# Red Herring vs Knotwords

The clearest difference is ads: Knotwords at none against Red Herring's shown. Knotwords also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (13.6 vs 16.6). Red Herring's advantage is ratings volume (48K vs 8.1K). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Red Herring sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Knotwords sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Red Herring against 4.8 for Knotwords. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Red Herring has 48K ratings behind it against 8.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of Red Herring's written reviews are positive against 73% of Knotwords's.

Red Herring ships an update every 3 months, Knotwords every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Red Herring | Knotwords |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (48K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/red-herring/id663596265/reviews) | **[4.8 (8.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/knotwords/id1598756238/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **48K** | 8.1K |
| Positive reviews | **75.6% of reviews** | 73.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 84 MB | 507 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | **13.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Blue Ox Family Games, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/288074001) | [Zach Gage](https://appshunter.io/developer/294263418) |

## What reviewers say

### Red Herring

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/red-herring/id663596265)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Curiosity - 50 Puzzles | $1.99 | one-time |
| Brilliant! - 50 Puzzles | $1.99 | one-time |
| Allegro - 50 Puzzles | $1.99 | one-time |
| Spelunking - 50 Puzzles | $1.99 | one-time |
| Renaissance - 50 Puzzles | $1.99 | one-time |
| IQ - 50 Puzzles | $1.99 | one-time |
| Serendipity - 50 Puzzles | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited Hints | $2.99 | one-time |
| Older Daily Puzzles 2014 Jul - Dec | $3.99 | one-time |
| Quantum Leap - 175 Puzzles | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


### Knotwords

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/knotwords/id1598756238)

A daily word puzzle game that challenges you to arrange letters into valid words across and down. Its minimal design and intuitive progression make it an engaging and accessible brain teaser.

**Highlights:** Minimalist and elegant design, Logic-based word puzzles, Daily challenges, Intuitive progression system, Valid word arrangement

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Knotwords Pro subscription | $4.99 | per year |
| Full Game | $11.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great game
- 👍 Fun and challenging
- 🚀 Simple but engaging
- 👍 Unique concept
- 👍 Addictive

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Buggy cursor/input issues
- 🐛 Slow performance
- 🐛 Questionable word choices
- 🔋 Battery drain

**Reported bugs**

- Puzzles with missing/incorrect squares
- Incorrect words being accepted
- Puzzles not properly credited as completed
- Hints not matching the correct answers

**Requested features**

- Ability to turn off haptic feedback
- Improved cursor/input behavior
- Cloud sync across devices
- Difficulty settings
- Ability to see definitions of completed words


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Red Herring free?

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

### Is Knotwords free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Red Herring or Knotwords?

Knotwords is rated higher. Red Herring averages 4.7 out of 5 from 48K ratings, while Knotwords averages 4.8 from 8.1K ratings.

### Do Red Herring or Knotwords have ads?

Red Herring shows ads; Knotwords does not.

### Which is updated more often, Red Herring or Knotwords?

Red Herring ships an update every 3 months, and Knotwords every 10 days. Most recently, Red Herring was updated on September 25, 2026 and Knotwords on September 24, 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.*