# Simon Tatham's Puzzles vs Knotwords

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Simon Tatham's Puzzles at none against Knotwords's 2. Simon Tatham's Puzzles also leads on review sentiment (95% vs 74%) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 13.6). Knotwords's advantage is ratings volume (8.2K vs 248). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Knotwords sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Simon Tatham's Puzzles asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Simon Tatham's Puzzles against 4.8 for Knotwords. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Knotwords has 8.2K ratings behind it against 248, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 95% of Simon Tatham's Puzzles's written reviews are positive against 74% of Knotwords's.

Simon Tatham's Puzzles ships an update every 2 weeks, Knotwords every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Simon Tatham's Puzzles | Knotwords |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (248 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simon-tathams-puzzles/id622220631/reviews)** | [4.8 (8.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/knotwords/id1598756238/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 248 | **8.2K** |
| Positive reviews | **94.6% of reviews** | 73.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 4 MB | 507 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 13.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Greg Hewgill](https://appshunter.io/developer/517923493) | [Zach Gage](https://appshunter.io/developer/294263418) |

## What reviewers say

### Simon Tatham's Puzzles

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simon-tathams-puzzles/id622220631)

Explore a diverse collection of 38 engaging single-player puzzle games designed for mobile devices. Enjoy a wide variety of challenges, from logic and spatial reasoning to pattern recognition and strategy.

**Highlights:** 38 single-player puzzle games, Variety of puzzle types, Logic and strategy challenges, Spatial reasoning puzzles, Pattern recognition games

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great variety of puzzles
- 👍 No ads or in-app purchases
- 👍 Simple, intuitive interface
- 👍 Customizable difficulty levels
- 👍 Offline playability

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Compatibility issues with iOS 14
- 👎 Lack of zoom/scaling options
- 👎 Reliance on long-press controls can be awkward
- 👎 Some puzzles not as intuitive on mobile

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on startup with iOS 14
- Filling/marking not working properly in some puzzles

**Requested features**

- Zoom/scaling options for larger puzzles
- Alternative control schemes (e.g. tap-to-flag)
- Inclusion of all puzzles from desktop version


### Knotwords

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/knotwords/id1598756238)

A daily word puzzle game that challenges you to arrange letters into valid words across and down. Its minimal design and intuitive progression make it an engaging and accessible brain teaser.

**Highlights:** Minimalist and elegant design, Logic-based word puzzles, Daily challenges, Intuitive progression system, Valid word arrangement

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Knotwords Pro subscription | $4.99 | per year |
| Full Game | $11.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great game
- 👍 Fun and challenging
- 🚀 Simple but engaging
- 👍 Unique concept
- 👍 Addictive

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Buggy cursor/input issues
- 🐛 Slow performance
- 🐛 Questionable word choices
- 🔋 Battery drain

**Reported bugs**

- Puzzles with missing/incorrect squares
- Incorrect words being accepted
- Puzzles not properly credited as completed
- Hints not matching the correct answers

**Requested features**

- Ability to turn off haptic feedback
- Improved cursor/input behavior
- Cloud sync across devices
- Difficulty settings
- Ability to see definitions of completed words


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Simon Tatham's Puzzles free?

Simon Tatham's Puzzles is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Knotwords free?

Knotwords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Simon Tatham's Puzzles or Knotwords?

Simon Tatham's Puzzles is rated higher. Simon Tatham's Puzzles averages 4.8 out of 5 from 248 ratings, while Knotwords averages 4.8 from 8.2K ratings.

### Do Simon Tatham's Puzzles or Knotwords have ads?

Neither Simon Tatham's Puzzles nor Knotwords shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Simon Tatham's Puzzles or Knotwords?

Simon Tatham's Puzzles ships an update every 2 weeks, and Knotwords every 10 days. Most recently, Simon Tatham's Puzzles was updated on November 6, 2026 and Knotwords on November 10, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*