Comparison

GridSpace Crosswords vs Chain Link Words

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

Head to head
About

GridSpace Crosswords

Engage your vocabulary and deductive reasoning with unique diagramless crosswords. Solve puzzles on a blank grid, deducing black square placement and word positions. Offers multiple difficulty levels and game modes for a challenging yet relaxing experience.

Highlights
  • Diagramless crossword puzzles
  • 15 free puzzles across 3 difficulty levels
  • Weekly Spotlight puzzles with themes
  • Relaxed and Timed game modes
  • Offline play
  • Two visual themes
  • Accessibility features
Read full description

In a regular crossword, the grid tells you where every answer goes. In a diagramless crossword, it doesn't. The black squares are hidden, and working out the grid layout is half the challenge. GridSpace is dedicated to diagramless crosswords - a rare puzzle format that tests both your vocabulary and your deductive reasoning. You'll use the clues, the starting position, and crossword rules to work through each puzzle from a blank grid. HOW IT WORKS - You start with an empty grid and the position of the first clue - Solve clues and figure out where each answer belongs - Deduce where black squares go based on crossword rules like minimum word length and rotational symmetry - Every letter must belong to both an Across and a Down word FEATURES - 15 free puzzles across 3 difficulty levels (7x7, 9x9, and 11x11 grids) - Weekly Spotlight puzzles with unique themes - Relaxed and Timed game modes - Full undo/redo and autosave - 5 free hints to highlight any wrong letter; earn more by watching a short ad, or buy more in bulk - Two visual themes: Cosmic (dark with neon highlights) and Classic (light) - No login or sign-up required - Play offline, no internet needed to solve - Comprehensive accessibility: VoiceOver with custom navigation actions for grid, clues, and keyboard, plus Dynamic Type and Reduce Motion support MORE PUZZLES Want more? Additional puzzle packs are available for purchase. Never tried a diagramless crossword? The built-in "How to Play" guide and in-game tips cover everything you need to get started.

About

Chain Link Words

Features
Read full description

SUN ยท FLOWER ยท POT One word sits between two others and links them both. Sunflower. Flowerpot. Find it, and the chain grows. Chain Link Words is a word puzzle built on compound words and everyday phrases. Each answer becomes the anchor for the next, so a chain builds beneath you as you climb โ€” and one wrong turn is the difference between a clean run and a scrappy one. FIVE WAYS TO PLAY DAILY โ€” Five links, once a day. Everyone gets the same chain. Keep the streak alive. LADDER โ€” The long climbs, up to eleven links. No clock. Just how far you can go. BLITZ โ€” Ninety seconds. How much chain can you build before it runs out? RELAY โ€” A finished chain with gaps in it, fillable in any order. Work backwards, sideways, whatever gets you there. HUB โ€” One word in the middle. How many words can you hang off it? RECORDS โ€” Every past daily, still playable. Nothing expires. BUILT PROPERLY Every link in the game is a real compound word or a phrase people actually say โ€” checked against a corpus of billions of words, not a dictionary that treats "leaflove" and "lighthouse" as equals. Stuck? Spend a key to reveal a letter, or give up and move on. You collect keys every day and earn more for solving unaided. No ads. No account. No internet needed. Just words.

Screenshots

GridSpace Crosswords4 screens
Chain Link Words4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: GridSpace Crosswords at Free against Chain Link Words's $0.99. Chain Link Words's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

GridSpace Crosswords is free to download; Chain Link Words costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 5 level
GridSpace Crosswords versus Chain Link Words: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGridSpace CrosswordsChain Link Words
PriceFree โ€” better$0.99
Positive reviews100.0% of reviewsโ€”
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysโ€”
AdsYesNo โ€” better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesโ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS17.013.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size10 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSkipstone Inc.adam rogan

In-app purchases

None

GridSpace Crosswords

No in-app purchases

None

Chain Link Words

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is GridSpace Crosswords free?
GridSpace Crosswords is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chain Link Words free?
Chain Link Words costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do GridSpace Crosswords or Chain Link Words have ads?
GridSpace Crosswords shows ads; Chain Link Words does not.

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