# Cogs vs Mike's Mini Crossword Puzzle

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Mike's Mini Crossword Puzzle at 100% against Cogs's 55%. Mike's Mini Crossword Puzzle also leads on price (Free vs $4.99) and in-app purchases (none vs 4). Cogs's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (33 vs 4). On device support there is nothing between them.

Mike's Mini Crossword Puzzle is free to download; Cogs costs $4.99 up front. Cogs sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Mike's Mini Crossword Puzzle asks for nothing beyond the download.

Mike's Mini Crossword Puzzle holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cogs has 33 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of Cogs's written reviews are positive against 100% of Mike's Mini Crossword Puzzle's.

Cogs ships an update every 2 months, Mike's Mini Crossword Puzzle every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cogs | Mike's Mini Crossword Puzzle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.6 (33 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cogs/id351841075/reviews) | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mikes-mini-crossword-puzzle/id6757345337/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **33** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 54.6% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 93 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Lazy 8 Studios](https://appshunter.io/developer/343960331) | [Michael Mathieson](https://appshunter.io/developer/1866257522) |

## What reviewers say

### Cogs

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cogs/id351841075)

A remastered 3D puzzle game where you construct intricate machines using sliding tiles. Explore various game modes, from building step-by-step to timed challenges and move-limited puzzles.

**Highlights:** Build complex machines with sliding tiles, 3D puzzle gameplay, Inventor Mode for learning, Time Challenge Mode, Move Challenge Mode, Remastered for modern devices

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cogs Puzzle Pack 2 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Cogs Puzzle Pack 3 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Cogs Puzzle Pack 4 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Cogs Puzzle Pack 5 | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 Beautiful graphics
- 🤔 Challenging puzzles
- 🎨 Lovely steampunk theme

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🔓 Lack of restore purchase option
- 🤏 Not enough free levels
- 🤯 Difficulty spike in paid levels

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashes on some devices
- Levels don't load properly

**Requested features**

- Add a reset option
- Provide more free levels
- Improve restore purchase functionality


### Mike's Mini Crossword Puzzle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mikes-mini-crossword-puzzle/id6757345337)

Engage your mind daily with a new mini crossword puzzle. This app provides a straightforward interface for quick mental challenges, offering past puzzles, streak tracking, and AI assistance for difficult clues. You can also create groups to share the fun with friends and family.

**Highlights:** Daily mini crossword puzzles, Archive of past games, Streak and best time tracking, AI-powered clue assistance, Group creation for friends and family

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cogs free?

Cogs costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Mike's Mini Crossword Puzzle free?

Mike's Mini Crossword Puzzle is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Cogs or Mike's Mini Crossword Puzzle?

Mike's Mini Crossword Puzzle is rated higher. Cogs averages 4.6 out of 5 from 33 ratings, while Mike's Mini Crossword Puzzle averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Cogs or Mike's Mini Crossword Puzzle have ads?

Mike's Mini Crossword Puzzle shows ads; Cogs does not.

### Which is updated more often, Cogs or Mike's Mini Crossword Puzzle?

Cogs ships an update every 2 months, and Mike's Mini Crossword Puzzle every 9 days. Most recently, Cogs was updated on September 25, 2026 and Mike's Mini Crossword Puzzle on September 4, 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.*