# Merriam vs Deep Dictionary

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Deep Dictionary at none against Merriam's 4. Deep Dictionary also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 months). Merriam's advantage is ratings volume (328K vs 51) and chart position (#34 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Merriam against 4.7 for Deep Dictionary. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Merriam has 328K ratings behind it against 51, 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 78% of Deep Dictionary's.

Merriam ships an update every 3 months, Deep Dictionary every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Merriam | Deep Dictionary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (328K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merriam-webster-dictionary/id399452287/reviews)** | [4.7 (51 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/deep-dictionary/id6451319239/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **328K** | 51 |
| Positive reviews | **83.2% of reviews** | 77.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Best chart rank | **#34** | — |
| Size | 255 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Merriam-Webster, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/399452290) | [DEEPCO](https://appshunter.io/developer/1697523614) |

## What reviewers say

### Merriam

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

**Currently charting:** #34 Top Free · Reference, #78 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


### Deep Dictionary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/deep-dictionary/id6451319239)

Access definitions from various sources like Wikipedia and Urban Dictionary, with multilingual support and pronunciation guides. Enhance your vocabulary with synonyms, related words, and real-life usage examples.

**Highlights:** Multilingual definitions, Urban Dictionary slang integration, Wikipedia content access, Pronunciation guides and usage examples, Comprehensive thesaurus, Images and contextual phrases

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Merriam free?

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

### Is Deep Dictionary free?

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

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

Merriam is rated higher. Merriam averages 4.8 out of 5 from 328K ratings, while Deep Dictionary averages 4.7 from 51 ratings.

### Do Merriam or Deep Dictionary have ads?

Both Merriam and Deep Dictionary show ads.

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

Merriam ships an update every 3 months, and Deep Dictionary every 5 days. Most recently, Merriam was updated on September 30, 2026 and Deep Dictionary on September 27, 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.*