Comparison

Crossword vs Gemma's Gems

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

Head to head
About

Crossword

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
Read full description

A brand new crossword puzzle every day, plus 750+ professional puzzles for your coffee break. These are casual level puzzles suitable for all. DAILY PUZZLES A brand new crossword published every day. Build a streak by playing daily, earn coins, and unlock puzzles at your own pace. Four weeks of daily puzzles are available to catch up on. SUBSCRIBE FOR FULL ACCESS Subscribe for unlimited access to every daily puzzle and all archive packs, with no coins needed. Available as monthly, quarterly, or annual plans. 750+ ARCHIVE PUZZLES Fifteen packs of professional crosswords suitable for all levels. Great for a quick coffee break or a longer session. EARN COINS & STREAKS Open the app each day to earn bonus coins. The longer your streak, the bigger the bonus. Spend coins to unlock daily puzzles, or watch a short ad for extra coins whenever you choose. Features: - a brand new crossword every day - daily login bonus with streak rewards - earn coins by playing daily, or watch a short ad for extra coins - unlock puzzles with coins, or subscribe for unlimited access - great for iPads and iPhones - pinch zooming grid - landscape mode with clue list - hints, highlight mistakes and answer checking - Backup and restore If you're looking for US-style grids, why not try our 'Crossword US' apps. The Terms of Use (EULA) can be found here: https://www.teazel.com/crossword_terms/ios_terms_en.html

About

Gemma's Gems

Features
Read full description

Gemma’s Gems is a charming woodland puzzle adventure about quick thinking, careful routes and one determined little owl. Guide Ollie across Harry’s intricate webs, collect sparkling gems and escape before the Harry the spider can close in. Every level challenges you to read the web, choose a safe path and react quickly when the chase begins. Features: • A story-led adventure with illustrated introductions • Hand-crafted web puzzles that become more challenging as you progress • Four ways to play: Story, Classic, Limited Flights and Hazel (Harrys love) • Simple swipe, remote, mouse and keyboard controls • Game Center leaderboards and achievements • Original woodland characters, animation, music and sound • Optional purchases to remove interstitial adverts and unlock additional game modes • Play on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac Can you collect every gem without becoming spider food?

Screenshots

Crossword4 screens
Gemma's Gems4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Gemma's Gems at every 3 days against Crossword's every 5 months. Crossword's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Crossword sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Gemma's Gems sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Crossword ships an update every 5 months, Gemma's Gems every 3 days. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Crossword versus Gemma's Gems: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCrosswordGemma's Gems
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (5.5K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews82.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings5.5K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB156 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperTeazelDavid Hopkinson

Bugs and requests

Crossword

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Purchased content not restoring properly on new devices
  • Keyboard not working correctly in some cases

Requested features

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

Gemma's Gems

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Crossword

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly$1.991 Month
One-time9
  • pack of Crosswords (Pack 1)$0.99
  • pack of Crosswords (Pack 2)$0.99
  • pack of Crosswords (Pack 3)$0.99
Show 6 more
  • pack of Crosswords (Pack 4)$0.99
  • pack of Crosswords (Pack 5)$0.99
  • pack of Crosswords (Pack 6)$0.99
  • pack of Crosswords (Pack 10)$0.99
  • pack (Pack 14 of 50 puzzles)$0.99
  • full set of Crossword packs$3.99
2 purchases

Gemma's Gems

One-time2
  • Remove Ads$2.99
  • Game Modes$2.99

Questions

Is Crossword free?
Crossword is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Gemma's Gems free?
Gemma's Gems is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Crossword or Gemma's Gems have ads?
Neither Crossword nor Gemma's Gems shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Crossword or Gemma's Gems?
Crossword ships an update every 5 months, and Gemma's Gems every 3 days. Most recently, Crossword was updated on November 6, 2026 and Gemma's Gems on November 6, 2026.

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