# Codewords vs Telegraph Puzzles

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Codewords at 77% against Telegraph Puzzles's 22%. Codewords also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.1) and monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). Telegraph Puzzles's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 9 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Codewords sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and Telegraph Puzzles sells 5 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 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 84 and 32 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Codewords's written reviews are positive against 22% of Telegraph Puzzles's.

Codewords ships an update every 9 months, Telegraph Puzzles every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Codewords | Telegraph Puzzles |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (84 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/codewords/id682094723/reviews)** | [4.1 (32 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/telegraph-puzzles-word-games/id6443410854/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **84** | 32 |
| Positive reviews | **76.9% of reviews** | 21.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Size | 15 MB | 136 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Teazel](https://appshunter.io/developer/576525182) | [TELEGRAPH MEDIA GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/303301876) |

## 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 |


### Telegraph Puzzles

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/telegraph-puzzles-word-games/id6443410854)

Engage your mind with a wide variety of daily brainteasers, including crosswords, Sudoku, and word games. Track your progress with streaks and achievements, and access thousands of past puzzles.

**Highlights:** Daily crosswords, Sudoku puzzles, Word games, Puzzle archive, Streaks and achievements, Multiple difficulty levels

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Telegraph Puzzles | $3.99 | per month |
| Telegraph Puzzles | $29.49 | per year |
| Telegraph Puzzles Annual | $49.00 | per year |
| Telegraph Puzzles | $3.99 | one-time |
| Telegraph Puzzles | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🧠 Keeps the mind active
- 🕰️ Good way to spend free time
- 🧩 Wide variety of puzzles

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- ⏱️ Slow loading times
- 🤯 Annoying pop-ups and notifications
- 🤔 Inconsistent user experience
- 💰 Expensive subscription

**Reported bugs**

- Puzzles not updating daily
- Inability to access archived puzzles
- Subscription not recognized
- Freezing and crashing issues
- Inconsistent performance on different devices

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Ability to reset puzzles
- Sync progress across devices
- Customizable puzzle selection
- Leaderboards and competition features


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Codewords free?

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

### Is Telegraph Puzzles free?

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

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

Codewords is rated higher. Codewords averages 4.8 out of 5 from 84 ratings, while Telegraph Puzzles averages 4.1 from 32 ratings.

### Do Codewords or Telegraph Puzzles have ads?

Neither Codewords nor Telegraph Puzzles shows ads.

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

Codewords ships an update every 9 months, and Telegraph Puzzles every 3 weeks. Most recently, Codewords was updated on October 23, 2026 and Telegraph Puzzles on October 26, 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.*