Comparison

Dear Reader vs Knotwords+

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

Knotwords+

A minimalist word puzzle game where you arrange letters to form valid words across and down. The game offers a guided progression, making challenging puzzles become easier as you play.

Highlights
  • Minimalist design
  • Elegant logic puzzle
  • Arrange letters to form words
  • Guided progression
  • Daily word fix
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.

Screenshots

Dear Reader4 screens
Knotwords+4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Dear Reader at 4.5 against Knotwords+'s 3.8. Dear Reader also leads on monetization model (free vs paid) and review sentiment (68% vs 48%). Knotwords+'s advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dear Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 572 and 121 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of Dear Reader's written reviews are positive against 48% of Knotwords+'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dear Reader ships an update every 3 months, Knotwords+ every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Dear Reader versus Knotwords+: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDear ReaderKnotwords+
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (572 ratings) — better3.8 (121 ratings)
Positive reviews68.4% of reviews — better48.4% of reviews
Number of ratings572 — better121
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better13.5
Further details — not scored
Size387 MB185 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperLocal No. 12Zach Gage

Customer experience

Dear Reader

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

Knotwords+

All ratings121 ratings
Positive68.6%
Neutral12.4%
Negative19.0%
Written reviews95 reviews
Positive48.4%
Neutral18.9%
Negative32.6%

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

Knotwords+

From 121 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Enjoyable and challenging gameplay
  • 🚀 Addictive and engaging
  • 🧠 Exercises vocabulary and problem-solving skills

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Cursor/input issues and unintuitive navigation
  • 🤔 Obscure or questionable word choices
  • 🔍 Unhelpful or unclear hints/definitions
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 💾 Save/progress issues

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

Knotwords+

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Puzzle progress not saving properly
  • Cursor jumping to unexpected cells
  • Incorrect or nonsensical word definitions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to create custom levels or puzzles
  • Option to turn off haptic feedback
  • Improved sync/progress tracking across devices
  • More intuitive cursor/input controls
  • Better hint system and word definitions

In-app purchases

None

Dear Reader

No in-app purchases

None

Knotwords+

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dear Reader free?
Dear Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Knotwords+ free?
Knotwords+ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Dear Reader or Knotwords+?
Dear Reader is rated higher. Dear Reader averages 4.5 out of 5 from 572 ratings, while Knotwords+ averages 3.8 from 121 ratings.
Do Dear Reader or Knotwords+ have ads?
Neither Dear Reader nor Knotwords+ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dear Reader or Knotwords+?
Dear Reader ships an update every 3 months, and Knotwords+ every 3 weeks. Most recently, Dear Reader was updated on September 17, 2026 and Knotwords+ on September 14, 2026.

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