Dear Reader vs Knotwords+
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
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.
- Minimalist design
- Elegant logic puzzle
- Arrange letters to form words
- Guided progression
- Daily word fix
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Dear Reader | Knotwords+ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (572 ratings) — better | 3.8 (121 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 68.4% of reviews — better | 48.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 572 — better | 121 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 13.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 387 MB | 185 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Local No. 12 | Zach Gage |
Customer experience
Dear Reader
Knotwords+
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
Knotwords+
From 121 App Store ratingsWhat 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
Dear Reader
No in-app purchases
Knotwords+
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Dear Reader free?
Is Knotwords+ free?
Which has better reviews, Dear Reader or Knotwords+?
Do Dear Reader or Knotwords+ have ads?
Which is updated more often, Dear Reader or Knotwords+?
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