# SpellBee vs Hivethrum

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hivethrum at none against SpellBee's 2. Hivethrum also leads on ads (none vs shown). SpellBee's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SpellBee sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Hivethrum asks for nothing beyond the download.

SpellBee ships an update fortnightly, Hivethrum every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SpellBee | Hivethrum |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (3.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spellbee-spelling-puzzle/id6504094765/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **3.5K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 28.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 65 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [AppStation Studio Pte. Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1192656413) | [Dachverband Legasthenie Deutschland e.V.](https://appshunter.io/developer/719533476) |

## What reviewers say

### SpellBee

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spellbee-spelling-puzzle/id6504094765)

This word puzzle game challenges you to create words from seven letters, with one central letter required in every word. It offers daily puzzles, progress tracking, and global leaderboards. Enhance your vocabulary and cognitive skills with this engaging brain-boosting activity.

**Highlights:** Create words from seven letters, Find the pangram, Daily puzzles, Track progress and scores, Global leaderboards, Offline play

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SpellBee Premium | $2.99 | per month |
| SpellBee Premium | $24.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun game
- 👍 Challenging
- 👍 Enjoyable

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Losing progress/words
- 🐛 Repeated letters across days
- 🐛 Missing common words in dictionary
- 🔍 Lack of hints/features
- 💸 Excessive ads

**Reported bugs**

- Freezing/crashing issues
- Losing progress and daily words
- Repeated letters across days

**Requested features**

- Add option to disable ads
- Improve dictionary and word selection
- Implement hints or other features
- Allow multiple players on the same game


### Hivethrum

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hivethrum/id6799267944)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SpellBee free?

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

### Is Hivethrum free?

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

### Do SpellBee or Hivethrum have ads?

SpellBee shows ads; Hivethrum does not.

### Which is updated more often, SpellBee or Hivethrum?

SpellBee ships an update fortnightly, and Hivethrum every 9 days. Most recently, SpellBee was updated on October 20, 2026 and Hivethrum on October 9, 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.*