# Capitals vs ShiftFive

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Capitals at none against ShiftFive's 11. Capitals also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). ShiftFive's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and review sentiment (100% vs 74%). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ShiftFive sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Capitals asks for nothing beyond the download.

ShiftFive holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Capitals has 183 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Capitals's written reviews are positive against 100% of ShiftFive's.

Capitals ships an update weekly, ShiftFive monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Capitals | ShiftFive |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (183 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/capitals-word-game/id6499354232/reviews) | **[5.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shiftfive/id6502816034/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **183** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 73.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 14 MB | 68 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [NimbleBit LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/285808572) | [Braxton Smallwood](https://appshunter.io/developer/1732527885) |

## What reviewers say

### Capitals

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/capitals-word-game/id6499354232)

Engage in strategic multiplayer wordplay to outsmart opponents and capture territory. Sharpen your vocabulary and strategic thinking in turn-based matches. Customize your avatar to express your style.

**Highlights:** Multiplayer wordplay, Turn-based matches, Strategic territory capture, Vocabulary challenges, Customizable avatars

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and challenging gameplay
- 👍 Satisfying game mechanics
- 👍 Unobtrusive ads
- 👍 Clever word game concept
- 👍 Addictive gameplay

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Annoying review prompts
- 👎 Some players may be cheating
- 👎 Missing features from original version
- 👎 No sound in the current version
- 👎 UI can lead to mistakes

**Reported bugs**

- App store message to rate won't go away
- No way to start game (no vowels/consonants) with no pass/trade option
- Pop-ups about lost games and long press to delete words
- Stats menu is empty
- Game ID not found for random opponents

**Requested features**

- Stop the app store rating prompt
- Bring back prewritten comments/words
- Bring back stats against other players
- Bring back same phone multiplayer/pass and play
- More reliable dictionary


### ShiftFive

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shiftfive/id6502816034)

Engage in a strategic letter elimination game where you guess a five-letter word. Utilize color-coded feedback to eliminate letters and score points. Unlock rewards and themed word packs for extended gameplay.

**Highlights:** Strategic letter elimination, Color-coded feedback system, Daily Classic and Daily Shift modes, Unlockable rewards, Themed Word Packs, Scoring based on efficiency

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| It's Spooky Word Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Gettin' Swoll Word Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pass the Popcorn Word Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| The Feels Word Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Nom Nom Word Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Feel the Beat Word Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| To Be Young Word Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| It's a Zoo Word Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| On the Go Word Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| 5 Word Packs + Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| 10 Word Packs+Unlimited+No Ads | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Capitals free?

Capitals is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ShiftFive free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Capitals or ShiftFive?

ShiftFive is rated higher. Capitals averages 4.6 out of 5 from 183 ratings, while ShiftFive averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.

### Do Capitals or ShiftFive have ads?

ShiftFive shows ads; Capitals does not.

### Which is updated more often, Capitals or ShiftFive?

Capitals ships an update weekly, and ShiftFive monthly. Most recently, Capitals was updated on October 27, 2026 and ShiftFive on October 15, 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.*