Comparison

WolframAlpha Classic vs Merriam

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

Head to head
About

WolframAlpha Classic

Access a vast computational knowledge engine to get instant expert answers and perform complex calculations across thousands of domains. Explore data, solve problems, and gain insights on topics ranging from finance and nutrition to trivia and weather.

Highlights
  • Instant expert knowledge
  • Complex computations
  • Data analysis and reports
  • Unit and measurement calculations
  • Financial insights
  • Nutritional information
  • Trivia and fun facts
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Use the power of Wolfram's computational intelligence to answer your questions. Building on 35+ years of development led by Stephen Wolfram, Wolfram|Alpha is the world's definitive source for instant expert knowledge and computation. Across thousands of domains—with more continually added—Wolfram|Alpha uses its vast collection of algorithms and data to compute answers and generate reports for you. Parts of Wolfram|Alpha are used in Apple's Siri assistant; this app gives you access to the full power of the Wolfram|Alpha computational knowledge engine. Use Wolfram|Alpha to compute the following and much more: • Identify a plane: "Flights overhead" • Find out weather: "Weather last New Year's" • Get information on movies: "Movies with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock" • Get financial insight: "APPL vs. MSFT" • Calculate units and measurements: "Seconds in a nanocentury" • Get trivia answers: "Number of tennis balls that can fit in a Boeing 747" • Find nutritional information: "Whopper vs. Big Mac" • Get fitness information: "Running calculator" • Have fun: "Tell me a joke" Subscription Details: Become a Wolfram|Alpha Pro member to unlock additional features. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscription fees are $9.99 per month or up to $59.99 per year depending on your plan. You can manage your Wolfram|Alpha Pro subscription by visiting the iTunes Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a Wolfram|Alpha Pro subscription. Privacy policy: https://www.wolfram.com/legal/privacy/wolfram Terms of use: https://products.wolframalpha.com/iphone/app-internal/termsofuse.html

About

Merriam

Access America's leading dictionary with over 15,000 extra entries for people and places. Enjoy offline access, voice search, and daily vocabulary builders. This app offers expert word guidance with a thesaurus and example sentences.

Highlights
  • Ad-free experience
  • 15,000+ premium entries
  • Offline dictionary access
  • Voice search functionality
  • Daily Word of the Day
  • Vocabulary-building word games
  • Integrated thesaurus
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Get America's most useful and respected dictionary, optimized for your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Continuously updated with the newest words and meanings, this is the premier iOS app for English language reference, education, and vocabulary building. Key Features: * No ads! * Premium Content: Over 15,000 additional entries covering people and places * Offline access: Complete access to definitions and synonyms whether or not you're connected * Voice Search: look up a word without having to spell it * Word of the Day: learn a new word every day * Word Games: fun, fast quizzes to test your vocabulary * Favorite Words and Search History: keep track of the words that are most important to you * Favorite Word Syncing Through iCloud: share your favorites between devices and on the Web * For Tablets: browse the entire dictionary with a scrolling index * Apple Watch Extension: see the Word of the Day and find watch-sized definitions with voice search Expert Word Guidance: * Integrated Thesaurus: more than 200,000 word choices with examples of their use * Example Sentences: understand how a word is used in context * Audio Pronunciations: voiced by real English speakers, not text-to-speech robots Terms of Use: https://www.merriam-webster.com/terms-of-use

Screenshots

WolframAlpha Classic4 screens
Merriam4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Merriam at 4.8 against WolframAlpha Classic's 4.1. Merriam also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 7) and ratings volume (22K vs 1.3K). WolframAlpha Classic's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $9.99) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). On ads and monetization model 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

WolframAlpha Classic costs $2.99 and Merriam $9.99 up front. WolframAlpha Classic sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Merriam asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Merriam holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Merriam has 22K ratings behind it against 1.3K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of WolframAlpha Classic's written reviews are positive against 82% of Merriam's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WolframAlpha Classic ships an update every 2 months, Merriam every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
WolframAlpha Classic versus Merriam: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWolframAlpha ClassicMerriam
Price$2.99 — better$9.99
Rating4.1 (1.3K ratings)4.8 (22K ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews82.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.3K22K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank#164#12 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB238 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperWolfram Group LLCMerriam-Webster, Inc.

Customer experience

WolframAlpha Classic

All ratings1,255 ratings
Positive77.4%
Neutral3.4%
Negative19.2%
Written reviews456 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral6.1%
Negative27.2%

Merriam

All ratings22,135 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews516 reviews
Positive82.0%
Neutral6.2%
Negative11.8%

User reviews

WolframAlpha Classic

From 1.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Essential app for everyone
  • 👍 Excellent for math and science
  • 👍 Sophisticated yet easy to use
  • 👍 Incredibly informative and interesting
  • 👍 Fantastic for learning and problem-solving

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 🔋 Requires internet connection
  • 👎 Subscription model and loss of features
  • 👎 USA-centric data, limited for non-US users

Merriam

From 22K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Clear and intuitive layout
  • 🚀 Convenient offline access
  • 🔍 Comprehensive word definitions
  • 🔠 Helpful thesaurus and word games
  • 🔊 Useful audio pronunciations

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app freezes and crashes
  • ⚠️ Missing words and incomplete definitions
  • 🔍 Lack of spell-check and word suggestions
  • 🔍 Limited search functionality
  • 🔀 Difficulty navigating back to previous words

Bugs and requests

WolframAlpha Classic

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes on startup
  • Interactive features not working
  • Roller lists for selecting methods not functioning

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add dark mode option
  • Improve offline functionality
  • Expand global data coverage
  • Enhance natural language processing

Merriam

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App freezes and crashes on launch
  • Audio pronunciations not working in some cases
  • Inconsistent performance across iOS versions
  • Syncing issues between devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved search with spell-check and suggestions
  • Ability to mark and review words
  • Integration with system search and Siri
  • Support for landscape mode and dark mode
  • Expanded word coverage and more detailed definitions

In-app purchases

7 purchases

WolframAlpha Classic

Subscriptions6
  • Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Pro for Students Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Pro for Educators Monthly$9.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Pro Yearly$59.991 Year
  • Pro for Students Yearly$59.991 Year
  • Pro for Educators Yearly$59.991 Year
One-time1
  • extension (Image as Input)$0.99
None

Merriam

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is WolframAlpha Classic free?
WolframAlpha Classic costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Merriam free?
Merriam costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, WolframAlpha Classic or Merriam?
Merriam is rated higher. WolframAlpha Classic averages 4.1 out of 5 from 1.3K ratings, while Merriam averages 4.8 from 22K ratings.
Do WolframAlpha Classic or Merriam have ads?
Neither WolframAlpha Classic nor Merriam shows ads.
Which is updated more often, WolframAlpha Classic or Merriam?
WolframAlpha Classic ships an update every 2 months, and Merriam every 5 months. Most recently, WolframAlpha Classic was updated on October 20, 2026 and Merriam on October 19, 2026.
Which is more popular, WolframAlpha Classic or Merriam?
WolframAlpha Classic currently peaks at #164 in the App Store charts, and Merriam at #12. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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