Comparison

Clean Crosswords vs Crossword+

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

Head to head
About

Clean Crosswords

Enjoy a classic crossword experience designed for iOS devices. This app offers 1,800 puzzles with clues directly in the grid for easy viewing and play. It provides weeks of challenging fun in a clean, British English format.

Highlights
  • 1,800 crossword puzzles
  • Clues in puzzle grid
  • Classic British English
  • Designed for iPhone and iPad
  • Challenging fun
Features
Read full description

Designed for iPhone and iPad and the new iOS and written in classic British English, Clean Crossword is different and possibly the best crossword ever published for iOS devices. The clues are shown right in the puzzle grid, making puzzles easy to view and play for weeks of challenging fun.

About

Crossword+

Start your day with two new themed crossword puzzles daily, ranging from classic literature to movie magic. Enjoy a satisfying yet gentle challenge, with helpful hints and auto-check features. Solve puzzles offline and adjust text size for a comfortable, ad-free experience.

Highlights
  • Two new themed puzzles daily
  • Over 3,000 puzzles in archive
  • Helpful hints and AutoCheck
  • Offline play supported
  • Ad-free experience
  • Adjustable text size
Features
Read full description

Start your day with a crossword and a smile! Whether you’re a novice solver or a seasoned veteran, we’ve designed Crossword+ so that players of all abilities can enjoy solving our crosswords! We release new crosswords every day and every single crossword in the app has a unique theme. For example, Monday’s crossword is music related, and Friday’s crossword is movie related. Even if you don’t know anything about the topic, you’ll still be attempt the crossword as the theme words are sprinkled into the crossword among other clues. So look forward to testing and expanding your knowledge of movies, music, food, books and much, much more! Why Crossword+? * Two new themed puzzles every single day (one maxi and one mini) * Over 3,000 puzzles in our ever-growing collection * Helpful hints when you need a little extra help * Catches mistakes as you type with our AutoCheck function * 100% ad-free. Just you and the puzzle * Works offline * Adjustable text size for readability Join over 500,000 solvers who've made Crossword Plus part of their routine. Is Crossword+ good for beginners? Yes! Crossword+ is designed for solvers of all abilities. Start with our daily mini crosswords, make use of instant error checking, and use hints whenever you're stuck. We aim to make our clues challenging enough to be satisfying, but accessible enough to keep you moving forward. How does it compare to other crossword apps? We designed Crossword Plus to be simple, intuitive, and accessible to everyone. While there are many excellent crossword apps available, we focus on delivering a clean, distraction-free solving experience that feels natural. Is every puzzle themed? Yes! Every single crossword in Crossword+ is built around a unique theme. What kinds of themes do you feature? Everything from Trivia Delights and Hollywood Hits to Tasty Treats and beyond! With over 3,000 themed puzzles in our archive, there’s lots to explore and new topics every day. Can I use Crossword+ offline? Yes! Download puzzles and solve them anywhere! On planes, trains, or wherever your internet connection isn't reliable. Do you have free crossword puzzles? We publish a new free 5×5 mini crossword every day. We offer a subscription which gives you access to full-size maxi puzzles and our extensive archive. Does Crossword+ have ads? No. We're ad-free. Is Crossword+ good for seniors? Yes! The app automatically respects your device's text size settings. Additionally, you can zoom in on any puzzle grid for additional magnification. Can crosswords help with vocabulary? Definitely. Regular crossword solving strengthens vocabulary, reinforces spelling, and improves word recall. All while having fun. Is this an American or British crossword? Both! We use vocabulary and spelling that works for solvers on both sides of the Atlantic, making our puzzles accessible to a global audience. Does Crossword Plus include easy and hard crossword puzzles? We focus on a single, balanced difficulty level that appeals to most solvers. You can make puzzles easier or more challenging by toggling hints and assistance features on or off. Can I use Crossword+ for quick puzzles? Perfect for it! Our daily 5×5 mini crossword is designed for a quick mental break which is ideal when you just want a few minutes of crossword fun. Does Crossword+ offer hints or help with clues? Yes! Every clue comes with an optional hint to nudge you in the right direction. Fair warning: using a hint adds 30 seconds to your completion time. LICENSED APPLICATION END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Clean Crosswords4 screens
Crossword+4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Crossword+ at none against Clean Crosswords's shown. Crossword+ also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (83% vs 66%). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Clean Crosswords sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Crossword+ sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Clean Crosswords against 4.5 for Crossword+. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Crossword+ has 12K ratings behind it against 1.9K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of Clean Crosswords's written reviews are positive against 83% of Crossword+'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Clean Crosswords ships an update every 4 months, Crossword+ every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Clean Crosswords versus Crossword+: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterClean CrosswordsCrossword+
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (1.9K ratings) — better4.5 (12K ratings)
Positive reviews65.8% of reviews83.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.9K12K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#161 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size229 MB49 MB
Age rating4+12+
Developerthe binary familyPuzzleStar Limited

