Comparison

Red Herring vs SpellTower

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

SpellTower

This word game challenges players to find words as tiles rise from the bottom. Strategize to clear columns before they reach the top. Features multiple game modes, bonus tiles, and detailed statistics.

Highlights
  • Rising tile mechanic
  • Multiple game modes
  • Bonus tiles
  • Detailed statistics
  • Game Center leaderboards
  • iCloud Backup
Features
Read full description

The original best-selling mobile word game, reimagined! Pick your words wisely! As you play, more tiles rise from the bottom of the screen! It'll take all of your lexicological wits, and tactical know-how to keep your columns down. If any letters make it to the top row, it's game over. Classic modes Daily Tower, Tower, Puzzle, Rush and Zen are all back and packed with brand new BONUS TILES that double (or more!) word values. Joining them is the brand new Search mode, plus ExPuzzle, Double Puzzle, Bubble Puzzle, and Blitz mode! That’s eleven modes in all! Plus iCloud Backup, Highscores reported for games even while in-progress, detailed statistics for every mode, Game Center leaderboards, and achievements. ————————— It’s pretty wild to be revisiting my first hit game, SpellTower. I can't believe it's almost 10 years since it released. The first iPhones it ran on had a 3.5 inch screen and 320 x 480 resolution! I literally did a double-take at that resolution when I looked it up. A funny part about having a hit game is people talk to you about it. With SpellTower I heard about grandparents playing the game every morning to keep their minds sharp, parents playing it with their kids, expectant mothers playing it to get through morning sickness, and countless sightings of strangers playing it on subways, planes — even elevators. I got into games because I wanted to connect with people in a positive way. I wanted to help people think critically and come away with more than they arrived with. Games felt like a way to do this on a huge scale, but the stories I heard from SpellTower players taught me that games do so much more for people than I ever expected. I’m deeply grateful that SpellTower has been able to be something special for so many people, and I think that’s why so many people have shared it with friends, loved ones, and strangers on elevators. Even though SpellTower is a game I made, it’s really barely mine anymore. The experiences and love I had for the game has been outstripped by its audiences a thousandfold. I thought a lot about all the experiences that people have had with the game when I was designing this new version. I hope it gives everyone who’s loved the game a reason to pick it back up again and share it amongst their friends and family. -zach

Screenshots

Red Herring3 screens
SpellTower4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Red Herring at 4.7 against SpellTower's 3.7. Red Herring also leads on review sentiment (76% vs 37%) and ratings volume (48K vs 629). SpellTower's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 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 SpellTower sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 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 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Red Herring has 48K ratings behind it against 629, 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 37% of SpellTower's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Red Herring ships an update every 3 months, SpellTower every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Red Herring versus SpellTower: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRed HerringSpellTower
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (48K ratings) — better3.7 (629 ratings)
Positive reviews75.6% of reviews — better37.4% of reviews
Number of ratings48K — better629
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size84 MB138 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%

SpellTower

All ratings629 ratings
Positive62.2%
Neutral11.3%
Negative26.6%
Written reviews198 reviews
Positive37.4%
Neutral19.2%
Negative43.4%

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

SpellTower

From 629 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Challenging and fun
  • 🧠 Great brain exercise
  • 🎨 Elegant and well-designed
  • 🕰️ Relaxing gameplay
  • 👍 Addictive and enjoyable

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Dictionary needs updating
  • 🤖 Words not recognized despite being valid
  • 💰 Ads too frequent and intrusive
  • 🔒 Paid version doesn't remove all ads
  • 🤯 Frustrating when game ends unexpectedly

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

SpellTower

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game freezes or crashes
  • Tutorial gets stuck and can't be skipped
  • Scoring and progress issues
  • Compatibility problems on certain devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Undo/Redo functionality
  • Adjustable difficulty levels
  • Sync progress across devices
  • Offline gameplay mode
  • More game modes and customization options

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
1 purchases

SpellTower

One-time1
  • Full Game Unlock$4.99

Questions

Is Red Herring free?
Red Herring is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SpellTower free?
SpellTower is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Red Herring or SpellTower?
Red Herring is rated higher. Red Herring averages 4.7 out of 5 from 48K ratings, while SpellTower averages 3.7 from 629 ratings.
Do Red Herring or SpellTower have ads?
Both Red Herring and SpellTower show ads.
Which is updated more often, Red Herring or SpellTower?
Red Herring ships an update every 3 months, and SpellTower every 2 days. Most recently, Red Herring was updated on September 24, 2026 and SpellTower on September 21, 2026.

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