Comparison

Retrogram vs Mind Gems

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

Mind Gems

Features
Read full description

For parents who want games that teach, Mind Gems blends maths, spelling, phonics and word practice into a colourful offline puzzle adventure. Players match gems, create special combinations, collect rewards, and answer quick learning boosts during play. The questions are designed to feel like part of the game, not a separate quiz, with profile settings and difficulty levels that can grow over time. The game is designed to be calm, safe, and offline. Progress, rewards, and settings stay local. There are no ads, no in-app purchases, no accounts, no online chat, no social sharing, and no runtime AI content. Features: - Match gems on a bright puzzle board - Create special gems, cascades, and Super Spark moments - Practise maths, spelling, phonics, reading, and vocabulary - Unlock harder question tiers with Learning Stars - Explore a guided world map across 30 levels - Earn Sparkle Seeds, stickers, themes, boosters, and rewards - Play Free Play after the first level Mind Gems is built to make learning feel rewarding, with instant feedback, colourful animations, sound effects, and simple explanations when help is needed.

Screenshots

Retrogram4 screens
Mind Gems4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mind Gems at none against Retrogram's 10. Retrogram's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads 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. Retrogram sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Mind Gems asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Retrogram ships an update every 3 weeks, Mind Gems every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Retrogram versus Mind Gems: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetrogramMind Gems
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (332 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings332 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size162 MB111 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerin ColorNikhil Panchal

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

Mind Gems

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
None

Mind Gems

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Retrogram free?
Retrogram is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mind Gems free?
Mind Gems is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Retrogram or Mind Gems have ads?
Neither Retrogram nor Mind Gems shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Retrogram or Mind Gems?
Retrogram ships an update every 3 weeks, and Mind Gems every 4 months. Most recently, Retrogram was updated on November 11, 2026 and Mind Gems on October 28, 2026.

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