Customer experience

Clean Crosswords

All ratings1,926 ratings
Positive88.8%
Neutral6.4%
Negative4.8%
Written reviews243 reviews
Positive65.8%
Neutral14.0%
Negative20.2%

Crossword+

All ratings11,465 ratings
Positive86.8%
Neutral6.9%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews527 reviews
Positive83.5%
Neutral4.2%
Negative12.3%

User reviews

Clean Crosswords

From 1.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Challenging puzzles
  • 🧠 Helps improve vocabulary and memory
  • 🗓️ Lots of puzzles available
  • 🎨 Clean and intuitive interface
  • 💰 Free app with optional ad-free version

Room to improve

  • 🇬🇧 Too many British-centric references and spellings
  • 🔁 Repetitive clues and answers
  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 📢 Intrusive ads in free version
  • 🕹️ Navigation and layout issues on larger screens

Crossword+

From 12K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🧠 Brain-stimulating puzzles
  • 🎯 Variety of themes and difficulty levels
  • ✨ Enjoyable and challenging experience
  • 🧠 Helps keep the mind active
  • 🕰️ Daily puzzles provide a routine activity

Room to improve

  • 💰 Subscription model can be expensive
  • 🐛 Occasional errors in puzzle clues or answers
  • 🤔 Some puzzles may be too difficult for casual users
  • 🕰️ Limited number of free puzzles per month

Bugs and requests

Clean Crosswords

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Incorrect word definitions or answers
  • Arrows pointing to wrong cells
  • Puzzle progress not saving properly
  • Ads causing app crashes or freezes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Progress tracking and statistics
  • Ability to replay completed puzzles
  • More variety in puzzle difficulty levels
  • Better integration of American English

Crossword+

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Freezing or crashing issues for some users
  • Subscription not always working as expected

Requested features

3 requests
  • Search function to find puzzles by topic
  • More difficulty levels to cater to all skill levels
  • Ability to track progress and stats over time

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Clean Crosswords

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$7.99
8 purchases

Crossword+

Subscriptions8
  • Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Monthly$7.491 Month
  • Monthly$9.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Yearly1 Year trial$37.991 Year
  • Yearly7 Days trial$37.991 Year
  • Yearly1 Year trial2 variants$39.991 Year
  • Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Clean Crosswords free?
Clean Crosswords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Crossword+ free?
Crossword+ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Clean Crosswords or Crossword+?
Clean Crosswords is rated higher. Clean Crosswords averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.9K ratings, while Crossword+ averages 4.5 from 12K ratings.
Do Clean Crosswords or Crossword+ have ads?
Clean Crosswords shows ads; Crossword+ does not.
Which is updated more often, Clean Crosswords or Crossword+?
Clean Crosswords ships an update every 4 months, and Crossword+ every 10 days. Most recently, Clean Crosswords was updated on October 23, 2026 and Crossword+ on October 28, 2026.

Other comparisons