Retrogram vs Mind Gems
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/
Mind Gems
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
| Parameter | Retrogram | Mind Gems |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (332 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 66.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 332 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 162 MB | 111 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | in Color | Nikhil 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
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- 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
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- 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
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
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- Stone Cold$4.99
- Flower Power$4.99
- Dear Reader$4.99
- Outer Rim$4.99
- Daily Puzzle (For Life)$49.99
Mind Gems
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Retrogram free?
Is Mind Gems free?
Do Retrogram or Mind Gems have ads?
Which is updated more often, Retrogram or Mind Gems?
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