Missing Link vs Red Herring
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Missing Link
Engage in a relaxing word puzzle where you find missing letters to solve three interconnected words. This addictive game sharpens your mind, improves spelling, and expands vocabulary with thousands of challenges.
- Find missing letters
- Solve three interconnected words
- Thousands of puzzles
- Three difficulty levels
- Vocabulary and spelling builder
- Mental exercise
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Missing Link is a simple and addictive word puzzle game. Try to find the missing letters that will solve all three words. Each puzzle only has one solution, and figuring it out can be trickier than you think! Missing Link is a fun way to keep your brain sharp, and is also great for improving spelling and vocabulary. Three levels make it perfect for both beginners and those who are looking for a serious challenge! Features: - Three levels - Thousands of puzzles (750 are free) - Hints to help you learn to play - Great for building vocabulary and spelling skills - A fun mental exercise to keep your brain sharp!
Red Herring
This word puzzle game challenges you to group words into categories while identifying misleading "Red Herring" words. Enjoy a fun, challenging, and easy-to-learn experience with no time limits and three difficulty levels suitable for all ages.
- Group words into categories
- Identify misleading "Red Herring" words
- No time limit
- Three difficulty levels
- Daily puzzle
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Red Herring is the word connections game. How to play: 1. Make the connections and group words into categories. 2. Look out for the Red Herrings, pesky words whose sole purpose is to mislead you. 3. Have fun making the connections! Red Herring is a FUN, CHALLENGING, and EASY TO LEARN word connections puzzle game. Each puzzle has only one correct solution and there's no time limit. Three difficulty levels make it suitable for the whole family. Don't say we didn't warn you if you can't stop playing. Give Red Herring a try today! From the creators of 7 Little Words and Moxie. ----- Red Herring contains 25 puzzles and a daily puzzle that you can play for free. Additional puzzles are available for purchase inside the app.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Missing Link at none against Red Herring's shown. Missing Link also leads on review sentiment (92% vs 76%) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 16.6). Red Herring's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 75 months) and ratings volume (48K vs 344). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Missing Link sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Red Herring sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Red Herring holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Red Herring has 48K ratings behind it against 344, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 92% of Missing Link's written reviews are positive against 76% of Red Herring's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Missing Link ships an update every 75 months, Red Herring every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Missing Link | Red Herring |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (344 ratings) | 4.7 (48K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 92.3% of reviews — better | 75.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 344 | 48K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 75 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 84 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sarah Pierce | Blue Ox Family Games, Inc. |
Customer experience
Missing Link
Red Herring
User reviews
Missing Link
From 344 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🤓 Challenging and engaging
- 🧠 Keeps the brain active
- 👍 Enjoyable and addictive
- 🕰️ Good for passing time
- 🎨 Unique and different from other word games
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional bugs or glitches
- 🔇 Mutes audio/music
- 🕰️ Rounds can be too long
- 🤖 Needs more updates and new levels
Red Herring
From 48K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🤔 Challenging and thought-provoking
- 🧠 Exercises the mind
- ⏰ Good time-passer
- 🎮 Fun and addictive game
- 🎓 Educational and expands vocabulary
Room to improve
- 🇺🇸 Too American-centric
- 💰 Expensive paid content
- 🚫 Limited free content
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🔍 Obscure references and categories
Bugs and requests
Missing Link
Reported bugs
3 issues- Back and volume buttons not working properly
- Spelling mistakes in some levels
- Compatibility issues with older devices
Requested features
5 requests- Add a level select screen
- Provide progress tracking
- Implement a timer or scoring system
- Add support for landscape orientation
- Offer an ad-free version
Red Herring
Reported bugs
3 issues- Formatting issues after updates
- Inability to access previous daily puzzles
- Ads that cannot be dismissed
Requested features
5 requests- More free daily puzzles
- Less American-focused content
- Dark mode option
- Ability to replay past puzzles
- Hints system improvements
In-app purchases
Missing Link
- Easy Puzzle Pack$0.99
- Medium Puzzle Pack$0.99
- Hard Puzzle Pack$0.99
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- 50 Hints$0.99
- 150 Hints$1.99
- 500 Hints$3.99
Red Herring
- Curiosity - 50 Puzzles$1.99
- Brilliant! - 50 Puzzles$1.99
- Allegro - 50 Puzzles$1.99
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Spelunking - 50 Puzzles$1.99
- Renaissance - 50 Puzzles$1.99
- IQ - 50 Puzzles$1.99
- Serendipity - 50 Puzzles$1.99
- Unlimited Hints$2.99
- Older Daily Puzzles 2014 Jul - Dec$3.99
- Quantum Leap - 175 Puzzles$4.99
