Comparison

Retrogram vs GUBBINS

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Daily hand-made puzzles
  • Solve puzzles together via SharePlay
  • Apple Watch compatibility
  • No ads
  • Discover new words
Features
Read full description

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/

About

GUBBINS

A friendly word puzzle game where you build words using tiles and special modifiers called Gubbins. Navigate a charming world with quirky characters that can help or hinder your progress.

Highlights
  • Tile-based word construction
  • Wildcard Gubbins modifiers
  • Charming cartoon characters
  • Minimalist typography
  • Moreish wordplay
Features
Read full description

Gubbins is a friendly puzzle game where players place tiles to construct words, with the help and hindrance of wildcard modifiers called Gubbins. Minimalist typography alongside kooky cartoons serve as a canvas for moreish wordplay. Dig through the draw pile and make words on the board with hilarious friends wreaking havoc.

Screenshots

Retrogram4 screens
GUBBINS4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Retrogram at none against GUBBINS's shown. GUBBINS's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (1.6K vs 320). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and in-app purchases 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. Retrogram sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and GUBBINS sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

GUBBINS holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GUBBINS has 1.6K ratings behind it against 320, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Retrogram's written reviews are positive against 73% of GUBBINS's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 27, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Retrogram versus GUBBINS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetrogramGUBBINS
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (320 ratings)4.7 (1.6K ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.1% of reviews72.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3201.6K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.612.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size145 MB641 MB
Age rating4+9+
Developerin ColorStudio Folly Pty Ltd

Customer experience

Retrogram

All ratings320 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral2.5%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive66.1%
Neutral9.7%
Negative24.2%

GUBBINS

All ratings1,625 ratings
Positive93.4%
Neutral2.9%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews301 reviews
Positive72.8%
Neutral11.3%
Negative15.9%

User reviews

Retrogram

From 320 App Store ratings

What 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)

GUBBINS

From 1.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Charming art style
  • 🎶 Wonderful sound design
  • 🎮 Engaging and unique gameplay
  • 🎁 One-time purchase model
  • 🤝 Supports charity

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Limited free play
  • 🤔 Restrictive dictionary
  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 🤯 Frustrating Gubbins
  • 🤷‍♀️ Unclear game mechanics

Bugs and requests

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 more
  • 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 more
  • 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

GUBBINS

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Tiles becoming unplayable after certain Gubbins
  • Daily puzzle not updating correctly
  • Inconsistent behavior of rotation and placement
  • Crashes and performance issues on older devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Word validity checker
  • Multiplayer mode
  • Customizable Gubbins selection
  • Leaderboards and stats tracking
  • Ability to revisit completed puzzles

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Retrogram

Subscriptions2
  • Daily Puzzle (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • Daily Puzzle (Yearly)$29.991 Year
One-time8
  • Where in the World$3.99
  • 80s Dinner Party$4.99
  • Gaming Icons$4.99
Show 5 more
  • Stone Cold$4.99
  • Flower Power$4.99
  • Dear Reader$4.99
  • Outer Rim$4.99
  • Daily Puzzle (For Life)$49.99
10 purchases

GUBBINS

One-time10
  • Planet GubbinFree
  • Giant Postcard Pack$1.99
  • Punctuation Pack$2.99
Show 7 more
  • The Travel Gubbins Pack$4.99
  • The Space Gubbins Pack$4.99
  • Infinite Play$5.99
  • The Space Punc Bundle$5.99
  • Space Travel Bundle$7.49
  • Launch Pack$9.99
  • The Chonkiest Bundle$13.99

Questions

Is Retrogram free?
Retrogram is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GUBBINS free?
GUBBINS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Retrogram or GUBBINS?
GUBBINS is rated higher. Retrogram averages 4.4 out of 5 from 320 ratings, while GUBBINS averages 4.7 from 1.6K ratings.
Do Retrogram or GUBBINS have ads?
GUBBINS shows ads; Retrogram does not.
Which is updated more often, Retrogram or GUBBINS?
Retrogram ships an update every 3 weeks, and GUBBINS every 3 weeks. Most recently, Retrogram was updated on September 27, 2026 and GUBBINS on September 27, 2026.

Other comparisons