SpellTower+ vs Crossword Explorer+
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SpellTower+
This word game challenges players to clear rising letter tiles by forming words. It offers multiple game modes, including classic and new puzzle variations, with strategic gameplay and bonus tiles to increase word values. Compete with others through leaderboards and track your progress with detailed statistics.
- Word formation gameplay
- Rising tile mechanic
- Multiple game modes
- Bonus tiles
- Highscores and leaderboards
- Detailed statistics
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The original best-selling mobile word game, reimagined! Pick your words wisely! As you play, more tiles rise from the bottom of the screen! It'll take all of your lexicological wits, and tactical know-how to keep your columns down. If any letters make it to the top row, it's game over. Classic modes Daily Tower, Tower, Puzzle, Rush and Zen are all back and packed with brand new BONUS TILES that double (or more!) word values. Joining them is the brand new Search mode, plus ExPuzzle, Double Puzzle, Bubble Puzzle, and Blitz mode! That’s eleven modes in all! Plus iCloud Backup, Highscores reported for games even while in-progress, detailed statistics for every mode, Game Center leaderboards, and achievements. ————————— It’s pretty wild to be revisiting my first hit game, SpellTower. I can't believe it's almost 10 years since it released. The first iPhones it ran on had a 3.5 inch screen and 320 x 480 resolution! I literally did a double-take at that resolution when I looked it up. A funny part about having a hit game is people talk to you about it. With SpellTower I heard about grandparents playing the game every morning to keep their minds sharp, parents playing it with their kids, expectant mothers playing it to get through morning sickness, and countless sightings of strangers playing it on subways, planes — even elevators. I got into games because I wanted to connect with people in a positive way. I wanted to help people think critically and come away with more than they arrived with. Games felt like a way to do this on a huge scale, but the stories I heard from SpellTower players taught me that games do so much more for people than I ever expected. I’m deeply grateful that SpellTower has been able to be something special for so many people, and I think that’s why so many people have shared it with friends, loved ones, and strangers on elevators. Even though SpellTower is a game I made, it’s really barely mine anymore. The experiences and love I had for the game has been outstripped by its audiences a thousandfold. I thought a lot about all the experiences that people have had with the game when I was designing this new version. I hope it gives everyone who’s loved the game a reason to pick it back up again and share it amongst their friends and family. -zach
Crossword Explorer+
Engage your mind with daily crossword puzzles and trivia. Access thousands of puzzles with new themes each day to expand your vocabulary and general knowledge. Play anytime, anywhere on your iOS device.
- Daily new puzzles
- Thousands of puzzles available
- Variety of daily themes
- Hints for difficult words
- Vocabulary and general knowledge improvement
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Keeping your mind sharp and active these days is hard with so many distractions to make you lose focus. Sitting down and solving a crossword is a time-tested formula to ensure that your brain stays active while you have a lot of fun answering questions on your favorite topics. With a different theme each day of the week, there is just the right amount of variety to satisfy all kinds of interests! With Crossword Explorer+, you will have access to thousands of puzzles, right on your iOS device, so that you can play your favorite crosswords when you want, wherever you want! As you solve more and more of our crosswords, your vocabulary and general knowledge will grow by leaps and bounds! In no time, you will become a master crossword solver while having tons of fun! What does Crossword Explorer+ offer? - Fun puzzles for everyone - A new puzzle every day, 365 days a year - Hints to get you past those obscure words - Bragging rights for your ever-improving general knowledge and vocabulary What are you waiting for? Download Crossword Explorer+ right now, join thousands of crossword enthusiasts and see why everyone is hooked! Write back to us with any issues or suggestions, we are all ears! Privacy Policy & Terms of Use: https://playsimple.in/privacy_aa
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Crossword Explorer+ at 4.9 against SpellTower+'s 3.8. Crossword Explorer+ also leads on monetization model (free vs paid) and ratings volume (2.3K vs 467). SpellTower+'s advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (40% vs 22%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Crossword Explorer+ holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 467 and 2.3K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 40% of SpellTower+'s written reviews are positive against 22% of Crossword Explorer+'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
SpellTower+ ships an update monthly, Crossword Explorer+ every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SpellTower+ | Crossword Explorer+ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (467 ratings) | 4.9 (2.3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 39.6% of reviews — better | 22.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 467 | 2.3K — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.6 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 123 MB | 266 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Zach Gage | PlaySimple Games Pte Ltd |
Customer experience
SpellTower+
Crossword Explorer+
User reviews
SpellTower+
From 467 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Fun and engaging gameplay
- 🚀 Variety of game modes
- 💡 Challenging word puzzles
- 🎨 Clean and polished design
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inconsistent word recognition
- 🤔 Unclear scoring system
- 🔇 Inability to turn off music/sound
- 🔁 Repetitive puzzles
Crossword Explorer+
From 2.3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Relaxing and fun gameplay
- 🚀 Smooth and intuitive controls
- 💡 Bite-sized crossword puzzles
Room to improve
- 🤔 Puzzles too easy and repetitive
- 📍 Heavily US-centric content
- 🔍 Lack of difficulty options or progression
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes reported
Bugs and requests
SpellTower+
Reported bugs
3 issues- Syncing issues with leaderboards and scores
- Crashes and freezes on certain devices
- Unresponsive controls and UI elements
Requested features
4 requests- Add dictionary definitions for found words
- Improve word challenge system
- Allow customization of fonts and colors
- Expand word library to include more languages
Crossword Explorer+
Reported bugs
3 issues- Black screen on startup
- Incorrect answers and spelling errors
- Syncing issues between devices
Requested features
4 requests- Add difficulty settings or skip easy levels
- Improve crossword variety and reduce repetition
- Optimize for landscape mode on iPad
- Implement cloud save/sync across devices
In-app purchases
SpellTower+
No in-app purchases
Crossword Explorer+
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SpellTower+ free?
Is Crossword Explorer+ free?
Which has better reviews, SpellTower+ or Crossword Explorer+?
Do SpellTower+ or Crossword Explorer+ have ads?
Which is updated more often, SpellTower+ or Crossword Explorer+?
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