# Recursion vs SHIFT Word Puzzle

The clearest difference is price: SHIFT Word Puzzle at Free against Recursion's $3.99. SHIFT Word Puzzle also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 65%) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 weeks). Recursion's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and device support (4 vs 1). On ads there is nothing between them.

SHIFT Word Puzzle is free to download; Recursion costs $3.99 up front. SHIFT Word Puzzle sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Recursion asks for nothing beyond the download.

Recursion ships an update every 2 weeks, SHIFT Word Puzzle every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Recursion | SHIFT Word Puzzle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.2 (67 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/recursion-puzzle-escape/id1658817293/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **67** | — |
| Positive reviews | 64.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Size | 550 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Glitch Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/499866302) | [ANDREW JAMES HARRIS](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895188863) |

## What reviewers say

### Recursion

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/recursion-puzzle-escape/id1658817293)

Embark on a mind-bending puzzle adventure where you're trapped in a repeating time loop. Use your wits and a special device to solve mysteries, find clues, and shut down a machine before the loop resets. This compact mystery game offers challenging puzzles and a unique narrative.

**Highlights:** Time-loop mechanic, First-person point and click adventure, Mystery and puzzle solving, Clue finding, Hint system, Immersive soundtrack and sound effects

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Unique and innovative gameplay mechanics
- 😂 Lots of fun and laughter
- 👍 Great twist on game types
- 🧠 Mind-bending puzzles
- 🌟 High-quality games from developer

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔁 Repetitive tasks and puzzles
- ⏳ Too much dying and restarting
- 😩 Tedious and frustrating experience
- ⏱️ Time loop/timer causes anxiety
- ⏳ Game feels too short

**Reported bugs**

- Lift doors in chapter 3 wouldn't open
- Wireless controller doesn't appear
- Game crashes on start-up
- Stuck in the elevator (potential bug)

**Requested features**

- Add a setting to remove the time loop
- Option to disable the timer
- Longer game duration
- Richer story content
- More variety in game environments (less industrial)


### SHIFT Word Puzzle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shift-word-puzzle/id6770381088)

A daily word puzzle game where you transform one word into another by changing one letter at a time, with a limit of six moves per puzzle. Compete on leaderboards and share results discreetly. Unlock more puzzles and features with an optional subscription.

**Highlights:** Daily word puzzle, One-letter changes, Six moves limit, Daily leaderboard, Shareable results, Puzzle Vault, Private leagues

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SHIFT+ | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Recursion free?

Recursion costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is SHIFT Word Puzzle free?

SHIFT Word Puzzle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Recursion or SHIFT Word Puzzle have ads?

Neither Recursion nor SHIFT Word Puzzle shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Recursion or SHIFT Word Puzzle?

Recursion ships an update every 2 weeks, and SHIFT Word Puzzle every 2 days. Most recently, Recursion was updated on October 14, 2026 and SHIFT Word Puzzle on October 7, 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.*