Star Gems vs Coded Word Search
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Star Gems
Engage in a fast-paced, strategic puzzle game where you blast aliens by matching colored stars. Avoid letting stars or UFOs reach the top of the screen. Utilize a charged laser gun for emergencies and enjoy playing with your own music.
- Match three or more stars of the same color
- Destroy UFOs by popping stars below them
- Prevent stars and UFOs from reaching the top
- Use a charged laser gun for emergencies
- Play with your own music
- Autosave game progress
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Blast aliens before they get into outer space! Star Gems is no like other star popping games. It is a brain teaser that requires fast reaction and strategic thinking. Easy to play: • Tap three or more stars of the same color to score. • UFOs can be destroyed by popping stars from directly below. • Don't let UFOs and stars reaching the top. Laser gun: • Tap on the laser gun for super power in case of emergency. • Laser gun can be charged up by valid moves. Features: • Play your own music while gaming. • Autosave when the game is interrupted.
Coded Word Search
This game offers a unique twist on word searches by encrypting every letter. Players must find words to decipher the code and solve puzzles, earning in-game currency for hints. Progress through levels and increase your in-game score by completing numerous challenges.
- Encrypted letter puzzles
- Code-cracking gameplay
- In-game hint system
- Progress tracking (Cred)
- Multiple difficulty levels
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Coded Word Search puts an interesting spin on the traditional word search formula. Every letter in a given puzzle is encrypted! Find words to crack the code and solve the puzzle. Earn Keys to buy hints that will help you with tough puzzles. Go from scrub to legend as you increase your Cred by solving tons of puzzles!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Coded Word Search at 5.0 against Star Gems's 4.2. Coded Word Search also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 86%) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 12.0). Star Gems's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and ratings volume (79 vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Coded Word Search sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Star Gems asks for nothing beyond the download.
Coded Word Search holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Star Gems has 79 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of Star Gems's written reviews are positive against 100% of Coded Word Search's.
Star Gems ships an update every 4 months, Coded Word Search every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Star Gems | Coded Word Search |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (79 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 86.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 79 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 10.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 102 MB | 186 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Balloon Island Limited | ROSE METAL PRODUCTS, INC. |
Customer experience
Star Gems
Coded Word Search
Bugs and requests
Star Gems
Reported bugs
5 issues- Blocks from previous levels remain on board
- Game freezes or stops completely after updates
- Colors change automatically during gameplay
- Cubes float on top and cannot be eliminated
- Touch screen not responsive on first tap
Requested features
5 requests- Allow continuing from last level
- Add difficulty settings or level selection
- Improve laser gun recharging mechanics
- Fix issue with blocks from previous levels
- Optimize performance and stability
Coded Word Search
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Star Gems
No in-app purchases
Coded Word Search
- Play Untimed$0.99
- 50K Keys$0.99
- Remove Ads$1.99
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- 200K Keys$2.99
- 500K Keys$4.99
- 1M Keys$6.99
- 10M Keys$19.99
- 100M Keys$99.99
Questions
Is Star Gems free?
Is Coded Word Search free?
Which has better reviews, Star Gems or Coded Word Search?
Do Star Gems or Coded Word Search have ads?
Which is updated more often, Star Gems or Coded Word Search?
Other comparisons
