# Crosswords vs Crossword Puzzles!

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Crossword Puzzles! at 85% against Crosswords's 30%. Crossword Puzzles! also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (8.9K vs 579). Crosswords's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Crosswords sells 14 one-off in-app purchases and Crossword Puzzles! sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Crossword Puzzles! holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Crossword Puzzles! has 8.9K ratings behind it against 579, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of Crosswords's written reviews are positive against 85% of Crossword Puzzles!'s.

Crosswords ships an update every 4 days, Crossword Puzzles! every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Crosswords | Crossword Puzzles! |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (579 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crosswords/id688876601/reviews) | **[4.7 (8.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crossword-puzzles/id804708947/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 579 | **8.9K** |
| Positive reviews | 29.9% of reviews | **84.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 36 MB | 189 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Stand Alone, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/284036527) | [DexCheck, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1389355811) |

## What reviewers say

### Crosswords

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crosswords/id688876601)

Engage with daily crossword puzzles from various newspapers, offering hints, clue lookups, and progress tracking. Upgrade for automatic puzzle delivery, access to extensive archives, and a wider selection of premium puzzle sources.

**Highlights:** Daily newspaper crossword puzzles, Hints and clue lookups, Progress tracking, US and UK cryptic puzzles, Automatic puzzle downloads, Access to extensive puzzle archives, Comparison with other solvers

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Safari Extension, Family Sharing, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (14)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lionel's crosswords, Vol. 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Ink Well Xwords, Vol. 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Dell Crosswords | $1.99 | one-time |
| Edited by Ben Tausig, Vol. 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Ridonkulous Crosswords | $1.99 | one-time |
| Liz Gorski's Crossword Nation: Vol. 1, No. 1-20 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Dell Medium Crosswords | $1.99 | one-time |
| Brendan Emmett Quigley's Faves #1 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Jonesin' Crosswords | $2.99 | one-time |
| Edited By Tausig 2 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Brendan Emmett Quigley Freestyle | $2.99 | one-time |
| Crosswords Pro (Upgrade) | $3.99 | one-time |
| Crossword Nation's Centennial Edition | $7.99 | one-time |
| Crosswords Pro | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Diverse and challenging puzzles
- 👍 Clean and user-friendly interface
- 💡 Ability to check/reveal answers
- 👍 Responsive developers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Stability issues and crashes
- 🐛 Bugs with navigation and menu
- 🐛 Inconsistent puzzle download functionality
- 🔒 Lack of accessibility for visually impaired users
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases

**Reported bugs**

- Puzzle grid freezing or displaying blank
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between apps
- Inability to access or download certain puzzle sources

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Ability to delete puzzles
- Comprehensive error checking and feedback
- Customizable keyboard and gestures


### Crossword Puzzles!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crossword-puzzles/id804708947)

Enjoy daily crossword puzzles with stunning travel destination backgrounds. Thousands of puzzles are available for all skill levels, with hints and solution checking. Unlock more content and features with an optional subscription.

**Highlights:** Daily new puzzles, Thousands of puzzles for all skill levels, Beautiful travel destination backgrounds, Hints and solution checking, Portrait and Landscape support, Unlimited hints with subscription, Access to full puzzle library with subscription

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

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wanderlust Pass (1 Month) | $5.99 | per month |
| Pack of 200 Tickets | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pack of 100 Tickets | $0.99 | one-time |
| Tickets - Tier 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pack of 100 Tickets | $1.99 | one-time |
| Pack of 100 Tickets | $2.99 | one-time |
| Tickets - Tier 2 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Tickets - Tier 3 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Pack of 500 Tickets | $11.99 | one-time |
| Pack of 1250 Tickets | $23.99 | one-time |
| First Class Ticket: Unlimited | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎯 Daily fun
- 🧠 Fun and challenging puzzles
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🧠 Helpful clues
- 🧠 Great variety of puzzles

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription too expensive
- 🔍 Too many ads
- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- 🔍 Distracting and intrusive ads
- 🔍 Repeated puzzles

**Reported bugs**

- Puzzle download failures
- Incorrect letter input
- Puzzle progress not saving
- Ads getting stuck and preventing gameplay

**Requested features**

- Ability to remove ads
- More free puzzles or ways to earn tickets
- Improved navigation and cursor control
- Option to choose background/color scheme
- Ability to access past puzzles


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Crosswords free?

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

### Is Crossword Puzzles! free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Crosswords or Crossword Puzzles!?

Crossword Puzzles! is rated higher. Crosswords averages 4.3 out of 5 from 579 ratings, while Crossword Puzzles! averages 4.7 from 8.9K ratings.

### Do Crosswords or Crossword Puzzles! have ads?

Crossword Puzzles! shows ads; Crosswords does not.

### Which is updated more often, Crosswords or Crossword Puzzles!?

Crosswords ships an update every 4 days, and Crossword Puzzles! every 2 months. Most recently, Crosswords was updated on October 29, 2026 and Crossword Puzzles! on October 29, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*