Comparison

Knotwords vs Rogue Words

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Knotwords

A daily word puzzle game that challenges you to arrange letters into valid words across and down. Its minimal design and intuitive progression make it an engaging and accessible brain teaser.

Highlights
  • Minimalist and elegant design
  • Logic-based word puzzles
  • Daily challenges
  • Intuitive progression system
  • Valid word arrangement
Features
Read 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. -- Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Rogue Words

This word game blends classic word puzzle mechanics with roguelike strategy. Craft words to score points, collect power-ups, and overcome dynamic challenges across multiple levels. Adapt to unique playstyles and unlock abilities for endless replayability.

Highlights
  • Craft words for points
  • Collect boons and potions
  • Survive 10+ intense levels
  • 12 unique Aspects to choose from
  • Unlock powerful upgrades
  • Risk & reward challenges
  • Over 100 boons and potions
Features
Read full description

Unleash Your Vocabulary in the Ultimate Roguelike Word Game! Dive into the excitement of Rogue Words, where the classic fun of word games meets the unpredictable thrill of roguelike strategy! Test your skills, adapt to ever-changing challenges, and see how far your words can take you. 【 How to Play 】 • Craft words to score points and overcome unique challenges. • Collect and wield powerful boons and potions to shift the odds in your favor! • Survive 10 intense levels to claim Supreme Victory—or push beyond level 10 to see how far your mastery can go! 【 Key Features 】 • Dynamic Playstyles: Choose from 12 unique Aspects, each altering the game rules in both helpful and challenging ways. • Powerful Upgrades: Unlock abilities that let you upgrade tiles, earn bonuses, and discover dominant combos. • Risk & Reward Challenges: Take on special challenges to raise the stakes and earn greater rewards. • Roguelike Depth: Explore limitless possibilities with over 100 boons and potions for endlessly unique runs. • Daily Challenges offer unique rules and play styles to keep you on your toes. Whether you're a fan of word puzzles, strategy games, or fresh twists on beloved classics, Rogue Words has something for you.

Screenshots

Knotwords4 screens
Rogue Words4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Rogue Words at none against Knotwords's 2. Rogue Words also leads on review sentiment (95% vs 73%). Knotwords's advantage is ratings volume (8.2K vs 1.7K). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. Knotwords sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Rogue Words asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Knotwords against 4.9 for Rogue Words. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8.2K and 1.7K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 73% of Knotwords's written reviews are positive against 95% of Rogue Words's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Knotwords ships an update every 10 days, Rogue Words fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Knotwords versus Rogue Words: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKnotwordsRogue Words
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (8.2K ratings)4.9 (1.7K ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.2% of reviews95.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings8.2K — better1.7K
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.6 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size507 MB70 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZach GageBrian Lipkowitz

Customer experience

Knotwords

All ratings8,097 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral2.1%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews295 reviews
Positive73.2%
Neutral13.2%
Negative13.6%

Rogue Words

All ratings1,651 ratings
Positive97.6%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews692 reviews
Positive95.2%
Neutral2.0%
Negative2.7%

User reviews

Knotwords

From 8.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great game
  • 👍 Fun and challenging
  • 🚀 Simple but engaging
  • 👍 Unique concept
  • 👍 Addictive

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 🐛 Buggy cursor/input issues
  • 🐛 Slow performance
  • 🐛 Questionable word choices
  • 🔋 Battery drain

Rogue Words

From 1.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Incredible game
  • 🚀 Great gameplay
  • 🚀 Simple and fun
  • 🚀 Fun and addictive
  • 🚀 Worth playing

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crash on launch
  • 🐛 Sometimes says 'not a word' when it is

Bugs and requests

Knotwords

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Puzzles with missing/incorrect squares
  • Incorrect words being accepted
  • Puzzles not properly credited as completed
  • Hints not matching the correct answers

Requested features

9 requests
  • Ability to turn off haptic feedback
  • Improved cursor/input behavior
  • Cloud sync across devices
  • Difficulty settings
  • Ability to see definitions of completed words
Show 4 more
  • Restart button for puzzles
  • Customizable themes
  • Daily leaderboards
  • Ability to disable hints once used

Rogue Words

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crash on launch
  • Toggling vibrations doesn't disable haptics
  • Boon icon background too tall and off-screen

Requested features

6 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Background music and wallpaper
  • More varied sound effects
  • Mines on the board
  • Other extra features
Show 1 more
  • Tipping/donation system

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Knotwords

Subscriptions1
  • Knotwords Pro subscription7 Days trial$4.991 Year
One-time1
  • Full Game$11.99
None

Rogue Words

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Knotwords free?
Knotwords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Rogue Words free?
Rogue Words is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Knotwords or Rogue Words?
Rogue Words is rated higher. Knotwords averages 4.8 out of 5 from 8.2K ratings, while Rogue Words averages 4.9 from 1.7K ratings.
Do Knotwords or Rogue Words have ads?
Neither Knotwords nor Rogue Words shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Knotwords or Rogue Words?
Knotwords ships an update every 10 days, and Rogue Words fortnightly. Most recently, Knotwords was updated on November 7, 2026 and Rogue Words on November 4, 2026.

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