Comparison

Astraware CodeWords vs Codewords Pro

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

Head to head
About

Astraware CodeWords

This word puzzle game challenges you to crack a secret code by substituting numbers for letters in a crossword-style grid. Use logic and vocabulary to decipher words and climb the global leaderboard.

Highlights
  • Number-to-letter substitution puzzles
  • Daily and Weekender puzzles
  • 50 built-in puzzles
  • Extra puzzle streams
  • Intuitive interface
  • Highlighting for letter consistency
  • Manual and auto-fill options
Features
Read full description

Can you crack the code? Astraware CodeWords is an addictive word puzzle game with a difference! You start with a crosswords style grid but instead of words, each letter has been substituted with a number from 1 to 26. It is up to you to figure out which number stands for each letter! There are no clues but 3 letters are already in place to help you get started and each letter of the alphabet is used at least once. You start by guessing possible words and matching numbers with letters, until you've fully cracked the code - and your vocabulary and logical reasoning will be stretched along the way! Did you know that the letter 'e' is the most commonly used letter in English? Did you know that 'th' is the most common pair of letters to be seen together? You'll use this knowledge and more as you make your guesses and work out the words! Astraware CodeWords gives you access to play our free Daily puzzles - top the global leaderboard by completing the puzzle in the fastest time! For an extra challenge there is a Weekender puzzle available each Friday with a trickier grid and more unusual words. Great features include: - Unlimited access to our two Daily puzzles and Weekender puzzle. - A collection of 50 built-in puzzles in various sizes and difficulties, perfect for beginners and avid players - Extra puzzle streams for endless play - Intuitive interface - Highlighting to show where you've chosen the same letter for different numbers - Option to fill in letters manually, or choose auto to fill in all occurrences of that letter at once - Save slots available to have several puzzles on the go at once, so you can stop for a break and come back to a puzzle later - Option to purchase extra value puzzle packs for offline play - Puzzles Plus subscription for unlimited puzzles Puzzles Plus Subscription Terms and Details Puzzles Plus is our optional subscription for CodeWords 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 listed at the Astraware site 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

Codewords Pro

Engage in a unique word puzzle game where numbers replace letters. Solve hundreds of free puzzles or tackle two new daily challenges. Customize your experience with various difficulty levels, grid styles, and language options.

Highlights
  • Hundreds of free puzzles
  • Two daily puzzles
  • Multiple difficulty levels
  • Various grid styles
  • Multiple languages
  • Customizable settings
  • VoiceOver compatibility
Features
Read full description

Codewords Pro is an app to play Codewords, a popular word game similar to crosswords. It features several hundred free puzzles as well as 2 daily puzzles. Codewords puzzles are similar to crosswords, but instead of clues, each letter has been replaced by a number from 1 to 26, and you need to figure out which letter each number represents. Features : - Several levels of difficulty, from beginner to very hard - A mix of grid styles : american, french, italian, ... (the difference is in the way the black squares are placed) - 2 new puzzles every day - Several languages available - Many settings to customize the features and the look and feel of the grid - Playable with VoiceOver

Screenshots

Astraware CodeWords4 screens
Codewords Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

Astraware CodeWords and Codewords Pro are too close to call on the numbers: across 10 compared parameters — price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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 CodeWords sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Codewords Pro sells 16 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Astraware CodeWords against 4.8 for Codewords Pro. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 162 and 259 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 87% and 88% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Astraware CodeWords ships an update every 6 weeks, Codewords Pro every 3 months. Both last shipped on September 29, 2026.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Astraware CodeWords versus Codewords Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAstraware CodeWordsCodewords Pro
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (162 ratings)4.8 (259 ratings) — better
Positive reviews87.4% of reviews87.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings162259 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.6
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB35 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperAstraware LimitedEmmanuel Mathis

Customer experience

Astraware CodeWords

All ratings162 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral1.9%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews167 reviews
Positive87.4%
Neutral4.2%
Negative8.4%

