# Merriam vs Pocket Thesaurus

The clearest difference is rating: Merriam at 4.8 against Pocket Thesaurus's 4.4. Merriam also leads on ratings volume (331K vs 585) and review sentiment (83% vs 62%). Pocket Thesaurus's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Merriam sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.79 per month and Pocket Thesaurus sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Merriam holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Merriam has 331K ratings behind it against 585, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Merriam's written reviews are positive against 62% of Pocket Thesaurus's.

Merriam ships an update every 3 months, Pocket Thesaurus fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Merriam | Pocket Thesaurus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (331K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merriam-webster-dictionary/id399452287/reviews)** | [4.4 (585 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-thesaurus/id1197301889/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **331K** | 585 |
| Positive reviews | **83.2% of reviews** | 62.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#50** | — |
| Size | 255 MB | 108 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Merriam-Webster, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/399452290) | [CONEM LABS INFOSYSTEMS LLP](https://appshunter.io/developer/1197301888) |

## What reviewers say

### Merriam

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

**Currently charting:** #50 Top Free · Reference, #88 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


### Pocket Thesaurus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-thesaurus/id1197301889)

Expand your vocabulary and master the English language with this offline thesaurus. Quickly find synonyms and antonyms, explore word definitions, and enhance your writing and communication skills. Features include daily word challenges and advanced search options.

**Highlights:** Extensive offline access to 90,000+ words, Fast and efficient synonym/antonym search, Word of the Day/Week from GRE list, Advanced search with wildcards, Bookmark and search history, AI-powered word insights, Compact size, no full-screen ads

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pocket Thesaurus Premium | $0.99 | per month |
| Pocket Thesaurus Premium | $4.99 | per 6 months |
| Pocket Thesaurus Premium | $8.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Useful resource
- 🔍 Helpful for writing and crosswords
- 💻 Works offline
- 📚 Extensive synonym and antonym database
- 🧠 Improves writing and vocabulary

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤮 Inappropriate ads
- 🔍 Search function issues
- 🔀 Reverts to previous searches
- 📵 Can't remove ads
- 🐞 Bugs and glitches

**Reported bugs**

- Search does not work
- App freezes or crashes
- Typing issues with keyboard
- Inconsistent or incorrect search results

**Requested features**

- Add pronunciation feature
- Improve search functionality
- Provide option to remove ads
- Expand word database with more complex vocabulary
- Enhance user interface and design


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Merriam free?

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

### Is Pocket Thesaurus free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Merriam or Pocket Thesaurus?

Merriam is rated higher. Merriam averages 4.8 out of 5 from 331K ratings, while Pocket Thesaurus averages 4.4 from 585 ratings.

### Do Merriam or Pocket Thesaurus have ads?

Both Merriam and Pocket Thesaurus show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Merriam or Pocket Thesaurus?

Merriam ships an update every 3 months, and Pocket Thesaurus fortnightly. Most recently, Merriam was updated on November 7, 2026 and Pocket Thesaurus on November 6, 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.*