# Blackbar vs Knotwords

The clearest difference is price: Knotwords at Free against Blackbar's $2.99. Knotwords also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.6) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 7 months). Blackbar's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and chart position (#75 vs unranked). On review sentiment, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Knotwords is free to download; Blackbar costs $2.99 up front. Knotwords sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Blackbar asks for nothing beyond the download.

Knotwords holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Knotwords has 8.1K ratings behind it against 97, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Blackbar's written reviews are positive against 73% of Knotwords's.

Blackbar ships an update every 7 months, Knotwords every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Blackbar | Knotwords |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.6 (97 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blackbar/id672002602/reviews) | **[4.8 (8.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/knotwords/id1598756238/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 97 | **8.1K** |
| Positive reviews | 65.6% of reviews | **73.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#75** | — |
| Size | 3 MB | 507 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.7 | **13.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mrgan LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/320710721) | [Zach Gage](https://appshunter.io/developer/294263418) |

## What reviewers say

### Blackbar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blackbar/id672002602)

**Currently charting:** #75 Top Paid · Word (US App Store)

Experience a sci-fi narrative of a dystopian future through engaging word puzzles. This text-based game uses a unique censorship mechanic to challenge players, offering a blend of frustration and intellectual satisfaction.

**Highlights:** Text-based sci-fi story, Word puzzle gameplay, Unique censorship mechanic, Dystopian future narrative, Challenging and thought-provoking

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Clever and unique gameplay
- 👍 Engaging and thought-provoking story
- 🤔 Challenging puzzles and word games

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⏱️ Too short for the price
- 🤯 Some puzzles too obscure or difficult
- 🐛 Bugs and compatibility issues

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes or freezes on certain devices
- Inability to progress past initial screen

**Requested features**

- Longer gameplay and expanded story
- More levels or chapters
- Hints or clues for difficult puzzles


### 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 Blackbar free?

Blackbar costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Knotwords free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Blackbar or Knotwords?

Knotwords is rated higher. Blackbar averages 3.6 out of 5 from 97 ratings, while Knotwords averages 4.8 from 8.1K ratings.

### Do Blackbar or Knotwords have ads?

Neither Blackbar nor Knotwords shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Blackbar or Knotwords?

Blackbar ships an update every 7 months, and Knotwords every 10 days. Most recently, Blackbar was updated on October 11, 2026 and Knotwords on October 14, 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.*