Crossword vs Lumen
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Crossword
Engage your mind with a vast collection of crossword puzzles and word games. Solve thousands of clues, complete daily challenges, and collect trophies across multiple game modes. Enjoy a new puzzle experience every day with this extensive library of brain-teasing fun.
- Thousands of unique clues
- Hundreds of original puzzles
- Daily themed puzzles
- World's Biggest and Tallest crosswords
- Multiple game modes (Cryptogram, Codewords, Word Grid)
- Trophies, quests, and achievements
- Timed events
Read full descriptionHide full description
Solve thousands of clues in the biggest and best crossword puzzle ever! Now you can enjoy a new crossword challenge every day with this giant collection of hundreds of original puzzles. There are over 100,000 unique clues to solve as well as dozens of quests to complete and trophies to collect! Choose from TWELVE game modes: ■ DAILY THEMED PUZZLE Enjoy a new crossword each day, featuring clues linked to a trivia fact about today's date that's revealed on completion! ■ WORLD'S BIGGEST Crossword Explore over 2,800 crossword puzzles. The classic puzzle enjoyed by millions of players worldwide. ■ WORLD'S TALLEST Crossword A collection of 1,100 extra-large puzzles - bigger grids, longer words, tougher clues! How high can you build the tower? ■ DAILY DIAMOND Crossword Earn extra rewards with a snack-sized bonus puzzle each day. ■ SEVEN WORDS Puzzle Solve the clues and use the scrambled letter blocks to find 7 hidden words. ■ CRYPTOGRAM Puzzle Break the code, reveal the quote! ■ CODEWORDS Puzzle Decipher the code to complete the crossword grid. Each square is marked with a number corresponding with one letter of the alphabet. Look for patterns and use your powers of deduction to crack the code! ■ WORD GRID Puzzle Slide the tiles from the edge of the grid into the blank squares to spell out words. Unlike a regular crossword, there are no clues so instead you'll have to use logic to choose between the available letters for each square. ■ QUOTE FALLS Puzzle Place the letter tiles from each column into the correct squares on the grid to spell out a famous quotation! ■ BRITISH CRYPTICS Crossword The ultimate challenge - cryptic crosswords use their own obscure rules to hide the answer in the clue, using anagrams, double meanings, and a host of other subtle tricks. If you get completely stumped on a clue, you can swap it out for an easier, non-cryptic alternative. ■ FACT OF THE DAY Curious facts to puzzle the mind! ■ MISSING LETTERS Solve the curious conundrum, reveal the word. Also look out for special timed events! Complete all the core challenges to earn the title of Crossword Superstar! + Solve all 100,000+ clues + Complete all 11,000+ puzzles + Collect all 45 trophies + Complete all 57 quests + Unlock all 10 achievements SUPPORT Please select the [HELP] option from the Pause Menu (the gear icon at the top-right of the game screen) if you require assistance. If you require further assistance or are unable to access the in-game help, you can contact us via email: support@puzzling.com Crossword is free to play, but contains optional paid items to unlock content more quickly. LATEST NEWS www.puzzling.com facebook.com/getpuzzling bsky.app/profile/puzzling.com
Lumen
A serene logic puzzle game where you draw a single continuous loop through a grid, guided by white and black pearls. Enjoy a calming experience with no timers or pressure, featuring daily puzzles and a beautiful visual style.
- Daily hand-crafted puzzles
- Hundreds of puzzles
- Relaxing visual style
- Smart hints
- Offline play
Read full descriptionHide full description
Lumen is a calm, beautiful logic puzzle built around a single rule: light the glowing pearls and draw one continuous loop through the grid. White pearls ask the loop to pass straight through. Black pearls ask it to turn. Every puzzle has exactly one elegant solution, and the quiet satisfaction of finding it is the whole point. There is no timer and no pressure. Solve one puzzle on a coffee break, or sink into a long, meditative streak. Lumen is designed to slow your mind down, not speed it up. Features: - A fresh hand-crafted puzzle every day - Hundreds of puzzles across gentle to genuinely tricky - A clean, glowing visual style made to relax - Smart hints when you want a nudge, never forced - Play offline, anywhere, anytime Lumen is free to play. An optional one-time unlock opens the full puzzle library. Terms of Use (EULA): https://policies.superfuturelabs.com/lumen/terms Privacy Policy: https://policies.superfuturelabs.com/lumen/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Lumen at none against Crossword's shown. Lumen also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and update cadence (daily vs every 6 weeks). Crossword's advantage is ratings volume (43K vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Crossword sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and Lumen sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Lumen holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Crossword has 43K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Crossword ships an update every 6 weeks, Lumen daily. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Crossword | Lumen |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (43K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 69.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 43K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Daily — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 484 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | AppyNation Ltd. | Super, Inc. |
Bugs and requests
Crossword
Reported bugs
3 issues- App crashes or freezes after updates
- Inconsistent behavior with token/coin rewards
- Clues/answers not matching properly
Requested features
4 requests- Allow exchanging coins for tokens
- Provide more tokens/coins for completing puzzles
- Add option to view past completed puzzles
- Improve navigation and reduce interruptions
Lumen
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Crossword
- Coins Starter Pack$0.99
- Coin Doubler$0.99
- Remove Ads$0.99
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- Tokens Starter Pack$0.99
- Coins Booster Pack$2.99
- Tokens Booster Pack$2.99
- Coins Super Pack$4.99
- Tokens Super Pack$4.99
- Coins Mega Pack$9.99
- Tokens Mega Pack$9.99
- Coins Ultra Pack$19.99
Lumen
- Lumen Pro$4.99
Questions
Is Crossword free?
Is Lumen free?
Which has better reviews, Crossword or Lumen?
Do Crossword or Lumen have ads?
Which is updated more often, Crossword or Lumen?
Other comparisons















