Comparison

Astraware CodeWords vs Crossword Scramble!

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

Crossword Scramble!

This word game challenges you to unscramble jumbled clues to solve crossword puzzles. It offers a unique twist on traditional crosswords, providing a fun way to exercise your brain and improve your vocabulary. Conquer multiple levels and test your skills with increasingly complex puzzles.

Highlights
  • Unscramble jumbled crossword clues
  • Four difficulty levels
  • 1000 puzzles available for purchase
  • Track progress in puzzle book
  • Brain exercise for word game lovers
Features
Read full description

A new type of crossword puzzle for word game lovers! A crossword puzzle has been scrambled. For example: if the clue says BACRMSDEL, the answer is ... SCRAMBLED! To solve a puzzle you will have to unscramble all the clues. Can you conquer the expert level with its extra-long words? Crossword Scramble is great exercise for your brain, and great practice for other word games like Scrabble and Boggle. (I'm serious--try it and see how much your scores improve!) We made this app free so that you can test it without having to buy anything. It comes with eight free puzzles--two puzzles in each of the four levels. There are 1000 puzzles available to purchase, but the eight free puzzles might just keep you busy for a while! Features: - 4 levels - 1000 puzzles - See your progress instantly in the puzzle book - A fun way to exercise your brain!

Screenshots

Astraware CodeWords4 screens
Crossword Scramble!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Crossword Scramble! at none against Astraware CodeWords's shown. Crossword Scramble! also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.6). Astraware CodeWords's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 39 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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 CodeWords sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Crossword Scramble! sells 13 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 Crossword Scramble!. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 166 and 130 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 87% of Astraware CodeWords's written reviews are positive against 79% of Crossword Scramble!'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Astraware CodeWords ships an update every 6 weeks, Crossword Scramble! every 39 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Astraware CodeWords versus Crossword Scramble!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAstraware CodeWordsCrossword Scramble!
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (166 ratings)4.8 (130 ratings) — better
Positive reviews87.4% of reviews — better79.5% of reviews
Number of ratings166 — better130
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 39 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.69.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAstraware LimitedSarah Pierce

Customer experience

Astraware CodeWords

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

Crossword Scramble!

All ratings130 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral3.8%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews39 reviews
Positive79.5%
Neutral10.3%
Negative10.3%

User reviews

Astraware CodeWords

From 166 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

Crossword Scramble!

From 130 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Addictive and fun gameplay
  • 🧠 Excellent for keeping the brain active
  • 🧩 Challenging and satisfying puzzles
  • 💡 Unique twist on crossword puzzles
  • 💰 Reasonable price for puzzle packs

Room to improve

  • 💸 Limited free puzzles, requires payment to progress
  • 🐛 Puzzles can have multiple solutions, leading to frustration
  • 🚫 App is now unsupported abandonware (as of Apr 2024)
  • 📉 No ability to restore previous purchases
  • 🤔 Some words are uncommon or associated with unique fields

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

Crossword Scramble!

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Puzzles have multiple solutions and don't give credit for correct answers
  • No ability to restore previous purchases (as of Apr 2024)
  • App is unsupported abandonware (as of Apr 2024)

Requested features

10 requests
  • Add a forward and back button to jump to next clue/word
  • Automatically jump to the next word after completing a word
  • Make an easier set of puzzles for aphasia recovery
  • Open up more games for free
  • Earn free games after completing a certain number of puzzles
Show 5 more
  • Option to highlight incorrect words
  • Offer hints or highlight errors across the puzzle with one button press
  • Add a timer for saving personal stats
  • Consider having the wrong letter change color
  • Allow interaction with other players

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
13 purchases

Crossword Scramble!

One-time13
  • Easy Pack #1$0.99
  • Easy Pack #2$0.99
  • Easy Pack #3$0.99
Show 10 more
  • Medium Pack #1$0.99
  • Medium Pack #2$0.99
  • Medium Pack #3$0.99
  • Hard Pack #1$0.99
  • Hard Pack #2$0.99
  • Expert Pack #1$0.99
  • Expert Pack #2$0.99
  • Medium Pack #4$0.99
  • Hard Pack #4$0.99
  • Megapack - all 20 packs in one!$6.99

Questions

Is Astraware CodeWords free?
Astraware CodeWords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Crossword Scramble! free?
Crossword Scramble! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Astraware CodeWords or Crossword Scramble!?
Crossword Scramble! is rated higher. Astraware CodeWords averages 4.7 out of 5 from 166 ratings, while Crossword Scramble! averages 4.8 from 130 ratings.
Do Astraware CodeWords or Crossword Scramble! have ads?
Astraware CodeWords shows ads; Crossword Scramble! does not.
Which is updated more often, Astraware CodeWords or Crossword Scramble!?
Astraware CodeWords ships an update every 6 weeks, and Crossword Scramble! every 39 months. Most recently, Astraware CodeWords was updated on October 29, 2026 and Crossword Scramble! on October 26, 2026.

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