# Merriam vs Urban Dictionary

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Merriam at 83% against Urban Dictionary's 39%. Merriam also leads on ratings volume (331K vs 3.5K) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). Urban Dictionary's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Merriam sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.79 per month. Urban Dictionary asks for nothing beyond the download.

Merriam holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Merriam has 331K ratings behind it against 3.5K, 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 39% of Urban Dictionary's.

Merriam ships an update every 3 months, Urban Dictionary every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Merriam | Urban Dictionary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (331K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merriam-webster-dictionary/id399452287/reviews)** | [4.5 (3.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/urban-dictionary/id584986228/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **331K** | 3.5K |
| Positive reviews | **83.2% of reviews** | 39.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#52** | — |
| Size | 255 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Merriam-Webster, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/399452290) | [Urban Dictionary](https://appshunter.io/developer/584986251) |

## What reviewers say

### Merriam

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

**Currently charting:** #52 Top Free · Reference, #82 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


### Urban Dictionary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/urban-dictionary/id584986228)

Access a vast collection of user-submitted definitions for slang and non-slang words. Search, vote on definitions, and discover new words with daily updates. Share interesting terms easily with friends.

**Highlights:** Unlimited free searches, Slang and non-slang definitions, Vote on definitions, Share definitions, Today's Urban Word of the Day, Autocomplete suggestions

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🤩 Entertaining and informative
- 👍 Useful for understanding slang and new terminology
- 🤓 Provides creative and humorous definitions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes or stops working
- 🙄 Politically biased content
- 🤢 Inappropriate or vulgar content
- 🤔 Outdated or no longer supported

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on newer iOS versions
- Search bar issues on certain devices
- Notification feature not working

**Requested features**

- Add ability to submit own definitions
- Implement dark mode option
- Categorize content for better browsing
- Add push notifications for word of the day


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Merriam free?

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

### Is Urban Dictionary free?

Urban Dictionary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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

Merriam is rated higher. Merriam averages 4.8 out of 5 from 331K ratings, while Urban Dictionary averages 4.5 from 3.5K ratings.

### Do Merriam or Urban Dictionary have ads?

Merriam shows ads; Urban Dictionary does not.

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

Merriam ships an update every 3 months, and Urban Dictionary every 2 months. Most recently, Merriam was updated on October 31, 2026 and Urban Dictionary on October 23, 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.*