Comparison

Sparrows vs Squid Words

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

Head to head
About

Sparrows

This word puzzle game combines mahjong tile mechanics with spelling challenges. Spell words from letter tiles to earn points, advance through levels, and master various game modes. Enjoy a relaxing or challenging experience with daily goals and power-ups.

Highlights
  • Level progression with star ratings
  • Multiple game modes (Timed, Moves, Puzzle)
  • Score multipliers for strategic play
  • Power-ups to boost scores
  • Daily goals and objectives
  • Relaxing puzzle mode without a timer
Features
Read full description

Sparrows – mahjong tiles meet wordplay! Spell words from letter tiles, earn score multipliers, and conquer challenging puzzles. Advance through levels, earn 1–3 stars, and master increasingly tricky boards. Multiple game modes – Timed, Moves, and Puzzle – keep gameplay fresh and engaging. Key Features: • Level Progression & Star Ratings: Tackle boards and earn 1–3 stars for top performance. • Game Modes: Timed, Moves, and Puzzle for varied challenges. • Score Multipliers: Double and triple letter/word tiles reward strategic play. • Power-Ups: Boost your score and overcome tough boards. • Daily Goals: Complete new objectives each day to stay challenged. • Relaxing, no timer needed – play at your own pace in Puzzle mode. • Plays great on iPhone and iPad. Relax or Compete: Whether you want a calm puzzle session or a fast-paced challenge, Sparrows offers a rewarding word game experience for every player. Download Sparrows Now! Start your wordplay journey, master each board, and enjoy endless mahjong-meets-wordplay fun!

About

Squid Words

Unscramble five hidden five-letter words daily. Use your linguistic skills to decipher scrambled letters, revealing correct ones with colored hints. Patience and perseverance lead to success in this word puzzle game.

Highlights
  • Daily five-letter word unscrambling
  • Scrambled letter puzzles
  • Color-coded hints for correct letters
  • Challenging linguistic gameplay
  • Progressive difficulty
Read full description

So, think you can outsmart a cephalopod? The premise is deceptively simple. Each day at 6am Squiggles, a sweet swaggering squid will taunt you with five secret 5 letter words (Squid Words) all shuffled up and scrambled so subtly and sophisticatedly that your skills as an astute expert of linguistic sophistry will be stretched to such savage extents as to leave you strictly stunned into silence by your own selective stupidity. To make sense of the serene series of scrambled letters left by this sly squid’s secret stumper you will need to draw on your own cerebral sensibilities. By guessing words formed solely from the assemblage of cells composed into a grid you will reveal those letters that share a place with one of the secret answers our scandalous Squiggles has selected. Any cells which share a place with one of the secret Squid Words will be expressed with a distinct, iridescent colour. By sorting through each secret answer you will soon find yourself with a smaller selection of cells with which to structure sensible guesses. But don’t stress. With a little patience, some perseverance and a small slither of serendipity success awaits you in SQUID WORDS!!!!

Screenshots

Sparrows4 screens
Squid Words4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Squid Words at 100% against Sparrows's 58%. Squid Words also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 14) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Sparrows's advantage is ratings volume (781 vs 2). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Sparrows sells 14 one-off in-app purchases. Squid Words asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Squid Words holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sparrows has 781 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of Sparrows's written reviews are positive against 100% of Squid Words's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sparrows ships an update every 5 weeks, Squid Words every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Sparrows versus Squid Words: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSparrowsSquid Words
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (781 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews58.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings781 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.212.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size506 MB203 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFluffy Dog StudioLiterally Games Ltd

Customer experience

Sparrows

All ratings781 ratings
Positive89.6%
Neutral5.6%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews69 reviews
Positive58.0%
Neutral17.4%
Negative24.6%

Squid Words

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Sparrows

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Game crashes on launch for some users
  • Word search mode has incorrect timer display
  • Inability to exit certain game modes
  • Shuffling feature sometimes malfunctions
  • Newly unlocked words not recognized

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add option to retry/reset word search puzzles
  • Implement a way to contact developers for missing words
  • Introduce a multiplayer mode to compete with friends
  • Provide more customization options for the UI
  • Improve the algorithm for letter distribution

Squid Words

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

14 purchases

Sparrows

One-time14
  • 2,500 Feathers$0.99
  • 15,000 points$1.99
  • 5,000 points$1.99
Show 11 more
  • Unlock Endless Mode$1.99
  • 5,000 Feathers$1.99
  • Unlock Full Game$2.99
  • 10,000 Feathers$3.49
  • Getting Started$3.99
  • 50,000 points$4.99
  • No Ads (30 Days)$4.99
  • 150,000 points$6.99
  • Now we're talking!$7.99
  • 25,000 Feathers$7.99
  • 100,000 Feathers$23.99
None

Squid Words

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sparrows free?
Sparrows is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Squid Words free?
Squid Words is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Sparrows or Squid Words?
Squid Words is rated higher. Sparrows averages 4.6 out of 5 from 781 ratings, while Squid Words averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Sparrows or Squid Words have ads?
Both Sparrows and Squid Words show ads.
Which is updated more often, Sparrows or Squid Words?
Sparrows ships an update every 5 weeks, and Squid Words every 2 weeks. Most recently, Sparrows was updated on October 30, 2026 and Squid Words on October 30, 2026.

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