Comparison

PicWords™ vs 3x3 Word Square

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

Head to head
About

PicWords™

This picture-based word game challenges you to find three words associated with a given image. Rearrange scrambled letters to form the correct words and solve over 700 levels. Enjoy an addictive experience with multiple language support.

Highlights
  • Find words related to pictures
  • Rearrange scrambled letters
  • Over 700 levels
  • Multiple language support
  • Addictive gameplay
Features
Read full description

If you like word games, you will love PicWords™ - it's a fun word game in which your goal is to find words that fit to the shown picture. Every picture has three words associated to it. You get all the letters of the words in random order and have to rearrange them to the correct solution.

 700+ levels and more are coming! Can you solve them all? Localized for English, German, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Hungarian, Slovak, Turkish, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Swedish, Russian, Polish, Greek and Dansk! PicWords™ is a very addictive word game that will catch you for hours!
 Try it out, you will love it!

About

3x3 Word Square

Guess 20 words per level using photo clues. Tap images to zoom and find words related to the picture, ranging from simple to challenging. This addictive brainteaser offers a new take on word search games.

Highlights
  • Guess words from photo clues
  • Tap to zoom on images
  • Multiple language support
  • Addictive brainteaser
  • New word search mechanic
Features
Read full description

Clear the level by guessing 20 words. Use photos as clues. Each photo contains a clue. Tap the picture to zoom in for a closer look, and then find the word that is in any way related to the photo. Some answers are straightforward, some are quite tricky. Enjoy this addictive brainteaser! Features: • Less typing, more fun! • Play in English, French, German, Russian, Italian, Spanish or Portuguese • New way to play word search. If you like pics and word association games, this puzzle is for you!

Screenshots

PicWords™1 screens
3x3 Word Square4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: 3x3 Word Square at none against PicWords™'s shown. 3x3 Word Square also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 16.0). PicWords™'s advantage is update cadence (every 5 months vs every 80 months) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and in-app purchases 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. PicWords™ sells 8 one-off in-app purchases and 3x3 Word Square sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PicWords™ holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 123 and 239 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 92% and 91% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PicWords™ ships an update every 5 months, 3x3 Word Square every 80 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
PicWords™ versus 3x3 Word Square: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPicWords™3x3 Word Square
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (123 ratings) — better4.5 (239 ratings)
Positive reviews91.7% of reviews — better91.1% of reviews
Number of ratings123239 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 months — betterEvery 80 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size128 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDominik HaslingerMaribou Inc.

Customer experience

PicWords™

All ratings123 ratings
Positive98.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews228 reviews
Positive91.7%
Neutral4.4%
Negative3.9%

3x3 Word Square

All ratings239 ratings
Positive90.8%
Neutral7.1%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews327 reviews
Positive91.1%
Neutral7.6%
Negative1.2%

User reviews

PicWords™

From 123 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🧠 Brain-stimulating and challenging gameplay
  • 😊 Highly addictive and engaging
  • 🎮 Fun for all ages
  • 📚 Helps improve vocabulary and observation skills
  • ⚖️ Good difficulty balance - not too easy or hard

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes and won't boot up
  • 📢 Excessive and annoying ads
  • ❌ Spelling errors in game content
  • ⚠️ Ad-related freezing and glitches
  • 🚫 Missing language support (e.g., Lithuanian)

3x3 Word Square

From 239 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎉 Fun
  • 👍 Interesting
  • 🤔 Challenging
  • 🧠 Keeps the brain active
  • 💡 Helps learn new languages

Room to improve

  • 🤯 Harder than it looks
  • 🤔 Requires a lot of concentration

Bugs and requests

PicWords™

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • App crashes on startup and won't boot
  • Freezes when ads are displayed
  • Unable to close or interact with ads properly
  • Show letter feature places letters in wrong positions
  • Game-breaking errors on specific levels
Show 2 more
  • Uninstall/reinstall doesn't resolve crashes
  • eBay ads cause app crashes

Requested features

3 requests
  • More levels - players have completed all existing levels
  • Additional language support
  • Improved app stability and performance

3x3 Word Square

Reported bugs

1 issue
  • No issues reported

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add a skip option
  • More levels/games
  • Arabic version

In-app purchases

8 purchases

PicWords™

One-time8
  • More Coins (S)$0.99
  • Skip Level$0.99
  • More Coins (M)$1.99
Show 5 more
  • Premium$1.99
  • Remove Ads$2.99
  • More Coins (L)$4.99
  • More Coins (XL)$9.99
  • More coins (XXL)$19.99
4 purchases

3x3 Word Square

One-time4
  • 300 coins$0.99
  • 1500 coins$2.99
  • 3000 coins$4.99
Show 1 more
  • 9000 coins$9.99

Questions

Is PicWords™ free?
PicWords™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is 3x3 Word Square free?
3x3 Word Square is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PicWords™ or 3x3 Word Square?
PicWords™ is rated higher. PicWords™ averages 4.8 out of 5 from 123 ratings, while 3x3 Word Square averages 4.5 from 239 ratings.
Do PicWords™ or 3x3 Word Square have ads?
PicWords™ shows ads; 3x3 Word Square does not.
Which is updated more often, PicWords™ or 3x3 Word Square?
PicWords™ ships an update every 5 months, and 3x3 Word Square every 80 months. Most recently, PicWords™ was updated on October 10, 2026 and 3x3 Word Square on October 20, 2026.

Other comparisons