Comparison

Cross Boss vs Crossly

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

Head to head
About

Cross Boss

This app transforms traditional crosswords into a competitive two-player word game. It adds tactical elements to the familiar crossword format, allowing you to challenge friends or random opponents. Enjoy a vast library of puzzles and engage with opponents through chat.

Highlights
  • Two-player competitive word game
  • Tactical game elements
  • Challenge friends or random opponents
  • Play over the net or locally
  • In-game chat
  • Over 200 high-quality crosswords
Features
Read full description

Cross Boss – transforms regular crosswords into an exciting word game! The game is based on the crosswords we all know and love. However, we’ve spiced them up with a whole new set of tactical game ingredients, which make Cross Boss a competitive social game for two. Trying it out is a no-brainer for all word gamers and crossword solvers! With Cross Boss in your iPhone you can: * Challenge friends or try your luck against random opponents. * Play over the net or use the same mobile for both players. * Encourage or trash talk your opponent in the chat. * Enjoy over 200 high quality crosswords, created by the best specifically for Cross Boss. * Delight in the spectacular savings of downloading and playing for free. * Liberally share the fun with your friends via Facebook or email. Now show the world who is the boss! Download and challenge someone already today!

About

Crossly

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
Read full description

Challenge your friends in the fun strategic word game that combines classic crosswords with the spirit of friendly competition! In Crossly™, two players take turns filling out the board, accumulating points for each correct clue by gaining a point for each letter in the clue and subtracting a point from their opponent for any of their intersecting answers. Clean design, fluid animations and playful messaging work together to make this the best crosswords experience in the App Store. Features: - Endless Gameplay: Crossly pulls from tens of thousands of clues to generate unique crossword puzzles on the fly for optimal replay value. No two boards are ever alike! - Steal & Taunt: When you or your opponent miss a word, the other player may choose to steal for an extra turn and send a friendly taunt using animated GIFs powered by GIPHY - Peeks: For hard-to-guess clues, you may use one Peek per turn to reveal a letter of your choice. That letter is only visible to the player who initiates the Peek. Bonus Peeks are awarded for completing games and Peek Packs may be acquired via In-App Purchase. - Penciling: Penciling allows you to work on the board at any time, changing answers and adjusting your strategy as more words are completed. All penciled words are saved, even when your network connection is offline. - Premium Mode: Play unlimited games for free, or unlock Premium Mode for 15 bonus Peeks and colorful themes. Show your love by choosing your own price to upgrade!

Screenshots

Cross Boss4 screens
Crossly4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Crossly at 5.0 against Cross Boss's 4.2. Crossly also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (10 vs 15.6). Cross Boss's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 51%) and ratings volume (59 vs 1). On price, update cadence, 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. Cross Boss sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Crossly sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Crossly holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cross Boss has 59 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of Cross Boss'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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cross Boss ships an update every 3 months, Crossly every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Cross Boss versus Crossly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCross BossCrossly
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (59 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews74.6% of reviews — better50.7% of reviews
Number of ratings59 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.610 — better
Further details — not scored
Size71 MB30 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperKEP GamesMercury Intermedia, Inc.

Customer experience

Cross Boss

All ratings59 ratings
Positive83.1%
Neutral3.4%
Negative13.6%
Written reviews67 reviews
Positive74.6%
Neutral9.0%
Negative16.4%

Crossly

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews73 reviews
Positive50.7%
Neutral27.4%
Negative21.9%

Bugs and requests

Cross Boss

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Crossly

Reported bugs

16 issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • App won't load / spins forever
  • Games disappear or are lost
  • Notifications are broken / badge issues
  • Rematch issues (wrong person)
Show 11 more
  • Board/clues mixed up or incorrect
  • Games don't update automatically
  • Inability to start games with friends
  • In-game errors and glitches
  • Crashing on launch
  • Games stuck in 'waiting for their move' list
  • Inconsistent turn notifications
  • Cannot decline rematches
  • Cannot end games without resigning
  • Clues are sometimes backwards
  • Words run into each other

Requested features

13 requests
  • iPad support
  • UK version of the game
  • Difficulty levels
  • Chat feature
  • Facebook integration
Show 8 more
  • User-selectable usernames
  • Stats page (wins/losses)
  • Themes for puzzles
  • Time limits for turns
  • Ability to decline invitations
  • Reminder for opponent's turn
  • More American puzzle makers/content
  • Color customization options

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Cross Boss

One-time2
  • Statistics$1.99
  • No ads for six months$2.99
7 purchases

Crossly

One-time7
  • "Meh" Premium Upgrade$0.99
  • Peek Pack - 5 Peeks$0.99
  • "It's Cool" Premium Upgrade$1.99
Show 4 more
  • Peek Pack - 15 Peeks$1.99
  • "LOVE" Premium Upgrade$2.99
  • Peek Pack - 25 Peeks$2.99
  • Peek Pack - 100 Peeks$4.99

Questions

Is Cross Boss free?
Cross Boss is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Crossly free?
Crossly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Cross Boss or Crossly?
Crossly is rated higher. Cross Boss averages 4.2 out of 5 from 59 ratings, while Crossly averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Cross Boss or Crossly have ads?
Cross Boss shows ads; Crossly does not.
Which is updated more often, Cross Boss or Crossly?
Cross Boss ships an update every 3 months, and Crossly every 5 months. Most recently, Cross Boss was updated on October 5, 2026 and Crossly on October 9, 2026.

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