Comparison

Red Herring vs Typeshift

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

Head to head
About

Red Herring

This word puzzle game challenges you to group words into categories while identifying misleading "Red Herring" words. Enjoy a fun, challenging, and easy-to-learn experience with no time limits and three difficulty levels suitable for all ages.

Highlights
  • Group words into categories
  • Identify misleading "Red Herring" words
  • No time limit
  • Three difficulty levels
  • Daily puzzle
Features
Read full description

Red Herring is the word connections game. How to play: 1. Make the connections and group words into categories. 2. Look out for the Red Herrings, pesky words whose sole purpose is to mislead you. 3. Have fun making the connections! Red Herring is a FUN, CHALLENGING, and EASY TO LEARN word connections puzzle game. Each puzzle has only one correct solution and there's no time limit. Three difficulty levels make it suitable for the whole family. Don't say we didn't warn you if you can't stop playing. Give Red Herring a try today! From the creators of 7 Little Words and Moxie. ----- Red Herring contains 25 puzzles and a daily puzzle that you can play for free. Additional puzzles are available for purchase inside the app.

About

Typeshift

This word puzzle game challenges you to unscramble letters within stacked words to form new words in the center row. It offers daily challenges with global leaderboards and special clue-based puzzles. Unlock additional content and remove ads with in-app purchases.

Highlights
  • Anagram and word search mechanics
  • Shift letter columns to spell words
  • Daily challenges with leaderboards
  • Special clue puzzles
  • Unlockable puzzle packs
  • Themes and statistics
Features
Read full description

From the creator of SpellTower, comes a new and completely original word game! Anagrams meets Word Search, with a sprinkle of Crosswords. Typeshift is the modern anagram puzzle; re-imagined from the ground up, combining wordplay, modern game design, and a mobile-first approach. In most anagram games, you search for new combinations within a single word, but in Typeshift, you search within three to five words stacked & scrambled up together. Shift columns of letters up and down as you try to spell words in the center row. Play continues until you have used all letters in a puzzle at least once. Special Clue Puzzles combine Crosswords with Anagrams as you match clever clues provided by Typeshift's various puzzle authors. - Daily Word Game Play with Global Leaderboards - Typeshift features a free daily challenge with global leaderboards. The easiest challenge for the week appears on Monday, and progressively more challenging puzzles build throughout the week. Compare your fastest Typeshift daily solving times with players around the globe! ------WHAT CRITICS ARE SAYING "Addictive and edifying, like popping a special kind of bubble wrap that expands your vocabulary.” - The Verge "Typeshift is a unmissable entry to the [word] genre." Gold Award. - Pocket Gamer "Typeshift is f*cking awesome" - Giant Bombcast "The Word Puzzle Game You've Been Waiting For" - Waypoint "Well worth your time" - Sixcolors ------WHATS IN THE “BOX”? Typeshift comes with over a hundred free puzzles, with more coming soon, plus new free daily puzzles every day. Additional puzzle packs may be purchased in-app. Purchasing any puzzle pack removes ads, and unlocks themes & detailed statistics. ------A WORD FROM THE DEVELOPER Typeshift continues my quest to re-imagine classic newspaper games in the digital era. Where SpellTower tackled word search and Really Bad Chess handled chess puzzles, Typeshift re-examines Anagrams and Crosswords. Typeshift has been a joy to develop, and I hope you have as much fun playing it as I had making it. As always, thanks so much for your support! -zach

Screenshots

Red Herring3 screens
Typeshift4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Red Herring at 4.7 against Typeshift's 4.3. Red Herring also leads on review sentiment (76% vs 49%) and ratings volume (48K vs 497). Typeshift's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Red Herring sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Typeshift sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Red Herring holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Red Herring has 48K ratings behind it against 497, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Red Herring's written reviews are positive against 49% of Typeshift's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Red Herring ships an update every 3 months, Typeshift every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Red Herring versus Typeshift: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRed HerringTypeshift
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (48K ratings) — better4.3 (497 ratings)
Positive reviews75.6% of reviews — better49.3% of reviews
Number of ratings48K — better497
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.614.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size84 MB72 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBlue Ox Family Games, Inc.Zach Gage

Customer experience

Red Herring

All ratings47,841 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral3.2%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews324 reviews
Positive75.6%
Neutral12.7%
Negative11.7%

Typeshift

All ratings497 ratings
Positive80.9%
Neutral7.8%
Negative11.3%
Written reviews211 reviews
Positive49.3%
Neutral17.5%
Negative33.2%

User reviews

Red Herring

From 48K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🤔 Challenging and thought-provoking
  • 🧠 Exercises the mind
  • ⏰ Good time-passer
  • 🎮 Fun and addictive game
  • 🎓 Educational and expands vocabulary

Room to improve

  • 🇺🇸 Too American-centric
  • 💰 Expensive paid content
  • 🚫 Limited free content
  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes
  • 🔍 Obscure references and categories

Typeshift

From 497 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Challenging and fun
  • 👍 Unique and innovative game concept
  • ⭐ Great brain workout
  • 🎨 Elegant and minimalistic design
  • 📚 Helps expand vocabulary

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 🔍 Obscure/uncommon words used
  • 🔇 Intrusive ads
  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • ⚠️ Compatibility issues with newer devices

Bugs and requests

Red Herring

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Formatting issues after updates
  • Inability to access previous daily puzzles
  • Ads that cannot be dismissed

Requested features

5 requests
  • More free daily puzzles
  • Less American-focused content
  • Dark mode option
  • Ability to replay past puzzles
  • Hints system improvements

Typeshift

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Puzzle timer inaccuracies
  • Purchased content not restoring properly
  • Letters not registering correctly
  • Puzzles not displaying properly on some devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • More clue puzzles and puzzle packs
  • Option to reset/replay completed puzzle packs
  • Sync progress across devices
  • Support for British/Australian English
  • Built-in dictionary with better word definitions

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Red Herring

One-time10
  • Curiosity - 50 Puzzles$1.99
  • Brilliant! - 50 Puzzles$1.99
  • Allegro - 50 Puzzles$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Spelunking - 50 Puzzles$1.99
  • Renaissance - 50 Puzzles$1.99
  • IQ - 50 Puzzles$1.99
  • Serendipity - 50 Puzzles$1.99
  • Unlimited Hints$2.99
  • Older Daily Puzzles 2014 Jul - Dec$3.99
  • Quantum Leap - 175 Puzzles$4.99
10 purchases

Typeshift

One-time10
  • Chocolate Puzzle Pack$0.99
  • Peppermint Puzzle Pack$0.99
  • Pecan Clue Puzzle Pack$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Walnut Clue Puzzle Pack$1.99
  • Parmesan Clue Puzzle Pack$1.99
  • Umami Clue Puzzle Pack$1.99
  • Pistachio Clue Puzzle Pack$1.99
  • Starter Bundle$1.99
  • Sophomore Bundle$1.99
  • Gumshoe Clue Bundle$3.99

Questions

Is Red Herring free?
Red Herring is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Typeshift free?
Typeshift is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Red Herring or Typeshift?
Red Herring is rated higher. Red Herring averages 4.7 out of 5 from 48K ratings, while Typeshift averages 4.3 from 497 ratings.
Do Red Herring or Typeshift have ads?
Both Red Herring and Typeshift show ads.
Which is updated more often, Red Herring or Typeshift?
Red Herring ships an update every 3 months, and Typeshift every 6 weeks. Most recently, Red Herring was updated on September 25, 2026 and Typeshift on September 22, 2026.

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