Word Association! vs Cryptogram Tale
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Word Association!
Engage in a relaxing word game by matching pairs of related words. Explore connections like synonyms, opposites, or compound word parts. Hundreds of puzzles are available, with hints to help you along the way.
- Match related word pairs
- Synonyms, opposites, compound words
- 40 free puzzles included
- Hundreds of additional puzzles for purchase
- Hint system available
- Relaxing gameplay
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Matching pairs of related words is fun and relaxing. Words can by synonyms, opposites, parts of a compound word, or they might just seem to go together. Word Association comes with 40 free puzzles, and there are hundreds more available for purchase. Hints are also available if you get stuck. If you enjoy jigsaw puzzles, hangman, word searches and crosswords, you will love this game! Try it today.
Cryptogram Tale
Decode encrypted messages to reveal hidden stories. This word puzzle game challenges you to break codes by substituting letters, offering hundreds of tales and thousands of cryptograms to solve. Customize your experience with various fonts and color schemes, and use hints when needed.
- Hundreds of tales
- Thousands of cryptograms
- Dozens of fonts
- Different color schemes
- In-game hints
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Break the code and unravel the story! Can you decode all of the passages and discover the story within? Challenge yourself with this puzzle word game! A Cryptogram is a message encoded by switching the actual letters with different letters. • Hundreds of Tales! • Thousands of Cryptograms! • Dozens of Fonts! • Different color schemes! • Hints for when you're stuck!
Screenshots
Verdict
Word Association! and Cryptogram Tale both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 90% of Word Association!'s written reviews are positive against 72% of Cryptogram Tale's. Word Association! also leads on ratings volume (8.2K vs 1.6K) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.1). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. Word Association! sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Cryptogram Tale sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Word Association! against 4.6 for Cryptogram Tale. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Word Association! has 8.2K ratings behind it against 1.6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of Word Association!'s written reviews are positive against 72% of Cryptogram Tale's.
Word Association! ships an update every 4 months, Cryptogram Tale every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Word Association! | Cryptogram Tale |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (8.2K ratings) | 4.6 (1.6K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 90.2% of reviews — better | 72.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 8.2K — better | 1.6K |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 17.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 160 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Funnerware | GammaLateral LLC |
Customer experience
Word Association!
Cryptogram Tale
User reviews
Word Association!
From 8.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Enjoyable game
- 🧠 Challenges the mind
- 🧠 Helps improve vocabulary
- 🧠 Good brain exercise
- 🧠 Keeps the mind sharp
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs with navigation buttons
- 🕰️ Timed gameplay can be stressful
- 💰 Paywalled content
- 📢 Too many ads
- 🔤 Some word associations are questionable
Cryptogram Tale
From 1.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Hundreds of cryptograms
- 📚 Interesting stories and literature
- 👍 No ads unless you want a hint
- 💡 Hints available by watching ads
- 🔒 No glitches or annoying ads
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Difficulty level not always clear
- 🔍 Capitalized words revealed after first letter
- 🔍 Some stories not well-suited for cryptograms
- 🔍 Ads can't always be closed
Bugs and requests
Word Association!
Reported bugs
3 issues- Replay and Next Level buttons not working
- Freezing/crashing issues
- Incorrect word associations
Requested features
5 requests- More word packs and levels
- Ability to disable timer
- Larger font size options
- Themed word packs
- Ability to save progress and resume later
Cryptogram Tale
Reported bugs
3 issues- Progress getting deleted
- Ads not loading properly
- Keyboard not opening automatically
Requested features
6 requests- More modern and diverse stories
- Ability to choose story titles
- Cursor that skips to next blank space
- Undo button
- Trigger warnings for dark/disturbing content
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- More classical music options
In-app purchases
Word Association!
- Pack of 100 Hints$0.99
- Relax Pack$0.99
- Good Times Pack$0.99
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Stimulating Pack$0.99
- Happy Pack$0.99
- Fun Pack$0.99
- Lucky Pack$0.99
- Conquer Pack$0.99
- Packs of 350 Hints$2.99
- Combo Pack (Unlocks all Packs, Plus future Packs & Removes Ads)$7.99
Cryptogram Tale
- Get 30 Hints$0.99
- Get 70 Hints$1.99
- Remove Ads$9.99
Questions
Is Word Association! free?
Is Cryptogram Tale free?
Which has better reviews, Word Association! or Cryptogram Tale?
Do Word Association! or Cryptogram Tale have ads?
Which is updated more often, Word Association! or Cryptogram Tale?
Other comparisons
