# Merriam vs Interactive Thesaurus

The clearest difference is price: Interactive Thesaurus at $2.99 against Merriam's $9.99. Interactive Thesaurus also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Merriam's advantage is ratings volume (22K vs 759) and review sentiment (82% vs 71%). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Merriam costs $9.99 and Interactive Thesaurus $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Merriam against 4.8 for Interactive Thesaurus. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Merriam has 22K ratings behind it against 759, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of Merriam's written reviews are positive against 71% of Interactive Thesaurus's.

Merriam ships an update every 5 months, Interactive Thesaurus every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Merriam | Interactive Thesaurus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **$2.99** |
| Rating | [4.8 (22K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merriam-webster-dictionary-plus/id478126577/reviews) | [4.8 (759 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/interactive-thesaurus/id1448580560/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **22K** | 759 |
| Positive reviews | **82.0% of reviews** | 71.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#14** | #54 |
| Size | 238 MB | 96 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Merriam-Webster, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/399452290) | [Alexey Tataurov](https://appshunter.io/developer/463319538) |

## What reviewers say

### Merriam

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

**Currently charting:** #14 Top Paid · Reference (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


### Interactive Thesaurus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/interactive-thesaurus/id1448580560)

**Currently charting:** #54 Top Paid · Reference (US App Store)

Explore word meanings and relationships with this smart English thesaurus. It helps you find suitable words, expand your vocabulary, and improve grammar through an intuitive interface with semantic relations and color-coded parts of speech. Offline access and sharing options are included.

**Highlights:** 200,000+ English words and definitions, Visual semantic relations between words, Color coding for parts of speech, Word suggestions, Editable bookmarks, Offline access

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 💡 Innovative visual approach
- ❤️ Helpful writing tool
- 👍 Useful for writing and expanding vocabulary

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and performance issues
- 🤔 Overlapping words and cluttered display
- 🤔 Limited word associations and definitions
- 🤔 Rotation and movement issues

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when typing
- Tapping on words doesn't always work as expected
- Inconsistent behavior across devices

**Requested features**

- Allow users to add words
- Ability to isolate and expand individual word nodes
- Option to turn off animation/rotation
- Incorporate audio/sound features


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Merriam free?

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

### Is Interactive Thesaurus free?

Interactive Thesaurus costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

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

Merriam and Interactive Thesaurus are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 22K and 759 ratings respectively.

### Do Merriam or Interactive Thesaurus have ads?

Neither Merriam nor Interactive Thesaurus shows ads.

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

Merriam ships an update every 5 months, and Interactive Thesaurus every 3 months. Most recently, Merriam was updated on October 19, 2026 and Interactive Thesaurus on October 16, 2026.

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

Merriam currently peaks at #14 in the App Store charts, and Interactive Thesaurus at #54. 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.*