# Crossword Jewels™ vs Crossly

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Crossword Jewels™ at 96% against Crossly's 51%. Crossword Jewels™ also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 7) and ratings volume (5.4K vs 1). Crossly's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Crossly sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Crossword Jewels™ asks for nothing beyond the download.

Crossly holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Crossword Jewels™ has 5.4K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 96% of Crossword Jewels™'s written reviews are positive against 51% of Crossly's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Crossword Jewels™ ships an update every 2 months, Crossly every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Crossword Jewels™ | Crossly |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (5.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crossword-jewels/id727364962/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crossly/id871860021/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5.4K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **96.2% of reviews** | 50.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 54 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | **10** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Boy Howdy Technology LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/293910537) | [Mercury Intermedia, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/300669006) |

## What reviewers say

### Crossword Jewels™

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crossword-jewels/id727364962)

This app offers a vast collection of cryptogram puzzles for users to solve. It challenges your mind to decipher hidden words by identifying letter patterns within a crossword grid. Enjoy a relaxing, timer-free experience with adjustable difficulty levels and helpful hints.

**Highlights:** 100,000 cryptogram puzzles, Relaxing, timer-free gameplay, 7 difficulty levels, Hint and check work functions, Automatic progress saving, Easy touch controls

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fun and challenging
- 👍 Keeps brain active
- 👍 Variety of difficulty levels
- 👍 No ads or timers
- 👍 Relaxing and enjoyable

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional freezing or bugs
- 🔍 Some obscure words
- 🔍 Lack of undo button

**Reported bugs**

- Freezing or locking up during gameplay
- Compatibility issues on older devices

**Requested features**

- Option to view word definitions
- Ability to choose British spelling


### Crossly

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crossly/id871860021)

Engage in a strategic word game with friends, blending classic crosswords with competitive play. Earn points for correct answers, hinder opponents, and enjoy endless unique puzzles with interactive features like stealing turns and revealing letters.

**Highlights:** Endless unique crossword puzzles, Steal turns and send taunts, Peek at letters for difficult clues, Pencil in and change answers, Offline saving of penciled words, Premium mode with bonus peeks and themes

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "Meh" Premium Upgrade | $0.99 | one-time |
| Peek Pack - 5 Peeks | $0.99 | one-time |
| "It's Cool" Premium Upgrade | $1.99 | one-time |
| Peek Pack - 15 Peeks | $1.99 | one-time |
| "LOVE" Premium Upgrade | $2.99 | one-time |
| Peek Pack - 25 Peeks | $2.99 | one-time |
| Peek Pack - 100 Peeks | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🤩 Addictive gameplay
- 💡 Innovative blend of crossword and competition
- 👍 Fun and engaging for friends
- 🎨 Beautiful and fluid interface
- 🧠 Great mind jogger

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐌 Slow loading times
- 🧩 Obscure or nonsensical clues/answers
- 🇺🇸 Strong US bias in clues
- 📉 App abandonment concerns
- ❓ Puzzles lack cohesion

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes frequently
- App won't load / spins forever
- Games disappear or are lost
- Notifications are broken / badge issues
- Rematch issues (wrong person)

**Requested features**

- iPad support
- UK version of the game
- Difficulty levels
- Chat feature
- Facebook integration


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Crossword Jewels™ free?

Crossword Jewels™ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Crossly free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Crossword Jewels™ or Crossly?

Crossly is rated higher. Crossword Jewels™ averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.4K ratings, while Crossly averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Crossword Jewels™ or Crossly have ads?

Crossword Jewels™ shows ads; Crossly does not.

### Which is updated more often, Crossword Jewels™ or Crossly?

Crossword Jewels™ ships an update every 2 months, and Crossly every 5 months. Most recently, Crossword Jewels™ was updated on November 6, 2026 and Crossly on November 3, 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.*