Comparison

Crosswords Classic vs Crosswords Plus .

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

Head to head
About

Crosswords Classic

Play daily crossword puzzles from various newspapers directly on your device. Download new puzzles, get hints, track your progress, and even sync with a Mac version. Offers a vast library of puzzles and competitive features.

Highlights
  • Daily puzzle downloads
  • Hints and clue lookups
  • Solve time tracking
  • Mac sync functionality
  • Extensive puzzle sources
  • US and UK cryptic puzzles
  • Ink or pencil entry modes
Features
Read full description

"… the definitive source for puzzles for iOS…" -- the New York Times Download and play crossword puzzles right on your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. Each day many newspapers provide their crossword puzzles online; with one tap you can download and solve them, get hints, view clues, and track how quickly you're improving! The #1 Crossword Player on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch just got even better! • New: Sync your puzzles with Crosswords for Mac; Start a puzzle on your Mac, then finish it on your iPhone or iPad. • Get new puzzles every day • Touch and hold a square to view hints on iPad • Enter Numbers and other special characters by holding down keys • One tap downloads all of today's puzzles • Nearly unlimited puzzles from many different sites • US and UK Cryptic puzzles available • Hints, Websites, and Clue lookups • Enter answers in 'ink' or 'pencil' • Quickly see your recently played, or sort by date or provider • Detailed info on each puzzle • Post your solve times online and compare with other solvers • Grab older puzzles with a tap • Tap the clue list with two fingers to adjust the font size (iPad only) Included Puzzle Sources: • Brendan Emmett Quigley's Weekly Puzzle • Jonesin' • King Features Crosswords (Joseph, Sheffer, and Premier) • Newsday • Andy Kravis, Cruciverbist at Law • Glutton for Pun • MacNamara’s Band • Murchie’s Monday Fills • Neville Fogarty • Puzzle Express • The Stickler Weekly • World of Crosswords Premium Crosswords subscription required: • Matt Gaffney’s Crossword Contest • American Values Crossword • Crooked Crosswords • Additional puzzles downloadable via the Puzzle Browser; browse the web and download more! Providers list subject to change. Some providers may no longer be publishing, but may still have older puzzles available in Archive form, accessible via the "Download Older Puzzles" option. • For support, please visit our website at http://www.standalone.com • Tips: • You can tap on the clue text at the bottom of the screen to toggle across & down • Rotate the screen to see both the puzzle and clues • Touch for a moment then drag to precisely select a square. • Touch the Plus to download older puzzles Please note that Crosswords requires an internet connection to download puzzles. Syncing puzzles to your Mac requires the purchase of Crosswords from the Mac App Store. Multiplayer requires iOS 6.0 or later. Privacy Policy: https://www.standalone.com/legal/ EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Crosswords Plus .

This app offers a unique twist on classic crosswords, with clues directly within the puzzle grid for easy viewing on tablets. It features 1200 puzzles across four difficulty levels, customizable interfaces, and optional sound effects for an immersive experience.

Highlights
  • Arrow word puzzle format
  • 1200 puzzles
  • 4 difficulty levels
  • 3 interface options
  • Optional sound effects
  • British puzzle editors
Features
Read full description

Arrow Words is a classic crossword app with a useful twist. In arrow words puzzles, the clues are shown right in the puzzle grid, making them easy to view and play on the iPad screen. This lovingly produced app includes 1200 all-new Arrow Words puzzles in 4 levels. Easier levels use simpler words and a smaller grid, perfect for a short break. Harder levels have tougher clues and larger puzzle grids for hours of challenging fun. Also, careful editing and a huge pool of words ensure that clues don’t repeat too often. The sound and graphics are also designed for true crossword aficionados. Choose from three visual interfaces that recreate the atmosphere of the crossword in the Sunday paper. If you miss using your favorite pen to solve puzzels, you’ll love the optional sounds of a moving pen as you fill in the squares, custom recorded for each letter! PLEASE NOTE: our puzzles are created by British puzzle editors especially with players from Commonwealth countries in mind. Of course, North American players are welcome to join the fun. Features: • Once you’ve solved an Arrow Words puzzle on the iPad, you’ll never go back to paper! • 1200 puzzles, 4 difficulty levels and grid sizes • 3 interface options: Classic, News, Colour • Optional sound effects and background music • iPod function support

