Comparison

Crossword Puzzles + vs Crossword

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Crossword Puzzles +

Enjoy a vast collection of classic crossword puzzles on your iPhone and iPad. This app offers over 800 puzzles across various types, with a modern design and intuitive controls. Participate in a community rating system with thousands of players.

Highlights
  • 800+ free crossword puzzles
  • Multiple puzzle types (classic, keywords, anagrams, scandinavian)
  • Modern design with multitouch gestures
  • In-game rating system with 8000+ participants
  • Hint modes
  • Sound and vibration support
Features
Read full description

Huge crossword puzzle collection now comes to iPhone and iPad! At the moment here is 800+ free crossword puzzles including but not limited to classic crosswords, keywords, anagrams, scandinavian crosswords and much more! Blazingly fast with modern design and support for multitouch gestures. This app have it’s own rating system with more than 8000 participants. * full support for iPad and iPhone * six different crossword puzzle types * frequently updated database with 800+ puzzles * different hint modes * sound and vibration support * in-game settings

About

Crossword

Engage with a vast collection of American-style crosswords, featuring adjustable grid sizes and difficulty levels. Enjoy unlimited on-the-fly generated puzzles and utilize helpful tools like validation and a built-in solver. Supports multiple languages and spelling preferences for a personalized experience.

Highlights
  • Adjustable grid zoom and movement
  • Multiple grid sizes and difficulty levels
  • On-the-fly grid generation for unlimited play
  • Thousands of straight and general knowledge clues
  • US/UK English spelling options
  • Built-in crossword solver and hints
  • Crosswords in French, German, and Dutch
Features
Read full description

Play a large range of crosswords. All use the usual American style grids, such as is used in the NY Times, USA Today and many other newspapers Note that all the answers and clues use US English spellings, and that the general knowledge clues are tailored for US players. Features: • You can zoom in & out of the grid, and move around, making it possible to play larger grids even on smaller screens • There is a large range of built in grids, from sizes 11x11, 13x13 and 15x15 at different difficulty levels. Most have just 16% black squares, per the standard definition • In addition a new grid of sizes up to 8x8 can be generated on-the-fly by the app, meaning unlimited games to play • Many 1000's of clues, both straight and general knowledge • Choose between US or UK English spellings • General knowledge questions tailored to your country (currently US, UK, Australia and Canada) • Ability to save and reload games, so several games can be played at the same time • Numerous aids in case you get stuck, e.g. validate word/letter, reveal word and even a built-in crossword solver to show potential matches • Easily flip between different crosswords, just like a crossword puzzle book • Also includes crosswords in French, German and Dutch

Screenshots

Crossword Puzzles +4 screens
Crossword4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Crossword at 70% against Crossword Puzzles +'s 21%. Crossword also leads on rating (4.4 vs 3.5) and ratings volume (153 vs 2). Crossword Puzzles +'s advantage is update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 12.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Crossword Puzzles + sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Crossword sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Crossword holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Crossword has 153 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 21% of Crossword Puzzles +'s written reviews are positive against 70% of Crossword's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Crossword Puzzles + ships an update every 4 weeks, Crossword every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Crossword Puzzles + versus Crossword: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCrossword Puzzles +Crossword
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (2 ratings)4.4 (153 ratings) — better
Positive reviews21.2% of reviews70.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2153 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks — betterEvery 5 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size44 MB101 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperOleksii HarbuzenkoHavos

Customer experience

Crossword Puzzles +

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews66 reviews
Positive21.2%
Neutral6.1%
Negative72.7%

Crossword

All ratings150 ratings
Positive89.3%
Neutral6.0%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral13.3%
Negative16.7%

Bugs and requests

Crossword Puzzles +

Reported bugs

15 issues
  • Unable to download puzzles
  • App crashes immediately on opening
  • Ads cover puzzle clues
  • In-app purchase to remove ads fails
  • Progress lost after updates
Show 10 more
  • Clues are too small to read
  • App freezes
  • Grid errors when downloading puzzles
  • No way to exit puzzles or return to main menu
  • Pop-up ads are unclosable
  • Randomly closing of the game
  • Controls not explained
  • Inconsistent answers for mythology questions
  • Game freezes when hint button is used too often
  • Tiles with clues are cut short

Requested features

11 requests
  • Fix ads covering clues
  • Restore lost progress
  • Increase font size for clues
  • Add option to change font size
  • Improve navigation and controls
Show 6 more
  • Add a way to exit puzzles/return to main menu
  • Add an answer key
  • Fix puzzle download issues
  • Ensure in-app purchases work
  • Improve accuracy of mythology questions
  • Make puzzles easier for younger players

Crossword

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Crossword Puzzles +

One-time2
  • No advertising$0.99
  • Hints$0.99
5 purchases

Crossword

Subscriptions1
  • Supporter (no ads)$4.991 Year
One-time4
  • Stack of 1300 Coins$0.99
  • Stack of 3000 Coins$1.99
  • Stack of 8000 coins$3.99
Show 1 more
  • Stack of 20000 Coins$9.99

Questions

Is Crossword Puzzles + free?
Crossword Puzzles + is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Crossword free?
Crossword is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Crossword Puzzles + or Crossword?
Crossword is rated higher. Crossword Puzzles + averages 3.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Crossword averages 4.4 from 153 ratings.
Do Crossword Puzzles + or Crossword have ads?
Both Crossword Puzzles + and Crossword show ads.
Which is updated more often, Crossword Puzzles + or Crossword?
Crossword Puzzles + ships an update every 4 weeks, and Crossword every 5 months. Most recently, Crossword Puzzles + was updated on November 1, 2026 and Crossword on November 6, 2026.

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