# Pool With Friends vs Decoding Word Puzzle

The clearest difference is rating: Decoding Word Puzzle at 4.9 against Pool With Friends's 2.6. Decoding Word Puzzle also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (13K vs 5). Pool With Friends's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Decoding Word Puzzle holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Decoding Word Puzzle has 13K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 14% of Pool With Friends's written reviews are positive against 28% of Decoding Word Puzzle's.

Pool With Friends ships an update every 5 months, Decoding Word Puzzle daily. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pool With Friends | Decoding Word Puzzle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.6 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pool-with-friends/id544324534/reviews) | **[4.9 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/decoding-word-puzzle/id6747968388/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **13K** |
| Positive reviews | 14.3% of reviews | **27.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 73 MB | 255 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [CREATIVE STAR SOFT SRL](https://appshunter.io/developer/1171234380) | [Peace Word Studio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1787839993) |

## What reviewers say

### Pool With Friends

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pool-with-friends/id544324534)

Engage in exciting 8 ball pool matches on your iOS device. Practice your skills against friends or random players with a realistic 3D simulator and smooth controls. Learn the game's rules as you play in this free, immersive billiard experience.

**Highlights:** Multiplayer billiard game, Realistic 3D simulator, Beautiful and realistic graphics, Learn game rules while playing, Smooth gameplay and controls, Play with friends offline or online

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Decoding Word Puzzle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/decoding-word-puzzle/id6747968388)

Engage your mind with a word puzzle game featuring quotes from famous figures, literature, and movies. Solve creatively designed levels with hints and letter matching, enhanced by beautiful hand-drawn art and an unfolding narrative.

**Highlights:** Quote-based puzzles, Word creation and letter matching, Contextual hints, Hand-drawn artwork, Narrative mode, Daily challenges

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🤩 Relaxing and mentally challenging
- 👍 Fun and enjoyable game

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔥 Overloaded with ads
- 🐛 Buggy and unresponsive touch interface
- 🔋 Poor performance and battery drain

**Reported bugs**

- Forced to restart from beginning after update
- Frequent crashes and freezes

**Requested features**

- More puzzle content
- Option to disable ads


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pool With Friends free?

Pool With Friends is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Decoding Word Puzzle free?

Decoding Word Puzzle is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Pool With Friends or Decoding Word Puzzle?

Decoding Word Puzzle is rated higher. Pool With Friends averages 2.6 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Decoding Word Puzzle averages 4.9 from 13K ratings.

### Do Pool With Friends or Decoding Word Puzzle have ads?

Neither Pool With Friends nor Decoding Word Puzzle shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pool With Friends or Decoding Word Puzzle?

Pool With Friends ships an update every 5 months, and Decoding Word Puzzle daily. Most recently, Pool With Friends was updated on November 1, 2026 and Decoding Word Puzzle on November 8, 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.*