Comparison

Astraware Crosswords vs Clean Crosswords

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

Head to head
About

Astraware Crosswords

Enjoy daily crossword puzzles on the go with this app. It offers free daily and weekly puzzles, with options to purchase additional packs for offline play. A subscription unlocks all puzzles and removes ads.

Highlights
  • Daily quick-style crosswords
  • Free weekly larger puzzles
  • Offline puzzle packs
  • Adjustable difficulty and grid sizes
  • Global leaderboards
  • Optional subscription for unlimited access
Features
Read full description

Crossword lovers rejoice! Astraware Crosswords is the perfect app for taking your favorite pastime wherever you go! Astraware Crosswords is great for everyone, with free unlimited access to download and play two new Daily puzzles each day - top the global leaderboards by completing the puzzles in the fastest time! For more of a challenge there is a free Weekender puzzle available each Friday with a bigger grid and a few more challenging or cryptic clues, perfect for solving leisurely on Saturday or Sunday morning, or even on Friday afternoon! If you wish to play offline, Astraware Crosswords includes 60+ quick crossword puzzles in 4 different grid sizes and 3 graded difficulty levels, plus there is also an option to buy extra puzzle packs for you to keep on your device and play anytime! New puzzle streams allow you to play for free if you prefer with a choice of puzzle sizes and difficulties, so you can focus on the type of puzzle you enjoy the most. With Astraware Crosswords you can play conveniently no matter where you are! ------------- Puzzles Plus Subscription Terms and Details Puzzles Plus is our optional subscription for Astraware Crosswords which entitles you to play all of the available Daily, Weekender and Stream puzzles as soon as they are available, without in-game adverts or any requirement to earn tokens. Subscribers can also choose to highlight their high scores with a choice of badges. Subscriptions are available with renewal periods of either monthly, quarterly (every 3 months), or yearly. The price shown is the cost of the renewal, with the saving value for longer subscription periods as a comparison to the monthly option. After you confirm a subscription, you will have a free trial period of seven days. Your iTunes Account will be charged as soon as the free trial is over. If you cancel the subscription at any time before the free trial is over, you will not be billed. The subscriptions are automatically renewing, and you will be charged again at the end of your current subscription period. Your subscription will automatically renew unless you turn this off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. The renewal cost will be the same for each subscription period, and will be charged within the 24 hours before the end of your current subscription. You can manage the subscriptions at any time by going to the Account Settings in the Settings App after purchase. There are options to either change to a different renewal period (which will be at a different price) or to cancel your subscription completely. If you cancel the renewal you will still have access to the Puzzles Plus features until the full subscription period is complete. If you confirm the purchase of a subscription before the free trial is complete, any unused portion of the free trial will be lost. These terms are available at : https://www.astraware.com/about/puzzlesplus/ For more information on Data and Privacy, please view the Astraware Privacy page at http://www.astraware.com/privacy

About

Clean Crosswords

Enjoy a classic crossword experience designed for iOS devices. This app offers 1,800 puzzles with clues directly in the grid for easy viewing and play. It provides weeks of challenging fun in a clean, British English format.

Highlights
  • 1,800 crossword puzzles
  • Clues in puzzle grid
  • Classic British English
  • Designed for iPhone and iPad
  • Challenging fun
Features
Read full description

Designed for iPhone and iPad and the new iOS and written in classic British English, Clean Crossword is different and possibly the best crossword ever published for iOS devices. The clues are shown right in the puzzle grid, making puzzles easy to view and play for weeks of challenging fun.

Screenshots

Astraware Crosswords4 screens
Clean Crosswords4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Astraware Crosswords at 4.7 against Clean Crosswords's 4.5. Astraware Crosswords also leads on review sentiment (82% vs 66%) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). Clean Crosswords's advantage is ratings volume (1.9K vs 337). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Astraware Crosswords sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Clean Crosswords sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Astraware Crosswords holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Clean Crosswords has 1.9K ratings behind it against 337, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of Astraware Crosswords's written reviews are positive against 66% of Clean Crosswords's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Astraware Crosswords ships an update every 2 months, Clean Crosswords every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Astraware Crosswords versus Clean Crosswords: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAstraware CrosswordsClean Crosswords
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (337 ratings) — better4.5 (1.9K ratings)
Positive reviews81.6% of reviews — better65.8% of reviews
Number of ratings3371.9K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB229 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperAstraware Limitedthe binary family

Customer experience

Astraware Crosswords

All ratings330 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral1.8%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews163 reviews
Positive81.6%
Neutral4.9%
Negative13.5%

Clean Crosswords

All ratings1,926 ratings
Positive88.8%
Neutral6.4%
Negative4.8%
Written reviews243 reviews
Positive65.8%
Neutral14.0%
Negative20.2%

User reviews

Astraware Crosswords

From 337 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Enjoyable crosswords
  • 🧠 Keeps mind active
  • 🕰️ Good daily challenge
  • 💰 Free with optional in-app purchases
  • 🔍 Helpful hints and solver features

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes after updates
  • 📢 Intrusive ads
  • 🔍 Obscure or illogical clues
  • 🔁 Repetitive puzzles and clues
  • 🌐 Some British-centric content for US users

Clean Crosswords

From 1.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Challenging puzzles
  • 🧠 Helps improve vocabulary and memory
  • 🗓️ Lots of puzzles available
  • 🎨 Clean and intuitive interface
  • 💰 Free app with optional ad-free version

Room to improve

  • 🇬🇧 Too many British-centric references and spellings
  • 🔁 Repetitive clues and answers
  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 📢 Intrusive ads in free version
  • 🕹️ Navigation and layout issues on larger screens

Bugs and requests

Astraware Crosswords

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Puzzle timer issues
  • Leaderboard scores not updating properly
  • Purchased puzzle packs disappearing after updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • More daily puzzles
  • Ability to save/resume puzzles
  • Customizable difficulty levels
  • Offline puzzle packs
  • Improved keyboard and input responsiveness

Clean Crosswords

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Incorrect word definitions or answers
  • Arrows pointing to wrong cells
  • Puzzle progress not saving properly
  • Ads causing app crashes or freezes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Progress tracking and statistics
  • Ability to replay completed puzzles
  • More variety in puzzle difficulty levels
  • Better integration of American English

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Astraware Crosswords

Subscriptions3
  • Puzzles Plus7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Puzzles Plus7 Days trial$2.993 Months
  • Puzzles Plus7 Days trial$7.991 Year
One-time7
  • Fun-Size Pack$0.99
  • Family Pack$1.99
  • Easy Pack$1.99
Show 4 more
  • Vacation Pack$3.99
  • Ad-free daily puzzles$4.99
  • Deluxe Pack$4.99
  • Deluxe Pack 2$4.99
1 purchases

Clean Crosswords

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$7.99

Questions

Is Astraware Crosswords free?
Astraware Crosswords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Clean Crosswords free?
Clean Crosswords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Astraware Crosswords or Clean Crosswords?
Astraware Crosswords is rated higher. Astraware Crosswords averages 4.7 out of 5 from 337 ratings, while Clean Crosswords averages 4.5 from 1.9K ratings.
Do Astraware Crosswords or Clean Crosswords have ads?
Both Astraware Crosswords and Clean Crosswords show ads.
Which is updated more often, Astraware Crosswords or Clean Crosswords?
Astraware Crosswords ships an update every 2 months, and Clean Crosswords every 4 months. Most recently, Astraware Crosswords was updated on November 1, 2026 and Clean Crosswords on November 11, 2026.

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