Comparison

Cryptic Crossword vs Daily Cryptic

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

Head to head
About

Cryptic Crossword

Engage with over 260 professional cryptic crosswords designed for experienced puzzle solvers. Enjoy a full-featured experience with 29 free puzzles, including pinch zooming, mistake highlighting, and resume functionality.

Highlights
  • 260+ professional cryptic crosswords
  • 29 free puzzles
  • Pinch zooming grid
  • Cheats and mistake highlighting
  • Resume functionality
  • Customizable preferences
Features
Read full description

A brand new cryptic crossword every day, plus 260+ professional puzzles to keep you pondering. These are cryptic level crosswords, suitable for seasoned crossword enthusiasts. DAILY PUZZLES A brand new cryptic crossword published every day. Build a streak by playing daily, earn coins, and unlock puzzles at your own pace. Four weeks of daily puzzles are available to catch up on. EXPLAIN THE CLUE Stuck on the wordplay? Tap 'Explain clue' for a clear explanation of how any cryptic clue works, breaking down the wordplay and the definition. A great way to learn the tricks of cryptic solving. SUBSCRIBE FOR FULL ACCESS Subscribe for unlimited access to every daily puzzle and all archive packs, with no coins needed. Available as monthly, quarterly, or annual plans. 260+ ARCHIVE PUZZLES Thirteen packs of professional cryptic crosswords to keep you thinking. Great for a quick coffee break or a longer session. EARN COINS & STREAKS Open the app each day to earn bonus coins. The longer your streak, the bigger the bonus. Spend coins to unlock daily and archive puzzles, or watch a short ad for extra coins whenever you choose. Features: - a brand new cryptic crossword every day - daily login bonus with streak rewards - earn coins by playing daily, or watch a short ad for extra coins - unlock puzzles with coins, or subscribe for unlimited access - great for iPads and iPhones - pinch zooming grid - 'Explain clue' breaks down the wordplay and definition of any cryptic clue - hints, highlight mistakes and answer checking - backup and restore If you're finding Cryptic a little too challenging, why not try our standard 'Crossword' or 'Crossword US' apps. The Terms of Use (EULA) can be found here: https://www.teazel.com/cryptic_crossword_terms/ios_terms_en.html

About

Daily Cryptic

Learn to solve cryptic crosswords with daily clues, progressive hints, and step-by-step explanations. Build your skills through a structured learning series and practice with weekly crosswords and monthly prize challenges.

Highlights
  • Daily cryptic clues
  • Progressive hints
  • Step-by-step explanations
  • Structured learning series
  • Weekly practice crosswords
  • Monthly prize challenges
  • Progress tracking
Features
Read full description

Daily Cryptic teaches you to solve cryptic crosswords — one clue at a time. Every day brings a fresh cryptic clue with progressive hints and a step-by-step explanation, so you learn the technique behind every answer. Work through the learning series, build a solving streak, then put your skills to work on full crosswords and monthly prize challenges. EVERY DAY • A new hand-picked cryptic clue • Progressive hints when you're stuck • Clear step-by-step explanations of the wordplay • Streaks and stats to track your progress LEARN THE CRAFT • A structured learning series covering the major clue types — anagrams, hidden words, containers, reversals and more • Step-by-step explainers that show how each answer is built CROSSWORDS & PRIZES • Weekly crosswords to practise on • Monthly prize challenges • Entry rules and eligibility are shown before you enter SYNC EVERYWHERE • Your progress, streaks and entries sync between iOS and dailycryptic.co Terms of Use: https://dailycryptic.co/terms Privacy Policy: https://dailycryptic.co/privacy

Screenshots

Cryptic Crossword4 screens
Daily Cryptic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Daily Cryptic at every 2 days against Cryptic Crossword's every 3 months. Cryptic Crossword's advantage is ratings volume (1.1K vs 3) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, ads 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. Cryptic Crossword sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Daily Cryptic sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per 3 months. 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 Cryptic Crossword against 4.7 for Daily Cryptic. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cryptic Crossword has 1.1K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cryptic Crossword ships an update every 3 months, Daily Cryptic every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Cryptic Crossword versus Daily Cryptic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCryptic CrosswordDaily Cryptic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.1K ratings) — better4.7 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews90.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.1K — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB11 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperTeazelTF Daily

Customer experience

Cryptic Crossword

All ratings1,063 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral2.4%
Negative0.8%
Written reviews318 reviews
Positive90.3%
Neutral6.0%
Negative3.8%

Daily Cryptic

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Cryptic Crossword

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Backup/restore not working
  • Purchased puzzles disappearing after device change
  • Freezing and crashing issues

Requested features

7 requests
  • Ability to reset/replay puzzles
  • More challenging puzzle packs
  • Explanations/hints for clues
  • Syncing progress across devices
  • Graded difficulty levels
Show 2 more
  • Dark mode option
  • Ability to indicate wrong answers

Daily Cryptic

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

15 purchases

Cryptic Crossword

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Yearly (best value)1 Year trial$12.991 Year
One-time13
  • pack of Cryptic Crosswords (Pack 1)$0.99
  • pack of Cryptic Crosswords (Pack 2)$0.99
  • pack of Cryptic Crosswords (Pack 3)$0.99
Show 10 more
  • pack of Cryptic Crosswords (Pack 4)$0.99
  • pack of Cryptic Crosswords (Pack 5)$0.99
  • pack of Cryptic Crosswords (Pack 6)$0.99
  • pack of Cryptic Crosswords (Pack 8)$0.99
  • pack of Cryptic Crosswords (Pack 9)$0.99
  • pack of Cryptic Crosswords (Pack 10)$0.99
  • pack of Cryptic Crosswords (Pack 7)$0.99
  • pack (Pack 13 with 20 puzzles)$0.99
  • pack (Pack 12 with 20 puzzles)$0.99
  • get all 13 Cryptic packs$3.99
2 purchases

Daily Cryptic

Subscriptions2
  • Plus Quarterly7 Days trial$24.993 Months
  • Plus Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Cryptic Crossword free?
Cryptic Crossword is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Daily Cryptic free?
Daily Cryptic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Cryptic Crossword or Daily Cryptic?
Cryptic Crossword is rated higher. Cryptic Crossword averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Daily Cryptic averages 4.7 from 3 ratings.
Do Cryptic Crossword or Daily Cryptic have ads?
Neither Cryptic Crossword nor Daily Cryptic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cryptic Crossword or Daily Cryptic?
Cryptic Crossword ships an update every 3 months, and Daily Cryptic every 2 days. Most recently, Cryptic Crossword was updated on October 21, 2026 and Daily Cryptic on October 5, 2026.

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