Comparison

Cryptogram vs Acrostic Crossword Puzzles

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

Head to head
About

Cryptogram

Solve encrypted quotes by deciphering letter substitutions. This app offers over 1,900 puzzles with handpicked quotes and helpful features like unlimited hints and quote collection.

Highlights
  • Over 1,900 puzzles
  • Handpicked quotes
  • Unlimited hints
  • Quote Book for collecting
  • Search and share quotes
  • Light and dark mode
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

FEATURE PACKED! • No ads • Over 1,900 puzzles • Handpicked quotes • Optionally show incorrect answers • Optionally include author in puzzle • Unlimited hints • Landscape & portrait • Puzzles include punctuation • Puzzles size to screen, no scrolling • Light and dark mode • Auto advance after guess • Perfect game recognition • Show letter usage counts • Collect quotes with built in Quote Book • Search and share quotes (Messages, email, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) A cryptogram is a quote that has been encrypted using letter substitution where each letter stands uniquely for another letter in the alphabet. Your job is to decode the message in the least amount of time by substituting each letter.

About

Acrostic Crossword Puzzles

Engage your mind with a unique word game that blends crosswords and cryptograms. Solve puzzles to reveal hidden quotes, with letters in the quote directly corresponding to letters in the answers. Enjoy a challenging yet fun brain workout with a vast library of puzzles.

Highlights
  • Hidden quote revelation
  • Crossword and cryptogram blend
  • Automatic grid updating
  • Multi-level undo
  • Error removal
  • Hint system
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Acrostic puzzles are crosswords with a twist: find the hidden quote. This combination of crossword and cryptogram provides an entertaining brain workout. Each letter in the quote is linked to a letter in one of the clue answers. As you fill in more and more answers, more letters will begin to fill the quote grid, until eventually the entire quote is revealed. Once the quote is partially filled in, you can also do this process in reverse – each letter you add to the quote will fill in the corresponding letter in the clue answers. By working back-and-forth, eventually the entire quote and all clue answers will be revealed. The app includes 60 free quality puzzles with no ads, ever. They range from beginner to expert from renowned publishers like Acrostica, Acrostics by Cyn, Lovatts Puzzles, PennyPress Anacrostics, Puzzle Baron and Spanish language puzzles from Tav Ripo. Additional puzzle packs containing 48 to 50 puzzles are available for a small fee; the full library is 7100 puzzles! Advanced play features include automatic grid updating and indexing, see related cells, multi-level undo, remove errors, and hints. A wide range of difficulty levels will challenge beginners and seasoned players alike. If you like word games, crosswords or cryptograms, acrostic puzzles are a fun way to exercise your brain! Quality Software by Egghead Games. Contact us at support@eggheadgames.com or www.eggheadgames.com. We stand by our products and will happily refund your purchase if you’re not completely happy.

Screenshots

Cryptogram4 screens
Acrostic Crossword Puzzles4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cryptogram at none against Acrostic Crossword Puzzles's 12. Cryptogram also leads on review sentiment (91% vs 81%) and price ($4.99 vs $5.99). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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

Cryptogram costs $4.99 and Acrostic Crossword Puzzles $5.99 up front. Acrostic Crossword Puzzles sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Cryptogram asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Cryptogram against 4.8 for Acrostic Crossword Puzzles. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.2K and 1.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Cryptogram's written reviews are positive against 81% of Acrostic Crossword Puzzles's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cryptogram ships an update every 2 months, Acrostic Crossword Puzzles every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 19, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Cryptogram versus Acrostic Crossword Puzzles: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCryptogramAcrostic Crossword Puzzles
Price$4.99 — better$5.99
Rating4.7 (1.2K ratings)4.8 (1.5K ratings) — better
Positive reviews91.1% of reviews — better81.3% of reviews
Number of ratings1.2K1.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#75#54 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB25 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperNorman BashamEgghead Games LLC

Customer experience

Cryptogram

All ratings1,244 ratings
Positive94.5%
Neutral2.3%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews168 reviews
Positive91.1%
Neutral3.6%
Negative5.4%

Acrostic Crossword Puzzles

All ratings1,546 ratings
Positive95.3%
Neutral2.8%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews96 reviews
Positive81.3%
Neutral7.3%
Negative11.5%

Bugs and requests

Cryptogram

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App crashes on launch for some users
  • Sharing features not working as expected

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to mark/cross off used letters
  • Option to turn off timer
  • Harder and longer puzzles
  • Puzzles in other languages

Acrostic Crossword Puzzles

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Cryptogram

No in-app purchases

12 purchases

Acrostic Crossword Puzzles

One-time12
  • Puzzle Baron Volume 9$3.99
  • PennyPress Vol 2$4.99
  • Puzzle Baron Acrostics - v2$4.99
Show 9 more
  • Puzzle Baron Volume 3$4.99
  • Puzzle Baron Volume 4$4.99
  • Puzzle Baron Volume 5$4.99
  • Puzzle Baron Volume 6$4.99
  • Puzzle Baron Volume 7$4.99
  • Puzzle Baron Volume 8$4.99
  • Puzzle Baron Volume 1$4.99
  • Anarostics by PennyPress Vol 1$4.99
  • Acrostica I - 48 puzzles$7.99

Questions

Is Cryptogram free?
Cryptogram costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Acrostic Crossword Puzzles free?
Acrostic Crossword Puzzles costs $5.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Cryptogram or Acrostic Crossword Puzzles?
Acrostic Crossword Puzzles is rated higher. Cryptogram averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Acrostic Crossword Puzzles averages 4.8 from 1.5K ratings.
Do Cryptogram or Acrostic Crossword Puzzles have ads?
Neither Cryptogram nor Acrostic Crossword Puzzles shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cryptogram or Acrostic Crossword Puzzles?
Cryptogram ships an update every 2 months, and Acrostic Crossword Puzzles every 3 weeks. Most recently, Cryptogram was updated on October 19, 2026 and Acrostic Crossword Puzzles on October 19, 2026.
Which is more popular, Cryptogram or Acrostic Crossword Puzzles?
Cryptogram currently peaks at #75 in the App Store charts, and Acrostic Crossword Puzzles at #54. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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