# Crossword US vs Times Puzzles

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Crossword US at 76% against Times Puzzles's 12%. Crossword US also leads on rating (4.6 vs 2.8) and monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Crossword US sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Times Puzzles sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Crossword US holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Crossword US has 1.5K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Crossword US's written reviews are positive against 12% of Times Puzzles's.

Crossword US ships an update every 5 months, Times Puzzles every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Crossword US | Times Puzzles |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crossword-us/id666558770/reviews)** | [2.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/times-puzzles/id1531296302/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.5K** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | **76.5% of reviews** | 12.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Size | 12 MB | 64 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Teazel](https://appshunter.io/developer/576525182) | [Times Media Limited (Apps)](https://appshunter.io/developer/363976957) |

## What reviewers say

### Crossword US

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crossword-us/id666558770)

Enjoy over 540 professional US-style crossword puzzles designed for casual play. This app offers a clean, ad-free experience with features like pinch zooming and landscape mode, perfect for improving your word power during short breaks.

**Highlights:** 540+ US-style crossword puzzles, 27 free puzzles included, No ads, Pinch zooming grid, Landscape mode with clue list, Cheats and answer checking, Resume button

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| pack of Crosswords (Pack 1) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Crosswords (Pack 2) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Crosswords (Pack 3) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Crosswords (Pack 4) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Crosswords (Pack 5) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Crosswords (Pack 6) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Crosswords (Pack 7) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Crosswords (Pack 8) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Crosswords (Pack 9) | $0.99 | one-time |
| full set of Crossword US packs | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Consistent and reliable
- 👍 Challenging puzzles
- 👍 Good for learning new words
- 👍 Enjoyable and soothing

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Vague or nonsensical clues
- 🐛 Incorrect or misspelled answers
- 🐛 Awkward navigation between horizontal and vertical answers
- 🐛 Puzzles not tailored for American English
- 🐛 Repetitive words and answers across puzzles

**Reported bugs**

- Puzzles not registering as completed
- Backup feature crashing the app
- Bluetooth keyboard support removed in recent update

**Requested features**

- More puzzle packs and difficulty levels
- Option to reset or redo completed puzzles
- Ability to turn off on-screen keyboard when using external keyboard
- Categorization of puzzles by topic or difficulty
- Ability to track completed puzzles


### Times Puzzles

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/times-puzzles/id1531296302)

Engage your mind with a daily collection of renowned crosswords and logic puzzles. Access a vast archive and enjoy a variety of challenges on the go, anytime and anywhere. Perfect for puzzle enthusiasts seeking a mental workout.

**Highlights:** Daily crosswords and logic puzzles, Two-week puzzle archive, Play anywhere, anytime, Concise, Cryptic, Quick Cryptic crosswords, Sudoku, Killer Sudoku, Futoshiki, Kakuro, Brain Trainer and Cell Blocks puzzles

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 7 day trial then monthly fee | $3.99 | per month |
| 7 day trial then monthly fee | $4.99 | per month |
| 7 day trial then monthly fee | $6.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Enjoyable puzzles
- 💡 Convenient to have puzzles in one place
- 👍 Good value for money

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Puzzles not saving progress
- 🐛 Puzzles not marking as completed
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🐛 Notifications and settings issues
- 🐛 Keyboard problems and poor usability

**Reported bugs**

- Puzzles not saving progress
- Puzzles not marking as completed
- Crashes and freezes
- Notifications and settings issues
- Keyboard problems and poor usability

**Requested features**

- Add Codeword puzzle
- Improve Sudoku interface
- Add ability to print puzzles
- Sync progress across devices
- Provide more puzzle types


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Crossword US free?

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

### Is Times Puzzles free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Crossword US or Times Puzzles?

Crossword US is rated higher. Crossword US averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while Times Puzzles averages 2.8 from 5 ratings.

### Do Crossword US or Times Puzzles have ads?

Neither Crossword US nor Times Puzzles shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Crossword US or Times Puzzles?

Crossword US ships an update every 5 months, and Times Puzzles every 3 months. Most recently, Crossword US was updated on November 6, 2026 and Times Puzzles on November 7, 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.*