# Merriam vs Merriam

The clearest difference is price: Merriam at Free against Merriam's $9.99. Merriam also leads on ratings volume (332K vs 22K). Merriam's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Merriam is free to download; Merriam costs $9.99 up front. Merriam sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.79 per month. Merriam asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Merriam against 4.8 for Merriam. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Merriam has 332K ratings behind it against 22K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of Merriam's written reviews are positive against 82% of Merriam's.

Merriam ships an update every 3 months, Merriam every 5 months. Both last shipped on November 13, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Merriam | Merriam |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $9.99 |
| Rating | [4.8 (332K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merriam-webster-dictionary/id399452287/reviews) | **[4.8 (22K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merriam-webster-dictionary-plus/id478126577/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **332K** | 22K |
| Positive reviews | **83.2% of reviews** | 82.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | #48 | **#8** |
| Size | 255 MB | 238 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Merriam-Webster, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/399452290) | [Merriam-Webster, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/399452290) |

## What reviewers say

### Merriam

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

**Currently charting:** #48 Top Free · Reference, #86 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


### Merriam

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merriam-webster-dictionary-plus/id478126577)

**Currently charting:** #8 Top Paid · Reference, #192 Top Paid (US App Store)

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:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Merriam free?

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

### Is Merriam free?

Merriam costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

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

Merriam is rated higher. Merriam averages 4.8 out of 5 from 332K ratings, while Merriam averages 4.8 from 22K ratings.

### Do Merriam or Merriam have ads?

Merriam shows ads; Merriam does not.

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

Merriam ships an update every 3 months, and Merriam every 5 months. Most recently, Merriam was updated on November 13, 2026 and Merriam on November 13, 2026.

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

Merriam currently peaks at #48 in the App Store charts, and Merriam at #8. 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.*