Comparison

Codewords + vs Jigsaw Crossword

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

Head to head
About

Codewords +

Solve crosswords where letters are replaced by numbers. Decipher the code to reveal the hidden words. Offers five difficulty levels, making it suitable for beginners and experienced players alike. Enjoy a clean, digital experience with unlimited attempts and progress tracking.

Highlights
  • Number-coded crosswords
  • Five difficulty levels
  • 1400 puzzles available
  • Progress tracking
  • Mental exercise
Features
Read full description

Crossword puzzles with a twist! All the letters in a crossword have been replaced by numbers. Can you figure out which letter each number represents? Five different levels make this app is the perfect way to learn if you have never played before. Our codewords app is even better than playing it on paper. You won't waste any time searching around for a number, and you can change your answer as many times as you want without turning your puzzle into a mess. We made this app free so that you can test it without having to buy anything. It comes with ten free puzzles--two puzzles in each of the five levels. There are 1400 puzzles available for download, but the ten free puzzles might just keep you busy for a long time :) Features: - Easy to learn! - 5 levels of difficulty - 1400 puzzles (10 are free) - See your progress instantly in the puzzle book - A fun mental exercise to keep your brain sharp!

About

Jigsaw Crossword

Reconstruct crosswords by fitting lettered jigsaw pieces together. Offers extensive customization for grid size, difficulty, and language, with helpful game aids. Ideal for word puzzle enthusiasts looking for a unique challenge.

Highlights
  • Jigsaw piece crossword reconstruction
  • Unlimited customizable puzzles
  • Multiple difficulty levels
  • 36 downloadable language dictionaries
  • Adjustable grid size and orientation
  • Word definitions and language learning aid
  • High score tracking
Features
Read full description

Recreate a crossword with jigsaw pieces. The letters on the pieces help you complete the puzzle. Easy to use interface, drag and drop puzzle pieces across the screen. This game is also known as pieceword, bits & pieces, jigcross, jigsnip and building blocks. The words to find are in English, or you can play in 35 other languages. • Play an unlimited number of different puzzles!! • Multiple difficulty options. Play one of 10 built in difficulty levels, or use the custom mode to configure the difficulty of the game to exactly what you want • Four different sizes of puzzle piece are possible • Pieces can start outside the grid (classic version), or all are randomly placed on the grid and are then swapped to find the solution (ideal for smaller screens) • Designed for fun games from the smallest mobile phones up to the largest tablets You can configure: 1) Grid size Specify exactly how many columns and rows to use (from 3 to 20). Even non square grids (e.g. 12x15) are possible 2) Difficulty settings Change the difficulty of the puzzles, from easy to very difficult 3) Language Choose the language of the word list, from a large range of downloadable dictionaries. 36 languages are currently available (see below) 4) Orientation Can be played in portrait or landscape mode. Just rotate your device and the display adjusts automatically This app gives you the ultimate power to play the game just the way you want. Game aids: 1) As words are formed, then valid words are highlighted 2) You can choose to have one or more pieces placed into their correct position at the beginning of the game 3) During the game, you can request a random puzzle piece to be placed into its correct position 4) You can ask the game if a selected puzzle piece is in the correct position Each game is assigned a difficulty level from 0 (easy) to 9 (very hard). The difficulty level is determined by the settings or the difficulty selector. Each difficulty level maintains the high scores (measured by fastest time to complete the game). The game displays the best 20 scores for each difficulty level. Other features unique to this app: 1) View the definition of the word from an online dictionary (internet connection required) 2) When you play with a word list in a foreign language, the word definition will (where possible) be in your own language. This is great for language learning! You can play this app in the following languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Polish, Hungarian, Czech, Russian, Arabic, Bulgarian, Croatian, Greek, Indonesian, Romanian, Serbian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovak, Slovene, Turkish, Ukrainian, Afrikaans, Albanian, Azeri, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Catalan, Galician, Tagalog

Screenshots

Codewords +4 screens
Jigsaw Crossword4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Codewords + at none against Jigsaw Crossword's shown. Codewords + also leads on ratings volume (352 vs 49) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 12.0). Jigsaw Crossword's advantage is update cadence (every 6 months vs every 39 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases 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. Codewords + sells 16 one-off in-app purchases and Jigsaw Crossword sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per year. 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 — 4.8 for Codewords + against 4.8 for Jigsaw Crossword. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Codewords + has 352 ratings behind it against 49, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of Codewords +'s written reviews are positive against 87% of Jigsaw Crossword's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Codewords + ships an update every 39 months, Jigsaw Crossword every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Codewords + versus Jigsaw Crossword: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCodewords +Jigsaw Crossword
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (352 ratings)4.8 (49 ratings)
Positive reviews88.5% of reviews — better87.1% of reviews
Number of ratings352 — better49
Update frequencyEvery 39 monthsEvery 6 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB90 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSarah PierceHavos

Customer experience

Codewords +

All ratings352 ratings
Positive95.5%
Neutral3.7%
Negative0.9%
Written reviews122 reviews
Positive88.5%
Neutral8.2%
Negative3.3%

Jigsaw Crossword

All ratings49 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral2.0%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews31 reviews
Positive87.1%
Neutral3.2%
Negative9.7%

Bugs and requests

Codewords +

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Puzzle #29 looks different from actual puzzle
  • App is slowing down user's phone, needs update

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add a help/clue button
  • Option to choose UK English spelling
  • Add a timer for more challenge
  • Allow users to insert letters manually
  • Add more puzzles/levels

Jigsaw Crossword

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

16 purchases

Codewords +

One-time16
  • Gentle Pack #1$0.99
  • Gentle Pack #2$0.99
  • Easy Pack #1$0.99
Show 13 more
  • Easy Pack #2$0.99
  • Medium Pack #1$0.99
  • Medium Pack #2$0.99
  • Hard Pack #1$0.99
  • Hard Pack #2$0.99
  • Expert Pack #1$0.99
  • Gentle Pack #4$0.99
  • Gentle Pack #3$0.99
  • Medium Pack #4$0.99
  • Medium Pack #3$0.99
  • Hard Pack #4$0.99
  • Hard Pack #3$0.99
  • Megapack$6.99
1 purchases

Jigsaw Crossword

Subscriptions1
  • Supporter (no ads)$4.991 Year

Questions

Is Codewords + free?
Codewords + is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Jigsaw Crossword free?
Jigsaw Crossword is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Codewords + or Jigsaw Crossword?
Codewords + and Jigsaw Crossword are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 352 and 49 ratings respectively.
Do Codewords + or Jigsaw Crossword have ads?
Jigsaw Crossword shows ads; Codewords + does not.
Which is updated more often, Codewords + or Jigsaw Crossword?
Codewords + ships an update every 39 months, and Jigsaw Crossword every 6 months. Most recently, Codewords + was updated on October 10, 2026 and Jigsaw Crossword on October 9, 2026.

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