Comparison

Merriam vs Webster's Writer's Dictionary

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 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
Currently charting
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: * No ads! * Premium Content: Over 15,000 additional entries covering people and places * 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 * 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

Webster's Writer's Dictionary

This app offers a unique dictionary experience for both readers and writers. It provides concise definitions for specialized words and also explores the nuances of common words with delightful and imaginative prose. Discover new connections and spark your creativity through classic examples and a serendipitous browsing experience.

Highlights
  • Concise definitions for specialized words
  • In-depth exploration of common words
  • Imaginative and delightful prose
  • Classic examples of usage
  • Serendipitous word discovery
  • Fast search and browsing
Currently charting
Read full description

Sure, it's "just" a dictionary app... As a reader, you can use it like you would normally use a dictionary, to look up specialized or unusual words, and you'll get what you expect: a concise definition to get you back to reading. But... here's the great part. As a writer, you can also use it to look up words you already know. Or think you do! And you should, because this is Mr. Webster's actual and original dictionary. The real deal. The magic is in the definitions for commonplace words. Just take a look at the screenshots! This is good stuff. It will delight and amuse. It may even kindle your imagination. The author's personality shines through in colorful prose that's packed with classic examples of usage. And! Remember paging through a big hardcover dictionary looking for a word only to get sidetracked exploring other words you'd stumble across? Oh-hoh! If I may bend your ear a moment longer... The usual way to do search is to show only results that match what has been typed so far. And normally that's perfect: don't show you anything you don't need to see, right? But if I did it that way, how can you get sidetracked? So I went a different direction. All of the words are in a giant list. You can scroll it or jump to a letter. And as you search, it scrolls to the first match. It's fast and you can find what you want quickly, but it still leaves room for serendipity. Get it and get writing!

Screenshots

Merriam4 screens
Webster's Writer's Dictionary3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Webster's Writer's Dictionary at $1.99 against Merriam's $9.99. Webster's Writer's Dictionary also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Merriam's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and update cadence (every 5 months vs every 30 months). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

Merriam costs $9.99 and Webster's Writer's Dictionary $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Merriam holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Merriam has 22K ratings behind it against 85, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 82% and 81% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Merriam ships an update every 5 months, Webster's Writer's Dictionary every 30 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Merriam versus Webster's Writer's Dictionary: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMerriamWebster's Writer's Dictionary
Price$9.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.8 (22K ratings) — better4.4 (85 ratings)
Positive reviews82.0% of reviews — better81.4% of reviews
Number of ratings22K — better85
Update frequencyEvery 5 months — betterEvery 30 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreemium — betterPaid
Best chart rank#10 — better#119
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size238 MB44 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperMerriam-Webster, Inc.Parks Digital LLC

Customer experience

Merriam

All ratings22,135 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews517 reviews
Positive82.0%
Neutral6.2%
Negative11.8%

Webster's Writer's Dictionary

All ratings82 ratings
Positive84.1%
Neutral2.4%
Negative13.4%
Written reviews43 reviews
Positive81.4%
Neutral2.3%
Negative16.3%

User reviews

Merriam

From 22K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Clear and intuitive layout
  • 🚀 Convenient offline access
  • 🔍 Comprehensive word definitions
  • 🔠 Helpful thesaurus and word games
  • 🔊 Useful audio pronunciations

Room to improve

  • 🐛 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

Webster's Writer's Dictionary

From 85 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Eloquent and poetic definitions
  • 📚 Rich etymological records
  • 📖 Traditional and non-woke content
  • 💎 Treasure trove of words
  • 📱 Simple, performant, polished app

Room to improve

  • ❓ Codes in etymology unclear
  • 🚫 Lacks fundamental words (e.g., 'polis')
  • 📉 Word of the day is rudimentary
  • 🤷 Many words not found
  • ❌ Devoid of word usage or grammar tips

Bugs and requests

Merriam

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App freezes and crashes on launch
  • Audio pronunciations not working in some cases
  • Inconsistent performance across iOS versions
  • Syncing issues between devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

Webster's Writer's Dictionary

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Graphical glitches
  • Headings go over page edge on smaller screens
  • Widget cuts off definitions

Requested features

8 requests
  • Glossary or 'how to read' section for etymology codes
  • Linking words within definitions
  • Dark mode
  • Ability to make app default dictionary
  • Widget resizing to show more definition
Show 3 more
  • Pronunciation audio playback
  • Add 'Parts of Speech'
  • Offline sound for words

In-app purchases

None

Merriam

No in-app purchases

None

Webster's Writer's Dictionary

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Merriam free?
Merriam costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Webster's Writer's Dictionary free?
Webster's Writer's Dictionary costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Merriam or Webster's Writer's Dictionary?
Merriam is rated higher. Merriam averages 4.8 out of 5 from 22K ratings, while Webster's Writer's Dictionary averages 4.4 from 85 ratings.
Do Merriam or Webster's Writer's Dictionary have ads?
Neither Merriam nor Webster's Writer's Dictionary shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Merriam or Webster's Writer's Dictionary?
Merriam ships an update every 5 months, and Webster's Writer's Dictionary every 30 months. Most recently, Merriam was updated on November 5, 2026 and Webster's Writer's Dictionary on November 1, 2026.
Which is more popular, Merriam or Webster's Writer's Dictionary?
Merriam currently peaks at #10 in the App Store charts, and Webster's Writer's Dictionary at #119. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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