Comparison

Pangram vs ContraBee

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Pangram

A word-making game where you create words using letters on a board, with each word needing to include a central letter. Customize game settings like the number of letters and minimum word length. Share games with friends or play public games with leaderboards.

Highlights
  • Make words from letters
  • Must include center letter
  • Customize game settings
  • Share games with friends
  • Play public games
  • Leaderboards for shared games
Features
Read full description

Pangram is a simple game - just make words! See how many words you can make with the letters on the screen. Each word must include the center letter(s). Use letters as many times as you want in each word. Can you guess the pangram? Pangrams are words that use all the letters on the board. Each game has at least one, and many have more. Bonus points for finding them! Configure games how you like them: • Set the number of center (required) letters • Set the number of outer (optional) letters • Set the minimum word length That's it! No lives to lose. No penalty for guessing wrong. No stress. Just play! For some extra fun, send games to friends and family, publish them on the public games listing, or join other public games that fellow Pangrammers have posted. Each shared or public game has a leader board where you can track everyone's progress. In the free version you can create and play one game a day. If you're having a blast, upgrade to the Unlimited Games in-app purchase. Create game after game after game... Requirement: You must have iCloud Drive enabled to share games and play public games. The basic free tier is all that's needed. Final note: My kids want you to know that Pangram looks even better in Dark Mode. Embrace the dark side, they say.

About

ContraBee

This app offers a daily word puzzle using the same letter hive as the New York Times Spelling Bee. It challenges players to find words without using the required center letter, encouraging a different approach to word discovery.

Highlights
  • Daily word puzzles
  • Uses NYT Spelling Bee letter hive
  • Excludes center letter
  • Encourages alternative word finding
  • Unique puzzle twist
Features
Read full description

ContraBee is a complement to each day’s official New York Times Spelling Bee. It uses the same hive as each day’s Spelling Bee, but with a twist: Instead of requiring the center letter, Contra Bee excludes it. You’ll be surprised at how many words you can find if you turn your mind upside down.

Screenshots

Pangram4 screens
ContraBee3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Pangram at 4.7 against ContraBee's 4.0. Pangram also leads on review sentiment (62% vs 24%) and ratings volume (4.4K vs 4). ContraBee's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.0). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Pangram sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 2 months. ContraBee asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pangram holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pangram has 4.4K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Pangram's written reviews are positive against 24% of ContraBee's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pangram ships an update fortnightly, ContraBee every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and July 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Pangram versus ContraBee: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPangramContraBee
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (4.4K ratings) — better4.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews61.7% of reviews — better23.8% of reviews
Number of ratings4.4K — better4
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRussell NeufeldLexi Games LLC

Customer experience

Pangram

All ratings4,390 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral3.7%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews128 reviews
Positive61.7%
Neutral15.6%
Negative22.7%

ContraBee

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive23.8%
Neutral14.3%
Negative61.9%

Bugs and requests

Pangram

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to create custom games
  • Unresponsive controls and overlapping UI elements
  • Leaderboard and account sync issues
  • Crashes and white screen after updates

Requested features

4 requests
  • Option to view missed words alphabetically
  • Ability to delete multiple games at once
  • Integration with friends/teams for competitive play
  • More consistent dictionary and word definitions

ContraBee

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Pangram

Subscriptions3
  • M-W Games - 2 months$0.992 Months
  • M-W Games - 6 months$1.996 Months
  • M-W Games - 1 year$2.991 Year
One-time3
  • Publish Public Games - 20 pack$0.99
  • Unlimited Games for watchOS$0.99
  • Unlimited Games for iOS$3.99
None

ContraBee

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pangram free?
Pangram is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ContraBee free?
ContraBee is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pangram or ContraBee?
Pangram is rated higher. Pangram averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4.4K ratings, while ContraBee averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Pangram or ContraBee have ads?
Neither Pangram nor ContraBee shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pangram or ContraBee?
Pangram ships an update fortnightly, and ContraBee every 2 weeks. Most recently, Pangram was updated on September 24, 2026 and ContraBee on July 5, 2026.

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