# Codewords vs Times Puzzles

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Codewords at 77% against Times Puzzles's 12%. Codewords also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.8) and monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). Times Puzzles's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 9 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Codewords sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and Times Puzzles sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Codewords holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Codewords has 83 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Codewords's written reviews are positive against 12% of Times Puzzles's.

Codewords ships an update every 9 months, Times Puzzles every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Codewords | Times Puzzles |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (83 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/codewords/id682094723/reviews)** | [2.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/times-puzzles/id1531296302/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **83** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | **76.9% of reviews** | 12.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Size | 15 MB | 64 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Teazel](https://appshunter.io/developer/576525182) | [Times Media Limited (Apps)](https://appshunter.io/developer/363976957) |

## What reviewers say

### Codewords

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/codewords/id682094723)

Engage your mind with unique crossword puzzles where letters are replaced by numbers. Solve the code by deducing which number represents which letter to complete the grid. Perfect for a quick mental workout.

**Highlights:** Number-to-letter decoding, 900 complete puzzles, Zooming grid, Cheats and answer checking, Landscape mode

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

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| pack of Codewords (Pack 1) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Codewords (Pack 2) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Codewords (Pack 3) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Codewords (Pack 4) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Codewords (Pack 5) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Codewords (Pack 6) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Codewords (Pack 7) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Codewords (Pack 9) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Codewords (Pack 10) | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack of Codewords (Pack 11) | $0.99 | one-time |
| full set of Codewords packs | $2.99 | one-time |


### Times Puzzles

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/times-puzzles/id1531296302)

Engage your mind with a daily collection of renowned crosswords and logic puzzles. Access a vast archive and enjoy a variety of challenges on the go, anytime and anywhere. Perfect for puzzle enthusiasts seeking a mental workout.

**Highlights:** Daily crosswords and logic puzzles, Two-week puzzle archive, Play anywhere, anytime, Concise, Cryptic, Quick Cryptic crosswords, Sudoku, Killer Sudoku, Futoshiki, Kakuro, Brain Trainer and Cell Blocks puzzles

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 7 day trial then monthly fee | $3.99 | per month |
| 7 day trial then monthly fee | $4.99 | per month |
| 7 day trial then monthly fee | $6.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Enjoyable puzzles
- 💡 Convenient to have puzzles in one place
- 👍 Good value for money

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Puzzles not saving progress
- 🐛 Puzzles not marking as completed
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🐛 Notifications and settings issues
- 🐛 Keyboard problems and poor usability

**Reported bugs**

- Puzzles not saving progress
- Puzzles not marking as completed
- Crashes and freezes
- Notifications and settings issues
- Keyboard problems and poor usability

**Requested features**

- Add Codeword puzzle
- Improve Sudoku interface
- Add ability to print puzzles
- Sync progress across devices
- Provide more puzzle types


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Codewords free?

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

### Is Times Puzzles free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Codewords or Times Puzzles?

Codewords is rated higher. Codewords averages 4.8 out of 5 from 83 ratings, while Times Puzzles averages 2.8 from 5 ratings.

### Do Codewords or Times Puzzles have ads?

Neither Codewords nor Times Puzzles shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Codewords or Times Puzzles?

Codewords ships an update every 9 months, and Times Puzzles every 2 months. Most recently, Codewords was updated on September 26, 2026 and Times Puzzles on September 24, 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.*