Crossword Explorer+ vs Knotwords+
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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
Read full descriptionHide full description
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
Knotwords+
A minimalist word puzzle game where you arrange letters to form valid words across and down. The game offers a guided progression, making challenging puzzles become easier as you play.
- Minimalist design
- Elegant logic puzzle
- Arrange letters to form words
- Guided progression
- Daily word fix
Read full descriptionHide full description
Knotwords+ is a minimal and elegant logic puzzle — with words. The rules are simple: arrange the letters in each section so every word is valid, across and down. Each puzzle may seem difficult at first — but like all my favorite newspaper puzzles, it gets easier as you progress. Each step guides you naturally towards the solution. This is the kind of game I've been trying to make my whole career — I'm amazed Jack and I discovered this design. We hope you like it.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Crossword Explorer+ at 4.9 against Knotwords+'s 3.8. Crossword Explorer+ also leads on monetization model (free vs paid) and ratings volume (2.3K vs 121). Knotwords+'s advantage is review sentiment (48% vs 22%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). 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. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Crossword Explorer+ has 2.3K ratings behind it against 121, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 22% of Crossword Explorer+'s written reviews are positive against 48% of Knotwords+'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Crossword Explorer+ ships an update every 3 months, Knotwords+ every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Crossword Explorer+ | Knotwords+ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (2.3K ratings) — better | 3.8 (121 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 22.4% of reviews | 48.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.3K — better | 121 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 13.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 266 MB | 185 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | PlaySimple Games Pte Ltd | Zach Gage |
Customer experience
Crossword Explorer+
Knotwords+
User reviews
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
Knotwords+
From 121 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Enjoyable and challenging gameplay
- 🚀 Addictive and engaging
- 🧠 Exercises vocabulary and problem-solving skills
Room to improve
- 🐛 Cursor/input issues and unintuitive navigation
- 🤔 Obscure or questionable word choices
- 🔍 Unhelpful or unclear hints/definitions
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 💾 Save/progress issues
Bugs and requests
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
Knotwords+
Reported bugs
3 issues- Puzzle progress not saving properly
- Cursor jumping to unexpected cells
- Incorrect or nonsensical word definitions
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to create custom levels or puzzles
- Option to turn off haptic feedback
- Improved sync/progress tracking across devices
- More intuitive cursor/input controls
- Better hint system and word definitions
In-app purchases
Crossword Explorer+
No in-app purchases
Knotwords+
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Crossword Explorer+ free?
Is Knotwords+ free?
Which has better reviews, Crossword Explorer+ or Knotwords+?
Do Crossword Explorer+ or Knotwords+ have ads?
Which is updated more often, Crossword Explorer+ or Knotwords+?
Other comparisons















