Wordsmyth vs Retrogram
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Wordsmyth
Engage in a daily word puzzle with no time limits or distractions. Focus on a set of letters to find as many words as possible in a peaceful, meditative environment. Enjoy beautiful scenery and calming soundscapes with an endless supply of daily challenges.
- Daily new puzzle
- No timers or levels
- No distracting ads
- Focus on 9 letters
- Calming soundscapes
- Dynamic scenery
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Wordsmyth is simple - one new puzzle, every day you play. No timers, no levels and no distracting adverts - just you and todays 9 letters. Focus on them, absorb them and find as many words as you can. There's no pressure, so sit back and take your time. The beautiful, dynamic scenery flows with every interaction, while the mellow soundscapes help draw you deeper into the experience. With over 18 years worth of puzzles, Wordsmyth will provide you with a peaceful, meditative puzzling experience for years to come. AppAdvice - Game Of The Week AppAdvice - Games Of The Month 148Apps - “a refreshingly chill take on Boggle” 4/5 iMore - “will relax, rather than stress“ PocketGamer - "a fresh new experience each day" Metro UK - "Near perfect mobile entertainment - 9/10"
Retrogram
Challenge your vocabulary with a daily word puzzle. Create as many words as possible from seven letters. Enjoy a stylish, retro-themed experience designed to sharpen your mind and introduce you to new words.
- Daily hand-made puzzles
- Solve puzzles together via SharePlay
- Apple Watch compatibility
- No ads
- Discover new words
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Think you’re a word nerd? Put your vocabulary to the test with new word puzzles every day Retrogram is a love letter to the 1970s — a cozy collection of handcrafted word games, curious words and satisfying puzzles to make part of your daily routine PLAY EVERY DAY SPELLOTRON Make as many words as you can using seven letters. Find the pangram, climb the ranks and discover interesting stories behind some of your favorite words WORDWAY Build a bridge of words from one word to another. Use the letters you’re given and find a path across the board THERE’S MORE Subscribe to Retrogram to catch up on the past week of daily puzzles, explore the Puzzle Vault, play limited-edition bonus packs, switch things up with vintage app icons, and play after dark with Neon Nites FEATURES * Two handcrafted word puzzles every day * Play today’s Spellotron and Wordway puzzles for free * Catch up on the past seven days * A growing Vault of bonus puzzles * Limited-edition puzzle packs * Neon Nites dark theme * Vintage alternate app icons * SharePlay — solve together over FaceTime * Play Spellotron on your Apple Watch * No ads, ever Additional details Privacy policy: https://retrogram.app/#privacy Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Retrogram at Free against Wordsmyth's $4.99. Wordsmyth's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and chart position (#110 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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
Retrogram is free to download; Wordsmyth costs $4.99 up front. Retrogram sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Wordsmyth asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Wordsmyth against 4.5 for Retrogram. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 295 and 328 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 58% of Wordsmyth's written reviews are positive against 66% of Retrogram's.
Wordsmyth ships an update every 9 days, Retrogram every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 27, 2026.
| Parameter | Wordsmyth | Retrogram |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.6 (295 ratings) — better | 4.5 (328 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 58.1% of reviews | 66.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 295 | 328 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | #110 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 115 MB | 162 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Rose Design and Education Services | in Color |
Customer experience
Wordsmyth
Retrogram
User reviews
Wordsmyth
From 295 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 😌 Relaxing and calming gameplay experience
- 🎨 Beautiful, elegant visual design
- 🔇 No ads or intrusive notifications
- 🎮 Simple, intuitive game mechanics
- 🎵 Pleasant sound effects
Room to improve
- 📚 Dictionary is incomplete and limited
- 🔋 Severe battery drain and device overheating
- 🎮 Clunky swipe-based controls for editing
- ⏰ Only one puzzle per day is restrictive
- 😕 Inconsistent word acceptance (common words missing)
Retrogram
From 328 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎨 Retro aesthetic and clean interface design
- 👍 Simple and intuitive gameplay mechanics
- 🧠 Challenging and brain-stimulating puzzles
- 📚 Interesting word definitions and fun comments
- 🎮 Daily puzzle provides consistent engagement
Room to improve
- 💰 Expensive subscription pricing ($30-$80)
- 🚫 Misleading free-to-play model with paywall
- 📖 Inconsistent and limited word dictionary
- 🔄 Words accepted one day but rejected another
- ⏰ Only one puzzle per day (limited content)
Bugs and requests
Wordsmyth
Reported bugs
11 issues- App crashes on opening (iPhone 10 Max)
- Last letter shows white after word submission
- Shake shuffle doesn't always work
- Game Center sync shows different letter sets to friends
- Game locked/marked complete at partial progress
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- Extreme battery drain even in battery saver mode
- Device overheating during gameplay
- Game Center opt-out resets on each app open
- Vague/missing UI button labels
- Date display incorrect
- Multiplayer sync not functioning
Requested features
18 requests- Expand dictionary with more common words
- Add backspace/delete button instead of swipe gestures
- Auto-submit words with single swipe action
- Auto-clear letters after word submission
- Multiple puzzles per day option
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- Shuffle/mix letters button
- In-app dictionary with word definitions
- Ability to view missed words after puzzle completion
- Settings menu for customization options
- Disable plurals option
- Consistent daily puzzle across Game Center friends
- Ability to replay previous day puzzles
- Cursor positioning within words for editing
- Swiping input method for RSI-friendly play
- Battery saver mode improvements
- Disable background animations option
- British English dictionary option
- Word lookup integration with iOS system dictionary
Retrogram
Reported bugs
7 issues- Words marked as missed that were actually found
- Puzzle letters changing when spinning the wheel
- Apple Watch app no longer functioning
- Game progress deletion without explanation
- Inconsistent word acceptance across different puzzles
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Hint feature disappeared in recent updates
- Contact support only available through Apple Mail
Requested features
10 requests- Access to previous/archived puzzles
- Multiple puzzles per day or puzzle difficulty levels
- Statistics tracking (completion rate, pangram frequency)
- Hint system that doesn't impact streak
- Word find rate percentages for context
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Immediate answer reveal after puzzle completion
- Cheaper one-time purchase option instead of subscription
- In-game dispute method for word validation
- Apple Watch functionality restoration
- Automatic daily prefix posting on social media
In-app purchases
Wordsmyth
No in-app purchases
Retrogram
- Daily Puzzle (Monthly)$4.991 Month
- Daily Puzzle (Yearly)$29.991 Year
- Where in the World$3.99
- 80s Dinner Party$4.99
- Gaming Icons$4.99
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Stone Cold$4.99
- Flower Power$4.99
- Dear Reader$4.99
- Outer Rim$4.99
- Daily Puzzle (For Life)$49.99
