# Crossword vs Anagrow

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Anagrow at none against Crossword's 15. Anagrow also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 5 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 81%). Crossword's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Crossword sells 14 one-off in-app purchases. Anagrow asks for nothing beyond the download.

Crossword ships an update every 5 months, Anagrow weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Crossword | Anagrow |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (5.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crossword/id576525179/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **5.5K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 80.6% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 13 MB | 42 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Teazel](https://appshunter.io/developer/576525182) | [Patrick Wakefield](https://appshunter.io/developer/6800102626) |

## What reviewers say

### Crossword

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crossword/id576525179)

Enjoy over 750 professional crossword puzzles designed for casual play. This app offers a clean, ad-free experience with features like pinch zooming and landscape mode to enhance your word-solving sessions.

**Highlights:** 750+ professional puzzles, 45 free puzzles, Pinch zooming grid, Landscape mode with clue list, Cheats and answer checking, No ads

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

**In-app purchases (14)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| pack of Crosswords (Pack 12) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Crosswords (Pack 9) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Crosswords (Pack 1) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Crosswords (Pack 2) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Crosswords (Pack 3) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Crosswords (Pack 4) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Crosswords (Pack 5) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Crosswords (Pack 6) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Crosswords (Pack 7) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Crosswords (Pack 10) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack (Pack 14 of 50 puzzles) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Crosswords (Pack 13) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Crosswords (Pack 11) | $0.99 | one-time |
| full set of Crossword packs | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Enjoyable crossword experience
- 👍 Excellent value and great trivia
- 👍 No ads, great puzzles
- 👍 Fantastic brain workout
- 👍 Accessible for dyslexic users

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional spelling errors in puzzles
- 🐛 Keyboard issues on some devices
- 🐛 Puzzles can be too difficult for some users
- 🐛 Some clues are too obscure or British-centric

**Reported bugs**

- Purchased content not restoring properly on new devices
- Keyboard not working correctly in some cases

**Requested features**

- Option to adjust puzzle and clue size
- Ability to sync progress across devices
- More free puzzles or a free trial period


### Anagrow

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/anagrow/id6800102384)

This word puzzle game challenges you to transform a four-letter word into longer words by adding one letter at a time. Use color-coded hints to guide your guesses and solve daily word ladders within a limited number of attempts.

**Highlights:** Daily word ladder challenges, Letter progression mechanic, Color-coded letter hints, Limited guess system, Four-letter starting words

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Crossword free?

Crossword is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Anagrow free?

Anagrow is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Crossword or Anagrow have ads?

Anagrow shows ads; Crossword does not.

### Which is updated more often, Crossword or Anagrow?

Crossword ships an update every 5 months, and Anagrow weekly. Most recently, Crossword was updated on October 19, 2026 and Anagrow on October 15, 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.*