Comparison

Merriam vs Power Thesaurus

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

Head to head
About

Merriam

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
Read full description

Get America's most useful and respected dictionary, optimized for your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Continuously updated with the newest words and meanings, this is the premier iOS app for English language reference, education, and vocabulary building. Key Features: * Offline access: Complete access to definitions and synonyms whether or not you're connected * Voice Search: look up a word without having to spell it * Word of the Day: learn a new word every day * Word Games: fun, fast quizzes to test your vocabulary * Favorite Words and Search History: keep track of the words that are most important to you * Favorite Word Syncing Through iCloud: share your favorites between devices and on the Web * In-app purchase: an ad-free experience + access to Kids, Medical, and Legal dictionaries * For Tablets: browse the entire dictionary with a scrolling index * Apple Watch Extension: see the Word of the Day and find watch-sized definitions with voice search Expert Word Guidance: * Integrated Thesaurus: more than 200,000 word choices with examples of their use * Example Sentences: understand how a word is used in context * Audio Pronunciations: voiced by real English speakers, not text-to-speech robots Terms of Use: https://www.merriam-webster.com/terms-of-use

About

Power Thesaurus

Find accurate synonyms, antonyms, definitions, and related words with this comprehensive and fast thesaurus. Designed for writers, students, and professionals, it offers intuitive navigation and smart filters to help you express ideas clearly and confidently.

Highlights
  • Ad-free PRO Membership
  • Intuitive navigation
  • Smart filters
  • Flexible sorting
  • Quick tools (copy, pronounce, save)
  • Personal library (favorites, history)
  • Cross-device sync
Features
Read full description

Brought to you by PowerThesaurus.org, the trusted and acclaimed online thesaurus. Discover accurate synonyms, antonyms, definitions and related words — expertly reviewed and continuously refined for clarity and context. Enjoy a fast, comprehensive, and user-friendly experience built for writers, students, and professionals. Power Thesaurus helps you express ideas clearly and confidently, wherever you write. Key Features • Ad-free PRO Membership – unlock more content and seamless browsing • Intuitive navigation – a clean, easy-to-use interface • Smart filters – narrow results by part of speech, tags, or type • Flexible sorting – arrange by rating, alphabet, syllables, or length • Quick tools – copy, pronounce, and save words instantly • Personal library – favorites and search history at your fingertips • Cross-device sync – access your account anywhere Loved by millions worldwide, Power Thesaurus makes word discovery effortless. If you enjoy the app, please take a moment to rate and review — your feedback helps us improve. Questions or suggestions? Contact apple@powerthesaurus.org. Write with confidence. Express with precision! Terms and Conditions: https://www.powerthesaurus.org/_terms_conditions Privacy Policy: https://www.powerthesaurus.org/_privacy_statement

Screenshots

Merriam4 screens
Power Thesaurus3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Merriam at 328K against Power Thesaurus's 3K. Merriam also leads on chart position (#35 vs unranked). Power Thesaurus's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price, rating, review sentiment 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

Both are free to download. Merriam sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.79 per month and Power Thesaurus sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Merriam against 4.8 for Power Thesaurus. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Merriam has 328K ratings behind it against 3K, 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 86% of Power Thesaurus's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Merriam ships an update every 3 months, Power Thesaurus monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Merriam versus Power Thesaurus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMerriamPower Thesaurus
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (328K ratings)4.8 (3K ratings)
Positive reviews83.2% of reviews85.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings328K — better3K
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank#35 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size255 MB67 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperMerriam-Webster, Inc.Radyushin Pty Ltd

Customer experience

Merriam

All ratings327,751 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral2.1%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews2,510 reviews
Positive83.2%
Neutral4.8%
Negative12.0%

Power Thesaurus

All ratings3,025 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral1.4%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews384 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral3.6%
Negative10.7%

User reviews

Merriam

From 328K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 👍 Comprehensive definitions
  • 👍 Helpful thesaurus
  • 🚀 Offline access
  • 👍 Word of the day feature

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Ads can be intrusive
  • 🐛 Difficulty closing ads
  • 🐛 Repetitive game questions
  • 🐛 Missing words in dictionary
  • 🐛 Unreasonable level progression in games

Power Thesaurus

From 3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • ⭐ Invaluable tool for everyone
  • 🚀 Must have
  • ⭐ Superior
  • ⭐ Synonyms
  • ⭐ Indispensable

Room to improve

  • 🔌 Could be better
  • 🐛 Crashes
  • 🐛 Crashes the second you tried to open it
  • 🐛 New updates cause crashes
  • 🐛 Crashes and won't open

Bugs and requests

Merriam

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes when searching for certain words
  • Widget does not update daily word
  • Scribble feature is buggy
  • Inconsistent ad behavior

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add spelling correction suggestions
  • Improve word game timer and scoring
  • Expand etymology information
  • Add more languages beyond English
  • Improve widget functionality

Power Thesaurus

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login screen freezes
  • Incompatible with older devices
  • Paid account suddenly gone?
  • App still crashes after update

Requested features

5 requests
  • Separate favorites and new words/vocabulary
  • Flash card review mode with audio
  • Bookmark/favorite feature
  • Dark mode option
  • Advanced analytics dashboard

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Merriam

Subscriptions4
  • Premium Monthly$1.791 Month
  • Remove Ads$2.991 Year
  • All References + Remove Ads7 Days trial$5.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Premium Annual7 Days trial$9.991 Year
2 purchases

Power Thesaurus

Subscriptions2
  • PRO Monthly$3.991 Month
  • PRO Annual$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Merriam free?
Merriam is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Power Thesaurus free?
Power Thesaurus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Merriam or Power Thesaurus?
Merriam and Power Thesaurus are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 328K and 3K ratings respectively.
Do Merriam or Power Thesaurus have ads?
Both Merriam and Power Thesaurus show ads.
Which is updated more often, Merriam or Power Thesaurus?
Merriam ships an update every 3 months, and Power Thesaurus monthly. Most recently, Merriam was updated on September 24, 2026 and Power Thesaurus on September 22, 2026.

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