Comparison

Crossword Puzzles! vs Crossword+

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

Head to head
About

Crossword Puzzles!

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
Read full description

Take your passion for crosswords around the world with Crossword Puzzles! Crosswords set in the world's most beautiful places. Solve a free puzzle every day, collect stunning destinations as you play, and take on special Weekend Challenges. “This is the most beautiful crossword app I’ve ever seen!” A FREE PUZZLE EVERY DAY Play every daily puzzle in the current month for free, not just today's. Each month has its own calendar showing your stars, your streak and the stamps still to earn. COLLECT BREATHTAKING DESTINATIONS Dozens of high-resolution nature photographs from around the world fill your screen as you solve. Unlock new ones by playing, mark your favorites, and let your background change daily. NEW MINI PUZZLES EVERY MONTH A fresh set of 24 quick minis each month. Finish the set to earn a brand-new destination. WEEKEND CHALLENGES Special sets of puzzles every few weekends. Score points for solving on your own and solving fast, earn bronze, silver and gold medals, see where you rank on the leaderboard, and collect a souvenir pin for each one you complete. STAMPS, PINS AND BADGES Earn a bronze, silver and gold passport stamp each month, and dozens of badges for streaks, perfect solves and more. Keep your daily streak going with a streak freeze. THOUSANDS OF PUZZLES Puzzles for every skill level, from easy to challenging. Hints when you need them: reveal a letter, reveal a word, or check for mistakes. Plays beautifully on iPhone and iPad, in portrait or landscape on iPad. WANDERLUST PASS Subscribe for the full experience: • Every destination unlocked, plus new seasonal destinations every three months • Unlimited puzzles, including every past daily puzzle • Free hints • Free streak freezes • No ads The Wanderlust Pass is available as a 1-month, 3-month or 1-year subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renew in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://dexcheck.com/privacy

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

Crossword Puzzles!4 screens
Crossword+4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Crossword+ at none against Crossword Puzzles!'s shown. Crossword+ also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months) and chart position (#146 vs unranked). Crossword Puzzles!'s advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Crossword Puzzles! sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month 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

Crossword Puzzles! holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8.9K and 12K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Crossword Puzzles!'s written reviews are positive against 83% of Crossword+'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Crossword Puzzles! ships an update every 2 months, Crossword+ every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Crossword Puzzles! versus Crossword+: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCrossword Puzzles!Crossword+
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (8.9K ratings) — better4.5 (12K ratings)
Positive reviews84.9% of reviews — better83.5% of reviews
Number of ratings8.9K12K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#146 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size189 MB49 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperDexCheck, LLCPuzzleStar Limited

Customer experience

Crossword Puzzles!

All ratings8,909 ratings
Positive93.6%
Neutral4.1%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews464 reviews
Positive84.9%
Neutral7.3%
Negative7.8%

Crossword+

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

User reviews

Crossword Puzzles!

From 8.9K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

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

Crossword Puzzles!

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Puzzle download failures
  • Incorrect letter input
  • Puzzle progress not saving
  • Ads getting stuck and preventing gameplay

Requested features

6 requests
  • 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
Show 1 more
  • Inclusion of more British/European vocabulary

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

11 purchases

Crossword Puzzles!

Subscriptions1
  • Wanderlust Pass (1 Month)$5.991 Month
One-time10
  • Pack of 200 Tickets$0.99
  • Pack of 100 Tickets$0.99
  • Tickets - Tier 1$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Pack of 100 Tickets$1.99
  • Pack of 100 Tickets$2.99
  • Tickets - Tier 2$2.99
  • Tickets - Tier 3$4.99
  • Pack of 500 Tickets$11.99
  • Pack of 1250 Tickets$23.99
  • First Class Ticket: Unlimited$99.99
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 Crossword Puzzles! free?
Crossword Puzzles! 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, Crossword Puzzles! or Crossword+?
Crossword Puzzles! is rated higher. Crossword Puzzles! averages 4.7 out of 5 from 8.9K ratings, while Crossword+ averages 4.5 from 12K ratings.
Do Crossword Puzzles! or Crossword+ have ads?
Crossword Puzzles! shows ads; Crossword+ does not.
Which is updated more often, Crossword Puzzles! or Crossword+?
Crossword Puzzles! ships an update every 2 months, and Crossword+ every 10 days. Most recently, Crossword Puzzles! was updated on October 29, 2026 and Crossword+ on October 28, 2026.

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