Retrogram vs Sparrows
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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/
Sparrows
Engage in a word-spelling puzzle game that combines elements of Mahjong and Scrabble. Earn points by forming words from letter tiles, strategically using score multipliers, and advancing through challenging levels. Multiple game modes offer varied gameplay experiences.
- Level progression with star ratings
- Multiple game modes (Timed, Moves, Puzzle)
- Score multipliers on letter/word tiles
- Power-ups for score boosts
- Daily goals and objectives
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Sparrows - Mahjong × Scrabble Word Game! Spell words from letter tiles, earn score multipliers, and conquer challenging puzzles. Advance through levels, earn 1-3 stars, and master increasingly tricky boards. Multiple game modes: Timed, Moves, and Puzzle keep gameplay fresh and engaging. Key Features: • Level Progression & Star Ratings: Tackle boards and earn 3 stars for top performance. • Game Modes: Timed, Moves, and Puzzle for varied challenges. • Score Multipliers: Double and triple letter/word tiles reward strategic play. • Power-Ups: Boost your score and overcome tough boards. • Daily Goals: Complete new objectives each day to stay challenged. Relax or Compete: Whether you want a calm puzzle session or a fast-paced challenge, Sparrows offers a rewarding word game experience for every player. Download Sparrows Now! Start your wordplay journey, master each board, and enjoy endless Mahjong × Scrabble word fun!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Retrogram at none against Sparrows's shown. Retrogram also leads on review sentiment (66% vs 58%). Sparrows's advantage is iOS requirement (15.2 vs 17.6). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Retrogram sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Sparrows sells 14 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Sparrows holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 320 and 769 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 66% of Retrogram's written reviews are positive against 58% of Sparrows's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Retrogram ships an update every 3 weeks, Sparrows monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Retrogram | Sparrows |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (320 ratings) | 4.6 (769 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.1% of reviews — better | 58.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 320 | 769 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 15.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 145 MB | 499 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | in Color | Fluffy Dog Studio |
Customer experience
Retrogram
Sparrows
User reviews
Retrogram
From 320 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)
Sparrows
From 769 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🤩 Loads of fun
- 🧠 Challenging and engaging
- 🎨 Lovely design and aesthetics
- 🕰️ Great for short play sessions
- 🧠 Stimulates the mind
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 🤔 Inconsistent word recognition
- 🤯 Frustrating when game ends unexpectedly
- 🤖 Questionable dictionary choices
- 🤷♀️ Confusing UI elements
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 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
Sparrows
Reported bugs
5 issues- Game crashes on launch for some users
- Word search mode has incorrect timer display
- Inability to exit certain game modes
- Shuffling feature sometimes malfunctions
- Newly unlocked words not recognized
Requested features
5 requests- Add option to retry/reset word search puzzles
- Implement a way to contact developers for missing words
- Introduce a multiplayer mode to compete with friends
- Provide more customization options for the UI
- Improve the algorithm for letter distribution
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
Sparrows
- 2,500 Feathers$0.99
- 15,000 points$1.99
- 5,000 points$1.99
Show 11 moreShow fewer
- Unlock Endless Mode$1.99
- 5,000 Feathers$1.99
- Unlock Full Game$2.99
- No Ads (30 Days)$2.99
- 10,000 Feathers$3.49
- Getting Started$3.99
- 50,000 points$4.99
- 150,000 points$6.99
- Now we're talking!$7.99
- 25,000 Feathers$7.99
- 100,000 Feathers$23.99
