Red Herring vs Alchemy 1000
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Group words into categories
- Identify misleading "Red Herring" words
- No time limit
- Three difficulty levels
- Daily puzzle
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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.
Alchemy 1000
Combine basic elements to discover new ones in this classic puzzle game. Create hundreds of unique items, from animals to food, and challenge yourself to find all 1000. Features include a hint system and social sharing.
- Mix basic elements to create new ones
- Discover up to 1000 unique elements
- Hot-Cold indicator for proximity
- Hint system with extended options
- Cheat codes to unlock elements
- Leaderboard and social sharing
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This classic alchemy puzzle game starts off with the four basic elements - Air, Water, Earth and Fire. Mix them together and create new elements. Make Santa Claus, a crocodile, a skeleton, sushi, or an elephant! Can you create and discover all 1000 elements? This premium brain teaser provides hours of exploration, creativity and fun. Play and share your progress with your friends. Caution - this game is addictive, and could keep you busy all day! :) FEATURES: - Unique "Hot-Cold" indicator option that tells you when you are close - Hint system with extended hints that display element names - Cheats available - You can cheat and unlock elements, if you get stuck - Stars* that mark when elements can no longer be used - Leaderboard and sharing on social networks - Long press to see an elements' parents Some tips: Can't create any more new elements? Simply place one or more items to the top of the screen and click the "Hint" button in menu. The hint can be simple (just a number of possible elements) or extended (also see their names). The type of hint can be changed in the "Options" menu. See the in game help menu for full instructions. Good luck Alchemist!
Screenshots
Verdict
Red Herring and Alchemy 1000 both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 76% of Red Herring's written reviews are positive against 55% of Alchemy 1000's. Red Herring also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (48K vs 7.8K). Alchemy 1000's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.6). 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
Both are free to download. Red Herring sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Alchemy 1000 sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. 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 4.7 for Alchemy 1000. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Red Herring has 48K ratings behind it against 7.8K, 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 55% of Alchemy 1000's.
Red Herring ships an update every 3 months, Alchemy 1000 every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Red Herring | Alchemy 1000 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (48K ratings) — better | 4.7 (7.8K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 75.8% of reviews — better | 54.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 48K — better | 7.8K |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 9 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 84 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Blue Ox Family Games, Inc. | Daniel Asto |
Customer experience
Red Herring
Alchemy 1000
User reviews
Red Herring
From 48K App Store ratingsWhat 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
Alchemy 1000
From 7.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fun and addictive
- 👍 Challenging and creative
- 🤓 Helps with science learning
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 💸 Too many ads
- 🔌 Battery draining
- 🤔 Illogical combinations
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
Alchemy 1000
Reported bugs
4 issues- Inability to close ads
- Select all and done buttons not working
- Clearing progress on crash
- Compatibility issues on newer devices
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to turn off sound
- Easier navigation of elements
- More logical combinations
- Saving progress and customization
In-app purchases
Red Herring
- Curiosity - 50 Puzzles$1.99
- Brilliant! - 50 Puzzles$1.99
- Allegro - 50 Puzzles$1.99
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- 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
Alchemy 1000
- Extended Hints$0.99
- Hot/Cold Meter$0.99
- Pile of Alchemy Coins$0.99
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Unusable Element Marker$0.99
- No Ads$1.99
- Bag of Alchemy Coins$1.99
- Premium Package$2.99
- Bucket of Alchemy Coins$2.99
- Barrel of Alchemy Coins$4.99
- Ultimate Package$6.99
Questions
Is Red Herring free?
Is Alchemy 1000 free?
Which has better reviews, Red Herring or Alchemy 1000?
Do Red Herring or Alchemy 1000 have ads?
Which is updated more often, Red Herring or Alchemy 1000?
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