Comparison

Crossword Light vs Crossword+

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

Head to head
About

Crossword Light

Solve daily crossword puzzles from various newspapers on your mobile device. Get hints, view clues, and track your progress. This light version includes 40 puzzles, with more available in the full version.

Highlights
  • Daily crossword puzzles
  • Hints available
  • View clues
  • Track improvement
  • Leaderboard
  • Social media integration
Features
Read full description

Play crossword puzzles right on your iPhone or iPod touch. Each day many newspapers provide their crossword puzzles online; Crossword Light lets you solve a selection of what's out there; get hints, view clues, and track how quickly you're improving! This is a light version of our Crosswords game. Try it out with 40 brand new puzzles included. If you like it, please try the full version! • More than a months' worth of puzzles to play • Nearly unlimited puzzles from many different sites in the full version • Hints available • Leaderboard • Twitter and Facebook integration

About

Crossword+

Start your day with two new themed crossword puzzles daily, ranging from classic literature to movie magic. Enjoy a satisfying yet gentle challenge, with helpful hints and auto-check features. Solve puzzles offline and adjust text size for a comfortable, ad-free experience.

Highlights
  • Two new themed puzzles daily
  • Over 3,000 puzzles in archive
  • Helpful hints and AutoCheck
  • Offline play supported
  • Ad-free experience
  • Adjustable text size
Features
Read full description

Start your day with a crossword and a smile! Whether you’re a novice solver or a seasoned veteran, we’ve designed Crossword+ so that players of all abilities can enjoy solving our crosswords! We release new crosswords every day and every single crossword in the app has a unique theme. For example, Monday’s crossword is music related, and Friday’s crossword is movie related. Even if you don’t know anything about the topic, you’ll still be attempt the crossword as the theme words are sprinkled into the crossword among other clues. So look forward to testing and expanding your knowledge of movies, music, food, books and much, much more! Why Crossword+? * Two new themed puzzles every single day (one maxi and one mini) * Over 3,000 puzzles in our ever-growing collection * Helpful hints when you need a little extra help * Catches mistakes as you type with our AutoCheck function * 100% ad-free. Just you and the puzzle * Works offline * Adjustable text size for readability Join over 500,000 solvers who've made Crossword Plus part of their routine. Is Crossword+ good for beginners? Yes! Crossword+ is designed for solvers of all abilities. Start with our daily mini crosswords, make use of instant error checking, and use hints whenever you're stuck. We aim to make our clues challenging enough to be satisfying, but accessible enough to keep you moving forward. How does it compare to other crossword apps? We designed Crossword Plus to be simple, intuitive, and accessible to everyone. While there are many excellent crossword apps available, we focus on delivering a clean, distraction-free solving experience that feels natural. Is every puzzle themed? Yes! Every single crossword in Crossword+ is built around a unique theme. What kinds of themes do you feature? Everything from Trivia Delights and Hollywood Hits to Tasty Treats and beyond! With over 3,000 themed puzzles in our archive, there’s lots to explore and new topics every day. Can I use Crossword+ offline? Yes! Download puzzles and solve them anywhere! On planes, trains, or wherever your internet connection isn't reliable. Do you have free crossword puzzles? We publish a new free 5×5 mini crossword every day. We offer a subscription which gives you access to full-size maxi puzzles and our extensive archive. Does Crossword+ have ads? No. We're ad-free. Is Crossword+ good for seniors? Yes! The app automatically respects your device's text size settings. Additionally, you can zoom in on any puzzle grid for additional magnification. Can crosswords help with vocabulary? Definitely. Regular crossword solving strengthens vocabulary, reinforces spelling, and improves word recall. All while having fun. Is this an American or British crossword? Both! We use vocabulary and spelling that works for solvers on both sides of the Atlantic, making our puzzles accessible to a global audience. Does Crossword Plus include easy and hard crossword puzzles? We focus on a single, balanced difficulty level that appeals to most solvers. You can make puzzles easier or more challenging by toggling hints and assistance features on or off. Can I use Crossword+ for quick puzzles? Perfect for it! Our daily 5×5 mini crossword is designed for a quick mental break which is ideal when you just want a few minutes of crossword fun. Does Crossword+ offer hints or help with clues? Yes! Every clue comes with an optional hint to nudge you in the right direction. Fair warning: using a hint adds 30 seconds to your completion time. LICENSED APPLICATION END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Crossword Light2 screens
Crossword+4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Crossword+ at 4.5 against Crossword Light's 3.0. Crossword+ also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (83% vs 53%). Crossword Light's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.6). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Crossword Light sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Crossword+ sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Crossword+ holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Crossword+ has 11K ratings behind it against 54, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 53% of Crossword Light's written reviews are positive against 83% of Crossword+'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Crossword Light ships an update every 3 months, Crossword+ every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on August 22, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Crossword Light versus Crossword+: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCrossword LightCrossword+
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (54 ratings)4.5 (11K ratings) — better
Positive reviews52.7% of reviews82.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5411K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#129 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB49 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperStand Alone, Inc.PuzzleStar Limited

Customer experience

Crossword Light

All ratings54 ratings
Positive48.1%
Neutral11.1%
Negative40.7%
Written reviews262 reviews
Positive52.7%
Neutral13.7%
Negative33.6%

Crossword+

All ratings11,465 ratings
Positive86.8%
Neutral6.9%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews512 reviews
Positive82.8%
Neutral4.3%
Negative12.9%

Bugs and requests

Crossword Light

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Crossword+

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Freezing or crashing issues for some users
  • Subscription not always working as expected

Requested features

3 requests
  • Search function to find puzzles by topic
  • More difficulty levels to cater to all skill levels
  • Ability to track progress and stats over time

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Crossword Light

One-time10
  • Aaxword's Easy Themeless Puzzles$0.99
  • Aaxword's Easy Micro Puzzles$0.99
  • MacNamara's Band, Vol. 1$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Edited by Ben Tausig, vol. 1$1.99
  • Ink Well Crosswords, Volume 1$1.99
  • Dell Magazines #1$1.99
  • Ridonkulous Crosswords$1.99
  • Jonesin' Crosswords$2.99
  • Brendan Emmett Quigley's Favorites, Vol. 1$2.99
  • Crosswords$9.99
8 purchases

Crossword+

Subscriptions8
  • Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Monthly$7.491 Month
  • Monthly$9.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Yearly1 Year trial$37.991 Year
  • Yearly7 Days trial$37.991 Year
  • Yearly1 Year trial2 variants$39.991 Year
  • Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Crossword Light free?
Crossword Light is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Crossword+ free?
Crossword+ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Crossword Light or Crossword+?
Crossword+ is rated higher. Crossword Light averages 3.0 out of 5 from 54 ratings, while Crossword+ averages 4.5 from 11K ratings.
Do Crossword Light or Crossword+ have ads?
Crossword Light shows ads; Crossword+ does not.
Which is updated more often, Crossword Light or Crossword+?
Crossword Light ships an update every 3 months, and Crossword+ every 10 days. Most recently, Crossword Light was updated on August 22, 2026 and Crossword+ on September 26, 2026.

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