# Red Herring vs A

The clearest difference is rating: Red Herring at 4.7 against A's 4.0. Red Herring also leads on ratings volume (48K vs 11) and review sentiment (76% vs 67%). A's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Red Herring sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and A sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Red Herring holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Red Herring has 48K ratings behind it against 11, 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 67% of A's.

Red Herring ships an update every 3 months, A every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Red Herring | A |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (48K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/red-herring/id663596265/reviews)** | [4.0 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-puzzle-a-day/id1633017175/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **48K** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | **75.7% of reviews** | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 81 MB | 162 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Blue Ox Family Games, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/288074001) | [Matematikkbolgen AS](https://appshunter.io/developer/1633017177) |

## What reviewers say

### Red Herring

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

Connect words into categories in this fun and challenging puzzle game. Watch out for misleading words designed to throw you off. With multiple difficulty levels and no time limit, it's suitable for all ages.

**Highlights:** Group words into categories, Identify misleading 'Red Herring' words, Challenging and thought-provoking gameplay, 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


### A

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-puzzle-a-day/id1633017175)

A daily logic puzzle where you arrange pieces to form the current date. Earn in-game currency to unlock new sets and use special passes to solve past dates. Offers a premium version for extended date access.

**Highlights:** Daily date puzzle, Earn dragon-coins and trophies, Buy custom puzzle sets, Use hint tickets, Solve past dates with time machine passes, Save solutions, Multi-language support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 3x Time machine passes | $0.99 | one-time |
| 100 coins | $1.99 | one-time |
| 300 coins | $2.99 | one-time |
| 10 Time machine passes | $2.99 | one-time |
| 1000 coins | $3.99 | one-time |
| Booster Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Premium | $5.99 | one-time |
| Puzzle Bundle | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Red Herring free?

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

### Is A free?

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

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

Red Herring is rated higher. Red Herring averages 4.7 out of 5 from 48K ratings, while A averages 4.0 from 11 ratings.

### Do Red Herring or A have ads?

Red Herring shows ads; A does not.

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

Red Herring ships an update every 3 months, and A every 5 weeks. Most recently, Red Herring was updated on November 12, 2026 and A on November 3, 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.*