Comparison

Dear Reader vs Flow Free+

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

Flow Free+

Connect matching colored pipes to fill the board without crossing or overlapping. Enjoy hundreds of levels with varying difficulty, or challenge yourself in time trials. Offers daily puzzles and achievements for a continuously engaging experience.

Highlights
  • Connect matching colors
  • Fill the entire board
  • Hundreds of levels
  • Time Trial mode
  • Daily puzzles
  • Over 9,000 puzzles
Features
Read full description

Flow Free® is a simple yet addictive puzzle game. Connect matching colors with pipe to create a Flow®. Pair all colors, and cover the entire board to solve each puzzle. But watch out, pipes will break if they cross or overlap! Free play through hundreds of levels, or race against the clock in Time Trial mode. Gameplay ranges from simple and relaxed, to challenging and frenetic, and everywhere in between. How you play is up to you. So, give Flow Free a try, and experience "mind like water"! Flow Free+ features: * Over 9,000 puzzles! * Daily puzzles: new levels every day, never run out * Carefully crafted, high-quality puzzles ranging from easy to extreme! * Optimized touch controls for smooth, satisfying play * Game Center achievements and cloud sync of your progress * Clean, colorful graphics and fun sound effects Enjoy!

Screenshots

Dear Reader4 screens
Flow Free+4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Flow Free+ at 92% against Dear Reader's 68%. Flow Free+ also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (16K vs 572). 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

Flow Free+ holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Flow Free+ has 16K ratings behind it against 572, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of Dear Reader's written reviews are positive against 92% of Flow Free+'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dear Reader ships an update every 3 months, Flow Free+ monthly. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Dear Reader versus Flow Free+: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDear ReaderFlow Free+
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (572 ratings)4.8 (16K ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.4% of reviews91.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings57216K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size387 MB20 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperLocal No. 12Big Duck Games LLC

Customer experience

Dear Reader

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

Flow Free+

All ratings15,613 ratings
Positive94.6%
Neutral2.5%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews462 reviews
Positive91.8%
Neutral3.5%
Negative4.8%

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

Flow Free+

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Dear Reader

No in-app purchases

None

Flow Free+

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dear Reader free?
Dear Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Flow Free+ free?
Flow Free+ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Dear Reader or Flow Free+?
Flow Free+ is rated higher. Dear Reader averages 4.5 out of 5 from 572 ratings, while Flow Free+ averages 4.8 from 16K ratings.
Do Dear Reader or Flow Free+ have ads?
Neither Dear Reader nor Flow Free+ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dear Reader or Flow Free+?
Dear Reader ships an update every 3 months, and Flow Free+ monthly. Most recently, Dear Reader was updated on September 25, 2026 and Flow Free+ on September 25, 2026.

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