# Nearpod vs CrosswordMaker

The clearest difference is rating: Nearpod at 3.1 against CrosswordMaker's 1.3. Nearpod also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (1.9K vs 11). CrosswordMaker's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On price, monetization model and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Nearpod sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $159.99 per year. CrosswordMaker asks for nothing beyond the download.

Nearpod holds the better App Store score, 3.1 against 1.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nearpod has 1.9K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of Nearpod's written reviews are positive against 24% of CrosswordMaker's.

Nearpod ships an update monthly, CrosswordMaker every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Nearpod | CrosswordMaker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.1 (1.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nearpod/id523540409/reviews)** | [1.3 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crosswordmaker/id560662309/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.9K** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | **40.4% of reviews** | 24.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 27 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nearpod](https://appshunter.io/developer/1441232331) | [Satoshi Horiguchi](https://appshunter.io/developer/310504293) |

## What reviewers say

### Nearpod

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nearpod/id523540409)

This app empowers K-12 teachers to create interactive, student-centered lessons that boost engagement and deepen understanding across all subjects. It offers tools for real-time assessment, flexible teaching modes, and integration with popular platforms, making instruction more effective.

**Highlights:** Interactive lesson creation, Live and student-paced modes, Polls, quizzes, and VR activities, Real-time formative assessments, Integration with Google Slides, YouTube, LMS, Library of 22,000+ lessons

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| to Nearpod Gold Edition | $159.99 | per year |
| NPP "Authors: Decimals and Fractions" | $2.99 | one-time |
| NPP "Authors: Drawing Inferences" | $4.99 | one-time |
| NPP "Authors: Energy " | $4.99 | one-time |
| NPP "Authors: What are Cells?" | $4.99 | one-time |
| NPP "Authors: The Rock Cycle" | $4.99 | one-time |
| Social Studies: Causes of the American Revolution | $4.99 | one-time |
| Authors: Subtraction with Regrouping Part 1 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Authors: What Makes a Tree Trunk? | $4.99 | one-time |
| Authors: Reading Maps | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Engaging and interactive
- 👍 Great for student participation
- 💡 Useful for differentiated instruction
- 🚀 Effective for virtual/hybrid learning

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 🔍 Limited functionality in mobile app
- 🔍 Clunky and unintuitive user interface
- 🔍 Reliability issues, especially on iPads

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to save progress and resume lessons
- Drawing/annotation tools not working as expected
- Login issues, especially with Google accounts
- Slides not syncing properly across devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to create and edit content on mobile app
- More question types beyond multiple choice
- Improved device compatibility and cross-platform support
- Enhanced student reporting and analytics


### CrosswordMaker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crosswordmaker/id560662309)

Design custom crossword puzzles with a flexible grid and cell coloring options. Edit clues in a dedicated view and share your creations with friends via email.

**Highlights:** Create crossword puzzles, Random grid generation, Cell coloring customization, Dedicated clue editor, Share puzzles via email

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Nearpod free?

Nearpod is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is CrosswordMaker free?

CrosswordMaker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Nearpod or CrosswordMaker?

Nearpod is rated higher. Nearpod averages 3.1 out of 5 from 1.9K ratings, while CrosswordMaker averages 1.3 from 11 ratings.

### Do Nearpod or CrosswordMaker have ads?

CrosswordMaker shows ads; Nearpod does not.

### Which is updated more often, Nearpod or CrosswordMaker?

Nearpod ships an update monthly, and CrosswordMaker every 5 months. Most recently, Nearpod was updated on November 1, 2026 and CrosswordMaker on October 23, 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.*