Comparison

MathCage vs Smash Words

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

MathCage

Features
Read full description

MathCage is the classic math logic game — a fresh challenge for Sudoku fans who love numbers and reasoning. Fill the grid, satisfy every cage, and train your brain anywhere. HOW TO PLAY • Fill the grid with numbers (1-4, 1-5 or 1-6) • No number repeats in any row or column • Numbers in each cage must satisfy the arithmetic clue (+, −, ×, ÷) • Single-cell cages show the answer directly WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT • Unlimited puzzles — every grid is freshly generated with a unique solution • 3 difficulty levels: Easy 4×4, Medium 5×5, Hard 6×6 • Notes, undo and auto-save for strategic play • Track your best times and completed games • Clean, minimal design with satisfying haptics • 100% offline — perfect for flights, commutes and travel • Completely free: no ads, no subscriptions, no in-app purchases PERFECT FOR • Sudoku fans looking for a smarter alternative • Daily brain training and mental math practice • Students sharpening arithmetic skills • Anyone who loves logic puzzles and number games Download MathCage now and give your brain its daily workout!

About

Smash Words

Engage in a fast-paced word puzzle game where you swipe letters to form words and earn points. Upgrade tiles for higher multipliers and use power-ups to clear the board. Compete on daily leaderboards and collect words in a vast lexicon.

Highlights
  • Timed word challenges
  • Tile upgrades for multipliers
  • Power-ups (Hammers, Bombs, Shuffles)
  • Lexicon word collection
  • Daily leaderboards
  • Friend item requests
Features
Read full description

Swipe letters to make words. The longer the word, the bigger the smash. Smash Words is four word games in one: a fast word puzzle where long words smash harder, a ticking-tile survival mode, crosswords, and a word guessing game you can play on up to 8 boards at once. New puzzles every day, leaderboards, and friends to beat. TIME ATTACK You have 60 seconds. Every word adds time, and longer words add more. Spell 6, 7 and 8+ letter words for SMASHING!, WORD WIZARD! and UNSTOPPABLE! Words of 4 letters or more upgrade tiles to Silver, Gold, Diamond and Rainbow for bigger scores. TICKING TILES (NEW) No clock. Just a fuse. Ticking tiles show a number, and every word you make counts it down by one. Use a ticking tile in a word to defuse it. If a fuse hits zero, the tile explodes into rubble and you lose a heart. Lose all three and the run is over. Tiles come faster the longer you last. CROSSWORDS Swipe across the letter wheel to fill in the grid. Letters fly into place and coins fly to your total. WORD DETECTIVE Guess the hidden word. Play 1, 2, 4 or 8 boards at once (Normal, Duo, Quad and Octo). Solve it on your first guess for GENIUS! DAILY PUZZLES Four new puzzles every day: Time Attack, Ticking Tiles, Crosswords and Word Detective. Leave one halfway and pick it up again with CONTINUE before the reset. ITEMS Bombs blast a cluster of tiles. Hammers smash a single tile. Shuffle spins the whole board into a tornado and drops every tile somewhere new. BOOK COLLECTION Hidden words turn up while you play. Find them to fill 12 books, and unlock a new background for every book you finish. PLAY WITH FRIENDS Daily leaderboards for every game. Add friends, check their stats, and send each other bombs, hammers and shuffles. MAKE IT YOURS 170 avatars and 25 frames, including seasonal frames and frames for finishing the month #1 or in the top 10. Smash Words is made by Wise Guy Games, a small indie studio. Questions or found a bug? Email info@wiseguygamesllc.com.

Screenshots

MathCage4 screens
Smash Words4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MathCage at none against Smash Words's 5. MathCage also leads on ads (none vs shown). Smash Words's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 months). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Smash Words sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. MathCage asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MathCage ships an update every 3 months, Smash Words every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
MathCage versus Smash Words: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMathCageSmash Words
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—9 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB139 MB
Age rating4+12+
Developer晓 郭Wise Guy Games

In-app purchases

None

MathCage

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Smash Words

One-time5
  • Stack Of Coins$0.99
  • Pile Of Coins$2.99
  • AD REMOVER$2.99
Show 2 more
  • Chest of Coins$6.99
  • Vault of Coins$14.99

Questions

Is MathCage free?
MathCage is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Smash Words free?
Smash Words is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MathCage or Smash Words have ads?
Smash Words shows ads; MathCage does not.
Which is updated more often, MathCage or Smash Words?
MathCage ships an update every 3 months, and Smash Words every 3 days. Most recently, MathCage was updated on October 9, 2026 and Smash Words on October 20, 2026.

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