# Wikipedia vs Merriam

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Wikipedia at none against Merriam's 4. Wikipedia also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). Merriam's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (83% vs 55%). On price and chart position there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Merriam sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.79 per month. Wikipedia asks for nothing beyond the download.

Merriam holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Merriam has 331K ratings behind it against 6.4K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of Wikipedia's written reviews are positive against 83% of Merriam's.

Wikipedia ships an update fortnightly, Merriam every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Wikipedia | Merriam |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (6.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wikipedia/id324715238/reviews) | **[4.8 (331K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merriam-webster-dictionary/id399452287/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 6.4K | **331K** |
| Positive reviews | 55.2% of reviews | **83.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#24** | #52 |
| Size | 270 MB | 255 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Wikimedia Foundation](https://appshunter.io/developer/324715241) | [Merriam-Webster, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/399452290) |

## What reviewers say

### Wikipedia

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wikipedia/id324715238)

**Currently charting:** #24 Top Free · Reference (US App Store)

Access the world's largest free knowledge base with over 60 million articles in nearly 300 languages. Explore trending topics, save articles for offline reading, and customize your reading experience with various themes and text sizes. Contribute to the community by editing articles and participating in discussions.

**Highlights:** Ad-free and free knowledge access, 60+ million articles in 300+ languages, Personalized trending news feed, Offline article saving, Customizable reading themes and text size, Map-based location discovery, Article discussion and contribution tools

**Features:** iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Vast information repository
- 👍 Customizable reading experience
- 🚀 Convenient offline access
- 👍 Reliable and trustworthy content
- 👍 Excellent app design and UI

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and freezes
- 🔋 High data usage and battery drain
- 🔒 Concerns about political bias and censorship
- 🔒 Unreliable editing process and information accuracy

**Reported bugs**

- Unresponsive save button
- Duplicate saved articles issue
- Broken search functionality
- Landscape mode rendering problems
- Syncing issues with offline content

**Requested features**

- Add tabs for multi-article browsing
- Implement a forward navigation button
- Improve saved articles management
- Integrate text-to-speech functionality
- Provide more granular content filtering options


### Merriam

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merriam-webster-dictionary/id399452287)

**Currently charting:** #52 Top Free · Reference, #79 Top Grossing · Reference (US App Store)

Access America's most respected dictionary, updated with new words and meanings. This app offers offline access, voice search, daily vocabulary challenges, and a thesaurus. It's designed for English language reference, education, and vocabulary enhancement.

**Highlights:** Offline dictionary access, Voice search for words, Daily Word of the Day, Vocabulary word games, Integrated thesaurus, Audio pronunciations

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $1.79 | per month |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | per year |
| All References + Remove Ads | $5.99 | per year |
| Premium Annual | $9.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Comprehensive definitions
- 👍 Helpful thesaurus
- 🚀 Offline access
- 👍 Word of the day feature

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Ads can be intrusive
- 🐛 Difficulty closing ads
- 🐛 Repetitive game questions
- 🐛 Missing words in dictionary
- 🐛 Unreasonable level progression in games

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when searching for certain words
- Widget does not update daily word
- Scribble feature is buggy
- Inconsistent ad behavior

**Requested features**

- Add spelling correction suggestions
- Improve word game timer and scoring
- Expand etymology information
- Add more languages beyond English
- Improve widget functionality


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Wikipedia free?

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

### Is Merriam free?

Merriam is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Wikipedia or Merriam?

Merriam is rated higher. Wikipedia averages 4.3 out of 5 from 6.4K ratings, while Merriam averages 4.8 from 331K ratings.

### Do Wikipedia or Merriam have ads?

Merriam shows ads; Wikipedia does not.

### Which is updated more often, Wikipedia or Merriam?

Wikipedia ships an update fortnightly, and Merriam every 3 months. Most recently, Wikipedia was updated on October 30, 2026 and Merriam on October 30, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Wikipedia or Merriam?

Wikipedia currently peaks at #24 in the App Store charts, and Merriam at #52. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*