# Speeling Bee vs ContraBee

The clearest difference is rating: ContraBee at 4.0 against Speeling Bee's 3.3. ContraBee also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 8 months). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ContraBee holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Speeling Bee's written reviews are positive against 24% of ContraBee's.

Speeling Bee ships an update every 8 months, ContraBee every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and July 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Speeling Bee | ContraBee |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.3 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/speeling-bee/id1610347555/reviews) | **[4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/contrabee/id6478916549/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 3 | **4** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **23.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Size | 101 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Joan Carles Cayro Baronat](https://appshunter.io/developer/1050581673) | [Lexi Games LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1734406255) |

## What reviewers say

### Speeling Bee

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/speeling-bee/id1610347555)

A word game where players form words using a set of seven letters. The objective is to discover all possible words, with a mandatory center letter and scoring based on word length and using all available letters.

**Highlights:** Form words from 7 available letters, Mandatory center letter, Letters can be repeated, Minimum 3-letter words, Scoring based on word length, Bonus points for using all letters

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### ContraBee

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/contrabee/id6478916549)

This app offers a daily word puzzle using the same letter hive as the New York Times Spelling Bee. It challenges players to find words without using the required center letter, encouraging a different approach to word discovery.

**Highlights:** Daily word puzzles, Uses NYT Spelling Bee letter hive, Excludes center letter, Encourages alternative word finding, Unique puzzle twist

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Speeling Bee free?

Speeling Bee is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ContraBee free?

ContraBee is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Speeling Bee or ContraBee?

ContraBee is rated higher. Speeling Bee averages 3.3 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while ContraBee averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Speeling Bee or ContraBee have ads?

Speeling Bee shows ads; ContraBee does not.

### Which is updated more often, Speeling Bee or ContraBee?

Speeling Bee ships an update every 8 months, and ContraBee every 2 weeks. Most recently, Speeling Bee was updated on September 27, 2026 and ContraBee on July 5, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*