# Decoding Word Puzzle vs Lock It Up

Decoding Word Puzzle and Lock It Up both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Lock It Up's written reviews are positive against 27% of Decoding Word Puzzle's. Decoding Word Puzzle's advantage is ratings volume (12K vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Decoding Word Puzzle against 5.0 for Lock It Up. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Decoding Word Puzzle has 12K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 27% of Decoding Word Puzzle's written reviews are positive against 100% of Lock It Up's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly daily. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Decoding Word Puzzle | Lock It Up |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (12K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/decoding-word-puzzle/id6747968388/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lock-it-up-spades-scorekeeper/id6801130779/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **12K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 27.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Daily | Daily |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 255 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Peace Word Studio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1787839993) | [Widget Corner LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6782482022) |

## What reviewers say

### Decoding Word Puzzle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/decoding-word-puzzle/id6747968388)

Engage your mind with a word puzzle game featuring quotes from famous figures, literature, and movies. Solve creatively designed levels with hints and letter matching, enhanced by beautiful hand-drawn art and an unfolding narrative.

**Highlights:** Quote-based puzzles, Word creation and letter matching, Contextual hints, Hand-drawn artwork, Narrative mode, Daily challenges

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🤩 Relaxing and mentally challenging
- 👍 Fun and enjoyable game

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔥 Overloaded with ads
- 🐛 Buggy and unresponsive touch interface
- 🔋 Poor performance and battery drain

**Reported bugs**

- Forced to restart from beginning after update
- Frequent crashes and freezes

**Requested features**

- More puzzle content
- Option to disable ads


### Lock It Up

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lock-it-up-spades-scorekeeper/id6801130779)

This app simplifies scoring for four-player partnership Spades, allowing you to customize rules for bids, points, and penalties. It automatically calculates scores, tracks game progress, and saves statistics for completed games. Enjoy a private scoring experience with no ads or analytics.

**Highlights:** Customizable house rules, Fast round entry and calculation, Real-time scoreboard with trends, Score adjustments for reneges/misdeals, Persistent team and nil leader stats, Private and ad-free experience

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Decoding Word Puzzle free?

Decoding Word Puzzle is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Lock It Up free?

Lock It Up is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Decoding Word Puzzle or Lock It Up?

Lock It Up is rated higher. Decoding Word Puzzle averages 4.9 out of 5 from 12K ratings, while Lock It Up averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Decoding Word Puzzle or Lock It Up have ads?

Neither Decoding Word Puzzle nor Lock It Up shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Decoding Word Puzzle or Lock It Up?

Decoding Word Puzzle ships an update daily, and Lock It Up daily. Most recently, Decoding Word Puzzle was updated on October 23, 2026 and Lock It Up on September 21, 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.*