Comparison

TopWords vs Pocket8

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

Head to head
About

TopWords

A word creation game where you break down a given word to form new words connected to existing ones on the board. Race against a bomb timer and use bonus squares for higher scores. Expand your vocabulary with a vast dictionary.

Highlights
  • 135,000+ word dictionary
  • Bomb timer with 60-second rounds
  • Bonus squares for score multipliers
  • Global high-score table
  • Expand vocabulary with uncommon words
Features
Read full description

* A Fun new twist on a classic word creation game * TopWords is an addictive new word creation game. The game starts with an 'anchor' word chosen from the huge 135,000+ dictionary already placed on the board. The game then choses another word for you to break up and place on the board. The new words you create must be connected to any already placed words on the board. Be quick as you must finish the round before the bomb explodes. When you have placed your new words or just panic as the bomb timer runs out, press the bomb to stop the timer and end the round. Use up all your letters each round or lose a life. When all your lives are gone it's game over! Manage to place a word on one of the bonus squares and earn double,treble or quadruple points, not to mention the board also contains some high additional point squares. You can break up the 'given' word as many times as you like to try and use up all the letters. TopWords uses it's own high score server if Game Centre is not enabled to allow users to post high scores to the whole world so you are playing against all TopWord players everywhere on every platform. Can you become the Worlds number one TopWords champion? All the words in the dictionary are genuine words but over 70,000 of them are not in everyday use so be prepared to expand your own personal vocabulary. Please email any comments, improvements, or problems to social@qedgaming.com and we will strive to incorporate them into future updates. Features of TopWords 135,000+ Words in the dictionary. 70,000 not in common use. Bomb timer with 60 seconds on the clock. Bonus squares. Highly addictive!! High-score table connecting all players of TopWords. Compatible with: All iPads including the new mini.

About

Pocket8

This app brings the PICO-8 fantasy console experience to your mobile device, offering access to thousands of community-made games. Enjoy customizable touch controls or gamepad support, and never lose progress with an instant save system.

Highlights
  • Browse and play community-made PICO-8 games
  • Customizable touch controls and gamepad support
  • Instant save states for unlimited progress saving
  • Portrait and landscape orientation support
  • Locked 60FPS gameplay
Features
Read full description

Experience PICO-8 Anywhere: Pocket8 brings the magic of the PICO-8 fantasy console to your pocket. Whether you’re on a commute or relaxing at home, thousands of indie games are a single tap away. A Massive Library in Your Pocket: Discover thousands of community-made games with integrated BBS exploration. From challenging platformers to relaxing puzzles, there’s always something new to play. Download your favorites and build a personal collection that goes offline wherever you do. Controls That Feel Right: Gaming on a touch screen can be a struggle. Pocket8 features high-precision controls that feel as good as a real handheld. Choose between a classic D-pad or virtual joystick, or swap the face buttons positioning to match your playstyle. Wanna go touch-less? Connect a controller and play with a bluetooth gamepad or keyboard. Play Without Interruption: Instant save system lets you freeze time and jump back in to the exact pixel where you left off. Manage an infinite amount of save states per cartridge. Features: Browse & Play: Explore the Lexaloffle BBS to find and download new games instantly. Pro-Style Controls: Fluid movement and adaptive controls. Gamepad and Keyboard support included. Portrait & Landscape: Play comfortably in any orientation. Save Anywhere: Never lose your progress with instant state saves. Pure Performance: Locked 60FPS gameplay for the ultimate retro experience.

Screenshots

TopWords4 screens
Pocket84 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Pocket8 at 4.5 against TopWords's 3.0. Pocket8 also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (daily vs every 48 months). TopWords's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. TopWords sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Pocket8 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pocket8 holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket8 has 40 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of TopWords's written reviews are positive against 67% of Pocket8's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TopWords ships an update every 48 months, Pocket8 daily. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
TopWords versus Pocket8: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTopWordsPocket8
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (1 ratings)4.5 (40 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings140 — better
Update frequencyEvery 48 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size97 MB24 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperQED Gaming PTY. LtdJevon Lipsey

Customer experience

TopWords

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

Pocket8

Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

TopWords

One-time1
  • Extra Everything!$1.99
None

Pocket8

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TopWords free?
TopWords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pocket8 free?
Pocket8 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, TopWords or Pocket8?
Pocket8 is rated higher. TopWords averages 3.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Pocket8 averages 4.5 from 40 ratings.
Do TopWords or Pocket8 have ads?
Neither TopWords nor Pocket8 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TopWords or Pocket8?
TopWords ships an update every 48 months, and Pocket8 daily. Most recently, TopWords was updated on October 20, 2026 and Pocket8 on October 24, 2026.

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