Comparison

CrosswordMaker vs Smart Tales

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

Head to head
About

CrosswordMaker

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
Read full description

You can create crossword puzzles freely. Place characters after the app makes grid randomly. If you can not come up with good word, you can change the color of cells. Clues are edited on another dedicated view. If you finish up a puzzle, you can send it to your friends by e-mail.

About

Smart Tales

This app offers over 2500 interactive educational games and stories for children aged 2-11. It covers reading, writing, STEM, and math, with a focus on personalized learning paths and inclusivity for all learners, including neurodivergent children. Parents can monitor progress and set limits.

Highlights
  • Interactive educational games
  • Award-winning stories
  • Math skills development
  • Reading and vocabulary building
  • STEM and science exploration
  • Logic and reasoning challenges
  • Personalized learning paths
Features
Read full description

Give your child the tools to thrive in school, at home, and beyond and make screen time productive with fun, educational and non addictive games and stories. With 2500+ interactive activities, award-winning stories, and science-backed games, Smart Tales® is the go-to learning app for kids aged 2 to 11. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or caregiver, it’s built to support every learner—including neurodivergent children—with a focus on inclusivity and engagement. “Smart Tales has been a game-changer. My child now asks to practice multiplication tables!” “I love that I can track progress and feel confident it’s not just screen time—it’s real learning.” “As a busy single mom, it’s the only app I trust when I need 20 focused minutes.” What Smart Tales® Helps Your Child Achieve: -Master MATH SKILLS and go beyond with addition, subtraction, multiplication, division & time tables -Build a LOVE FOR READING with read-along stories and vocabulary-rich adventures -Practice real-world SCIENCE: human body, space, nature, and fun experiments -Strengthen LOGIC and REASONING through coding challenges and brain games -Develop BETTER BEHAVIOR and emotional regulation through STORIES rooted in values and kindness -Progress at their own pace with a personalized LEARNING PATH -Learn anywhere with OFFLINE ACCESS and multi-device support BUILT FOR ALL TYPES OF LEARNERS Smart Tales® was crafted with inclusivity at its core, certified for kids on the autism spectrum and built to support neurodivergent learning styles. Whether your child is ahead, behind, or simply learns differently, Smart Tales® adapts to their needs. AWARDS & RECOGNITION **Apple App Store: 2025 Essential App for Kids Mom’s Choice Award® National Parenting Product Award Academics’ Choice™ Brain Toy Award Parent and Teacher Choice Award™ Kids Safe Certified 5 Stars – Educational App Store** PROGRAMS THAT GROW WITH YOUR CHILD READING PROGRAM Nurture early literacy with phonics, read-alongs, sentence building, and story comprehension. Smart Tales® builds a love for reading by making every word part of an adventure. MATH PROGRAM From counting to multiplication and time tables, every activity is designed to strengthen core math skills through engaging, gamified lessons. SCIENCE PROGRAM Explore topics from animal facts and senses to geography, photosynthesis, and astronomy. Real-world learning, simplified and made fun. FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS -Monitor learning with the Parent Area -Set time limits, track achievements, and adjust difficulty -Aligned to U.S. State Standards -Created by educators, backed by child development research Whether you’re prepping your preschooler for kindergarten, reinforcing classroom learning, or just looking for smarter screen time, Smart Tales® gives your child a solid educational foundation—and makes them love learning. Download Smart Tales® today—where every tap leads to growth. Let's keep in touch! hello@smarttales.app support@smart-tales.freshdesk.com Visit our website: smarttales.app Terms of Service: https://smarttales.app/terms-and-conditions/

Screenshots

CrosswordMaker4 screens
Smart Tales4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Smart Tales at 4.6 against CrosswordMaker's 1.3. Smart Tales also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (55% vs 24%). CrosswordMaker's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 17). On price, monetization model and iOS requirement 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. Smart Tales sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. CrosswordMaker asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Smart Tales holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 1.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Smart Tales has 18K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of CrosswordMaker's written reviews are positive against 55% of Smart Tales's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CrosswordMaker ships an update every 5 months, Smart Tales every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
CrosswordMaker versus Smart Tales: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCrosswordMakerSmart Tales
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.3 (11 ratings)4.6 (18K ratings) — better
Positive reviews24.0% of reviews54.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1118K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#173 — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS16.616.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB289 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSatoshi HoriguchiMarshmallow Games SRL

Customer experience

CrosswordMaker

All ratings11 ratings
Positive9.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative90.9%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive24.0%
Neutral16.0%
Negative60.0%

Smart Tales

All ratings18,327 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral5.0%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews374 reviews
Positive54.8%
Neutral3.2%
Negative42.0%

Bugs and requests

CrosswordMaker

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Smart Tales

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes and freezes
  • Incorrect shape identification
  • Subscription issues and double charges
  • Content not loading properly
  • Accessibility features not working as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • More writing and grade-level options
  • Improved voice-text synchronization
  • Better customization for child's level
  • Easier unsubscription process
  • Compatibility with family sharing

In-app purchases

None

CrosswordMaker

No in-app purchases

17 purchases

Smart Tales

Subscriptions16
  • Premium Weekly$3.997 Days
  • Premium Weekly$4.997 Days
  • Premium Monthly7 Days trial$5.491 Month
Show 13 more
  • Welcome Monthly2 Months trial$6.991 Month
  • Monthly Learning Plan for Kids$11.991 Month
  • Monthly Learning Plan for Kids7 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Premium Monthly$14.991 Month
  • Smart Tales Semi Annual$29.996 Months
  • Smart Tales Quarterly$34.993 Months
  • Smart Family Promo$39.991 Year
  • Yearly Promo Subscription$54.991 Year
  • SmartTales Yearly Offer Plus$59.991 Year
  • Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$71.991 Year
  • Yearly Learning Plan for Kids7 Days trial$89.991 Year
  • Yearly Subscription14 Days trial$89.991 Year
  • Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$99.991 Year
One-time1
  • Printables unlock$7.99

Questions

Is CrosswordMaker free?
CrosswordMaker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Smart Tales free?
Smart Tales is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, CrosswordMaker or Smart Tales?
Smart Tales is rated higher. CrosswordMaker averages 1.3 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Smart Tales averages 4.6 from 18K ratings.
Do CrosswordMaker or Smart Tales have ads?
CrosswordMaker shows ads; Smart Tales does not.
Which is updated more often, CrosswordMaker or Smart Tales?
CrosswordMaker ships an update every 5 months, and Smart Tales every 3 weeks. Most recently, CrosswordMaker was updated on October 23, 2026 and Smart Tales on October 28, 2026.

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