Comparison

Anagraphs vs Knotwords

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

Head to head
About

Anagraphs

This free anagram puzzle game features a unique twist where letters can be rotated to form new characters, expanding word possibilities. Solve challenging linguistic puzzles by optimizing paths to earn stars and unlock new levels.

Highlights
  • Rotating letter mechanic
  • Anagram word puzzles
  • Star-based level unlocking
  • Challenging linguistic puzzles
  • Open source on GitHub
Features
Read full description

Anagraphs, an anagram finding puzzle with a twist, is a free new game that extends the concept of anagrams by including letters that can be rotated to make other characters. In a typical anagram the letters can be re-arranged to form new words ("ma" and "am" for example) but in Anagraphs, the "m" character can be rotated to form a 'w' which allows for the word "aw" to be included. Built with a specially designed font with several characters that can be rotated in such a way, Anagraphs is a challenging linguistic puzzle where you must optimize paths to earn stars used to unlock new levels. Anagraphs is a spiritual successor to the popular word game, Synonymy. Anagraphs is open source and available on GitHub. It is made by Cinq-Mars Media, an educational non-profit with projects and games featured at E3, PAX and other festivals worldwide.

About

Knotwords

A daily word puzzle game that challenges you to arrange letters into valid words across and down. Its minimal design and intuitive progression make it an engaging and accessible brain teaser.

Highlights
  • Minimalist and elegant design
  • Logic-based word puzzles
  • Daily challenges
  • Intuitive progression system
  • Valid word arrangement
Features
Read full description

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. -- Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Anagraphs4 screens
Knotwords4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Knotwords at 4.8 against Anagraphs's 4.0. Knotwords also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (8.1K vs 4). Anagraphs's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.6). On price, review sentiment, 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. Anagraphs sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Knotwords sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Knotwords holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Knotwords has 8.1K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Anagraphs's written reviews are positive against 73% of Knotwords's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Anagraphs ships an update every 2 months, Knotwords every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on June 5, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Anagraphs versus Knotwords: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAnagraphsKnotwords
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (4 ratings)4.8 (8.1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews73.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings48.1K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better13.6
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB507 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCinq-Mars MediaZach Gage

Customer experience

Anagraphs

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Knotwords

All ratings8,097 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral2.1%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews290 reviews
Positive73.1%
Neutral13.4%
Negative13.4%

Bugs and requests

Anagraphs

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Knotwords

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Puzzles with missing/incorrect squares
  • Incorrect words being accepted
  • Puzzles not properly credited as completed
  • Hints not matching the correct answers

Requested features

9 requests
  • Ability to turn off haptic feedback
  • Improved cursor/input behavior
  • Cloud sync across devices
  • Difficulty settings
  • Ability to see definitions of completed words
Show 4 more
  • Restart button for puzzles
  • Customizable themes
  • Daily leaderboards
  • Ability to disable hints once used

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Anagraphs

One-time1
  • Ad Free + 10 Stars!$1.99
2 purchases

Knotwords

Subscriptions1
  • Knotwords Pro subscription7 Days trial$4.991 Year
One-time1
  • Full Game$11.99

Questions

Is Anagraphs free?
Anagraphs is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Knotwords free?
Knotwords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Anagraphs or Knotwords?
Knotwords is rated higher. Anagraphs averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Knotwords averages 4.8 from 8.1K ratings.
Do Anagraphs or Knotwords have ads?
Anagraphs shows ads; Knotwords does not.
Which is updated more often, Anagraphs or Knotwords?
Anagraphs ships an update every 2 months, and Knotwords every 10 days. Most recently, Anagraphs was updated on June 5, 2026 and Knotwords on September 27, 2026.

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