# Colorwood Words vs GridSmash

The clearest difference is review sentiment: GridSmash at 100% against Colorwood Words's 36%. GridSmash also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 24) and ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Colorwood Words sells 20 one-off in-app purchases. GridSmash asks for nothing beyond the download.

Colorwood Words ships an update every 3 weeks, GridSmash every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Colorwood Words | GridSmash |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (26K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/colorwood-words-cryptogram/id6738347014/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **26K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 35.6% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 391 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Burny Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1648482789) | [Thomas Halls](https://appshunter.io/developer/1871928935) |

## What reviewers say

### Colorwood Words

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/colorwood-words-cryptogram/id6738347014)

Engage your senses with this word puzzle game that uses haptic feedback to make discovering words a tactile experience. Enjoy visually relaxing wooden aesthetics, daily challenges, and vocabulary expansion. It's a unique sensory twist on cryptogram-style word puzzles.

**Highlights:** Haptic feedback for tactile gameplay, Cryptogram-style word decoding, Vocabulary expansion, Stunning wooden aesthetics, Daily rewards and new puzzles, Animated achievements

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

**In-app purchases (20)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Frame lifebuoi | $0.99 | one-time |
| Frame cat | $0.99 | one-time |
| Frame summer | $0.99 | one-time |
| No ads day | $0.99 | one-time |
| Paper clip | $1.99 | one-time |
| Character Paper clip | $1.99 | one-time |
| Small hints pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| No Ads Timer | $2.99 | one-time |
| Holiday Halloween Lastcall | $2.99 | one-time |
| Holiday Halloween Start | $2.99 | one-time |
| Medium hints pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Holiday Halloween Basic | $5.99 | one-time |
| No Ads Timed | $5.99 | one-time |
| No ads | $7.99 | one-time |
| No Ads Time Month | $9.99 | one-time |
| Big hints pack | $11.99 | one-time |
| No Ads Month | $11.99 | one-time |
| Huge hints pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| Great hints pack | $24.99 | one-time |
| Immense hints pack | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and entertaining game
- 💡 Interesting quotes and puzzles
- 🚀 Engaging gameplay

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Ads are too frequent and disruptive
- 💡 Wish letters would auto-fill in the puzzle

**Reported bugs**

- Gameplay feels backwards
- Compatibility issues with older devices

**Requested features**

- Option to skip tutorial
- Ability to fill in known letters automatically


### GridSmash

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gridsmash/id6761014566)

An addictive block puzzle game where you drag and drop colorful pieces onto an 8x8 grid. Clear rows and columns to score points, with four distinct game modes offering strategic challenges and relaxing play. Unlock themes and earn rewards by playing daily.

**Highlights:** Drag and drop block placement, Clear rows and columns for points, Four unique game modes, Daily challenges with leaderboards, Unlockable color themes, Combo system for score multipliers, Detailed stats tracking

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Colorwood Words free?

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

### Is GridSmash free?

GridSmash is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Colorwood Words or GridSmash have ads?

Colorwood Words shows ads; GridSmash does not.

### Which is updated more often, Colorwood Words or GridSmash?

Colorwood Words ships an update every 3 weeks, and GridSmash every 2 days. Most recently, Colorwood Words was updated on November 1, 2026 and GridSmash on October 25, 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.*