# Merriam vs Power Thesaurus

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Merriam at 331K against Power Thesaurus's 3.1K. Merriam also leads on chart position (#48 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.

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.

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 331K ratings behind it against 3.1K, 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.

Merriam ships an update every 3 months, Power Thesaurus monthly. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Merriam | Power Thesaurus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (331K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merriam-webster-dictionary/id399452287/reviews)** | [4.8 (3.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/power-thesaurus/id967211375/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **331K** | 3.1K |
| Positive reviews | 83.2% of reviews | **85.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#48** | — |
| Size | 255 MB | 70 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Merriam-Webster, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/399452290) | [Radyushin Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/967209274) |

## What reviewers say

### Merriam

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

**Currently charting:** #48 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


### Power Thesaurus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/power-thesaurus/id967211375)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PRO Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| PRO Annual | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


## Frequently asked 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 is rated higher. Merriam averages 4.8 out of 5 from 331K ratings, while Power Thesaurus averages 4.8 from 3.1K ratings.

### 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 October 29, 2026 and Power Thesaurus on October 29, 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.*