Codewords Pro

All ratings259 ratings
Positive96.5%
Neutral2.7%
Negative0.8%
Written reviews97 reviews
Positive87.6%
Neutral9.3%
Negative3.1%

User reviews

Astraware CodeWords

From 162 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Enjoyable and mentally stimulating
  • 🚀 Well-designed online puzzle
  • 👍 Challenging but always enjoyable
  • 👍 Great way to stimulate the brain
  • 👍 Excellent puzzles, fun and addictive

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inappropriate words in puzzles
  • 🔋 Increased ads and longer durations
  • 👎 Mandatory commercials ruin the experience
  • 👎 Repetitive long words make it too easy
  • 👎 Glitches and issues with latest update

Codewords Pro

From 259 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🧠 Good for brain exercise
  • 👍 Pleasant pastime
  • 💡 Lots of free content
  • 😌 Relaxing and enjoyable
  • 🚀 Fast and efficient

Room to improve

  • 🐛 VoiceOver compatibility issues
  • ❓ Inconsistent word choices
  • 😠 Frustration with VoiceOver
  • 🤔 Confusing word usage
  • 👎 Annoying ads

Bugs and requests

Astraware CodeWords

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Hints not adding correctly to time
  • Game no longer loads after recent update
  • Purchased puzzles and packs not available

Requested features

4 requests
  • More free puzzles made available daily
  • Flashing empty space indicator for last letter
  • Theme-based puzzles and more daily challenges
  • Ability to opt-out of competitive leaderboard

Codewords Pro

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • VoiceOver not working as expected
  • Cannot reset the grid
  • Incorrect display of letters/numbers with VoiceOver

Requested features

6 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • English version of the app
  • Option to remove ads with purchase
  • Synchronization between devices (iPad/iPhone)
  • More grids available
Show 1 more
  • Provide solutions the following day

In-app purchases

13 purchases

Astraware CodeWords

Subscriptions3
  • Puzzles Plus7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Puzzles Plus7 Days trial$2.993 Months
  • Puzzles Plus7 Days trial$7.991 Year
One-time10
  • Fun-size Pack$0.99
  • Family Pack$1.99
  • Tough Pack$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Easy Pack$1.99
  • Tough Pack 2$1.99
  • Vacation Pack$3.99
  • Ad-Free Daily Puzzles$4.99
  • Deluxe Pack$4.99
  • Deluxe Pack 2$4.99
  • Calendar Pack 2017$4.99
16 purchases

Codewords Pro

One-time16
  • Easy Puzzles - Vol. 3$1.99
  • Easy Puzzles - Vol. 4$1.99
  • Easy Puzzles - Vol. 5$1.99
Show 13 more
  • Intermediate Puzzles - Vol. 4$1.99
  • Easy Puzzles - Vol. 6$1.99
  • Expert Puzzles - Vol. 7$1.99
  • Expert Puzzles - Vol. 8$1.99
  • Hard Puzzles - Vol. 3$1.99
  • Easy Puzzles - Vol. 2$1.99
  • Intermediate Puzzles - Vol. 2$1.99
  • Hard Puzzles - Vol. 2$1.99
  • Expert Puzzles - Vol. 2$1.99
  • Intermediate Puzzles - Vol. 3$1.99
  • Expert Puzzles - Vol. 3$1.99
  • Easy Puzzles - Vol. 7$1.99
  • All-Access Pass$9.99

Questions

Is Astraware CodeWords free?
Astraware CodeWords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Codewords Pro free?
Codewords Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Astraware CodeWords or Codewords Pro?
Codewords Pro is rated higher. Astraware CodeWords averages 4.7 out of 5 from 162 ratings, while Codewords Pro averages 4.8 from 259 ratings.
Do Astraware CodeWords or Codewords Pro have ads?
Both Astraware CodeWords and Codewords Pro show ads.
Which is updated more often, Astraware CodeWords or Codewords Pro?
Astraware CodeWords ships an update every 6 weeks, and Codewords Pro every 3 months. Most recently, Astraware CodeWords was updated on September 29, 2026 and Codewords Pro on September 29, 2026.

Other comparisons