Screenshots

Crosswords Classic2 screens
Crosswords Plus .4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Crosswords Plus . at 4.8 against Crosswords Classic's 3.4. Crosswords Plus . also leads on price ($4.99 vs $9.99) and review sentiment (83% vs 69%). Crosswords Classic's advantage is chart position (#17 vs unranked) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 7 months). On ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Crosswords Classic costs $9.99 and Crosswords Plus . $4.99 up front. Crosswords Classic sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Crosswords Plus . sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Crosswords Plus . holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 73 and 59 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Crosswords Classic's written reviews are positive against 83% of Crosswords Plus .'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Crosswords Classic ships an update every 3 months, Crosswords Plus . every 7 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Crosswords Classic versus Crosswords Plus .: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCrosswords ClassicCrosswords Plus .
Price$9.99$4.99 — better
Rating3.4 (73 ratings)4.8 (59 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.7% of reviews82.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings73 — better59
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#17 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB94 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStand Alone, Inc.the binary family

Customer experience

Crosswords Classic

All ratings73 ratings
Positive52.1%
Neutral16.4%
Negative31.5%
Written reviews310 reviews
Positive68.7%
Neutral7.4%
Negative23.9%

Crosswords Plus .

All ratings59 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral3.4%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews163 reviews
Positive82.8%
Neutral9.2%
Negative8.0%

User reviews

Crosswords Classic

From 73 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and responsive app
  • 👍 Excellent user interface
  • 💡 Wide variety of crossword puzzles
  • 🚀 Seamless puzzle downloading
  • 👍 Customizable settings

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 🔍 Limited Australian/UK content
  • 🔍 Difficulty selecting specific squares
  • 🔍 Keyboard interferes with puzzle view
  • 🔍 Inconsistent formatting and layout

Crosswords Plus .

From 59 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Enjoyable and challenging puzzles
  • 🤓 Helps improve vocabulary and knowledge
  • 💡 Variety of difficulty levels
  • 🎨 Clean and intuitive interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional spelling/definition errors
  • 🌍 Some British-centric references/terminology
  • 🔍 Difficulty navigating larger puzzles on smaller screens
  • 🔁 Repeated clues/puzzles

Bugs and requests

Crosswords Classic

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Puzzles disappearing after updates
  • Inability to download new puzzles
  • Incorrect letter highlighting issues
  • Keyboard and toolbar overlap problems

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more Australian and UK crossword sources
  • Improve keyboard handling and layout
  • Implement a night mode or dark theme
  • Allow deleting/hiding completed puzzles
  • Provide better syncing between devices

Crosswords Plus .

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Puzzle completion not always recognized properly
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to resize puzzles to fit screen better
  • Option to mark errors/incomplete squares
  • More frequent puzzle updates
  • Scoring/progress tracking system

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Crosswords Classic

One-time10
  • MacNamara's Band Vol. 1$1.99
  • Ben Tausig's Editorial Favorites, Vol, 1$1.99
  • Dell Magazine #1$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Ridonkulous Crosswords$1.99
  • Jonesin' Crosswords$2.99
  • Brendan Emmett Quigley's Favorites Volume 1$2.99
  • Matt Gaffney's Music Crosswords$2.99
  • Jonesin' Crosswords #2$2.99
  • Brendan Emmett Quigley's Favorites Volume 2$2.99
  • You Can't Do That in a Crossword$2.99
5 purchases

Crosswords Plus .

One-time5
  • 300 Puzzles4 variants$1.99
  • 300 Puzzles (easy)$1.99
  • 300 Puzzles (normal)$1.99
Show 2 more
  • 300 Puzzles (difficult)$1.99
  • 300 Puzzles (very difficult)$1.99

Questions

Is Crosswords Classic free?
Crosswords Classic costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Crosswords Plus . free?
Crosswords Plus . costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Crosswords Classic or Crosswords Plus .?
Crosswords Plus . is rated higher. Crosswords Classic averages 3.4 out of 5 from 73 ratings, while Crosswords Plus . averages 4.8 from 59 ratings.
Do Crosswords Classic or Crosswords Plus . have ads?
Neither Crosswords Classic nor Crosswords Plus . shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Crosswords Classic or Crosswords Plus .?
Crosswords Classic ships an update every 3 months, and Crosswords Plus . every 7 months. Most recently, Crosswords Classic was updated on November 6, 2026 and Crosswords Plus . on November 6, 2026.

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