Comparison

Aki vs Retrogram

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

Head to head
About

Aki

Learn Māori vocabulary and phrases through engaging levels and challenges. Navigate through a waka, avoid obstacles, and master new words. Compete with friends and track your progress.

Highlights
  • Vocabulary and phrase learning
  • Gamified levels and challenges
  • Progress tracking
  • Multiplayer challenges
  • Leaderboards
Read full description

Aki - A Māori language vocabulary and phrase learning App. Paddle your waka and escape the taniwha by learning and identifying words and phrases. Finish one level with six dots, then start the next level with a whole new set of words. Once you’ve completed all four levels, play them again and challenge yourself to complete the levels in the quickest time possible with the fewest mistakes. Challenge your friends and family to play and compare their progress and achievements through Game Center.

About

Retrogram

Challenge your vocabulary with a daily word puzzle. Create as many words as possible from seven letters. Enjoy a stylish, retro-themed experience designed to sharpen your mind and introduce you to new words.

Highlights
  • Daily hand-made puzzles
  • Solve puzzles together via SharePlay
  • Apple Watch compatibility
  • No ads
  • Discover new words
Features
Read full description

Think you’re a word nerd? Put your vocabulary to the test with new word puzzles every day Retrogram is a love letter to the 1970s — a cozy collection of handcrafted word games, curious words and satisfying puzzles to make part of your daily routine PLAY EVERY DAY SPELLOTRON Make as many words as you can using seven letters. Find the pangram, climb the ranks and discover interesting stories behind some of your favorite words WORDWAY Build a bridge of words from one word to another. Use the letters you’re given and find a path across the board THERE’S MORE Subscribe to Retrogram to catch up on the past week of daily puzzles, explore the Puzzle Vault, play limited-edition bonus packs, switch things up with vintage app icons, and play after dark with Neon Nites FEATURES * Two handcrafted word puzzles every day * Play today’s Spellotron and Wordway puzzles for free * Catch up on the past seven days * A growing Vault of bonus puzzles * Limited-edition puzzle packs * Neon Nites dark theme * Vintage alternate app icons * SharePlay — solve together over FaceTime * Play Spellotron on your Apple Watch * No ads, ever Additional details Privacy policy: https://retrogram.app/#privacy Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Aki4 screens
Retrogram4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Aki at 5.0 against Retrogram's 4.4. Aki also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and review sentiment (78% vs 66%). Retrogram's advantage is ratings volume (320 vs 2) and device support (4 vs 2). On price and ads 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. Retrogram sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Aki asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Aki holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Retrogram has 320 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Aki's written reviews are positive against 66% of Retrogram's.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Aki versus Retrogram: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAkiRetrogram
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.4 (320 ratings)
Positive reviews77.8% of reviews — better66.1% of reviews
Number of ratings2320 — better
Update frequency—Every 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS6.1 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size83 MB145 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUniversity of Otagoin Color

Customer experience

Aki

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive77.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative22.2%

Retrogram

All ratings320 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral2.5%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive66.1%
Neutral9.7%
Negative24.2%

Bugs and requests

Aki

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Retrogram

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Words marked as missed that were actually found
  • Puzzle letters changing when spinning the wheel
  • Apple Watch app no longer functioning
  • Game progress deletion without explanation
  • Inconsistent word acceptance across different puzzles
Show 2 more
  • Hint feature disappeared in recent updates
  • Contact support only available through Apple Mail

Requested features

10 requests
  • Access to previous/archived puzzles
  • Multiple puzzles per day or puzzle difficulty levels
  • Statistics tracking (completion rate, pangram frequency)
  • Hint system that doesn't impact streak
  • Word find rate percentages for context
Show 5 more
  • Immediate answer reveal after puzzle completion
  • Cheaper one-time purchase option instead of subscription
  • In-game dispute method for word validation
  • Apple Watch functionality restoration
  • Automatic daily prefix posting on social media

In-app purchases

None

Aki

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Retrogram

Subscriptions2
  • Daily Puzzle (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • Daily Puzzle (Yearly)$29.991 Year
One-time8
  • Where in the World$3.99
  • 80s Dinner Party$4.99
  • Gaming Icons$4.99
Show 5 more
  • Stone Cold$4.99
  • Flower Power$4.99
  • Dear Reader$4.99
  • Outer Rim$4.99
  • Daily Puzzle (For Life)$49.99

Questions

Is Aki free?
Aki is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Retrogram free?
Retrogram is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Aki or Retrogram?
Aki is rated higher. Aki averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Retrogram averages 4.4 from 320 ratings.
Do Aki or Retrogram have ads?
Neither Aki nor Retrogram shows ads.

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