 14K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 387 MB | 289 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Local No. 12 | Noodlecake |
Customer experience
Dear Reader
Squiggle Drop
User reviews
Dear Reader
From 572 App Store ratingsWhat 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 ratingsWhat 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
Dear Reader
No in-app purchases
Squiggle Drop
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Dear Reader free?
Is Squiggle Drop free?
Which has better reviews, Dear Reader or Squiggle Drop?
Do Dear Reader or Squiggle Drop have ads?
Which is updated more often, Dear Reader or Squiggle Drop?
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