Comparison

Spelling Bee vs ContraBee

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

Head to head
About

Spelling Bee

This word game offers a unique hexagon layout where each word must include a required letter. With over 4000 levels, it provides a challenging yet satisfying brain exercise. Explore a vibrant world, use power-ups, and compete on global leaderboards.

Highlights
  • Unique hexagon word puzzle layout
  • Over 4000 challenging levels
  • Daily challenge puzzles
  • Global leaderboards
  • Power-ups and coin rewards
  • Play with friends
Features
Read full description

Spelling Bee is the totally new take on word games that everyone is talking about! Each word must use the required letter for a challenging and satisfying twist! Totally unique hexagon layout is perfect for bees :) The game starts out easy and gets challenging fast! With 4000+ levels, exercise your brain with these challenging and satisfying puzzles. Incredibly fun and addicting as you figure out that word on the tip of your tongue! Explore the bright, beautiful world of bees on your word search and crossword adventures! Journey through colorful lands and solve sweet word puzzles! Use awesome powerups and compete on global leaderboards to prove you’re the word champ that all the buzz is about! Every word you find fills your Honey Pot. How smart are you? ENJOY AMAZING WORD GAMEPLAY: - Easy swipe to select letters and spell words! - Find as many words as you can! - Earn coins for bonus words! - Progress through a lovely world of flowers! FEATURES: - Over 4000 Levels to play word games! - Daily Challenge Puzzle is a new way to play! - Loads of ways to earn coins like bonus words and daily 9 card monty! - Great for kids and adults alike! - Bonus coins for logging in! - Easy to play, difficult to master! - Play with friends and get special boosts from your teammates! - Uniquely fun events go on all week - never a dull moment! - Play this meditative, relaxing game and zen out til you beat all the levels! - Daily Bonus with coins and powerups! Get Spelling Bee today for the best word game for word search fans and word puzzle addicts out there :) Privacy Policy: https://www.funcraft.com/privacy-policy Terms of Service: https://www.funcraft.com/terms-of-use

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

Spelling Bee4 screens
ContraBee3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Spelling Bee at 4.7 against ContraBee's 4.1. Spelling Bee also leads on review sentiment (54% vs 24%) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks). ContraBee's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 14). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Spelling Bee sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. ContraBee asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Spelling Bee holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spelling Bee has 162 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of Spelling Bee's written reviews are positive against 24% of ContraBee's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spelling Bee ships an update every 5 days, ContraBee every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Spelling Bee versus ContraBee: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpelling BeeContraBee
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (162 ratings) — better4.1 (8 ratings)
Positive reviews53.8% of reviews — better23.8% of reviews
Number of ratings162 — better8
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better11.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.1 GB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFunCraft, IncLexi Games LLC

Customer experience

Spelling Bee

All ratings161 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral6.2%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive53.8%
Neutral15.4%
Negative30.8%

ContraBee

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

In-app purchases

14 purchases

Spelling Bee

Subscriptions4
  • Spelling Bee7 Days trial$2.997 Days
  • Spelling Bee7 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Spelling Bee$7.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • Spelling Bee$39.991 Year
One-time10
  • A Few Coins$0.99
  • Bee Family$1.99
  • A Pile of Coins$2.99
Show 7 more
  • Sweet Bundle$4.99
  • Starter Bundle$4.99
  • A Bag of Coins$4.99
  • Jar of Bees$9.99
  • Tasty Bundle$12.99
  • Ad-Free Offer!$12.99
  • Smart Bundle$19.99
None

ContraBee

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Spelling Bee free?
Spelling Bee 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, Spelling Bee or ContraBee?
Spelling Bee is rated higher. Spelling Bee averages 4.7 out of 5 from 162 ratings, while ContraBee averages 4.1 from 8 ratings.
Do Spelling Bee or ContraBee have ads?
Neither Spelling Bee nor ContraBee shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Spelling Bee or ContraBee?
Spelling Bee ships an update every 5 days, and ContraBee every 2 weeks. Most recently, Spelling Bee was updated on November 3, 2026 and ContraBee on October 23, 2026.

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