Comparison

Crossword Puzzle Maker vs Bench Reference

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

Head to head
About

Crossword Puzzle Maker

Easily create custom crossword puzzles with a title, answers, and clues. Personalize your puzzles with beautiful typefaces, backgrounds, and gradients. Save, edit, and share your creations as PDFs or PNGs.

Highlights
  • Automatic crossword generation
  • Customizable typeface and background
  • Save and edit past puzzles
  • Auto-save latest puzzle
  • Vector graphics support (PDF)
  • Share as PDF or PNG
Features
Read full description

Make beautiful crossword puzzle with ease! Brought to you by the creator of Tagxedo. With Crossword Puzzle Maker, you simply enter the title, answers, and clues, and a gorgeous puzzle will be created for you almost instantly! It is easy to make the crossword truly yours with beautiful typeface, gorgeous background, and seamless gradients. * FEATURES - Automatic generation of crossword puzzle - Smart tradeoff between sizes of title, crossword layout, and clues - Save a history of crossword puzzles you made, so you can make change later - Auto-save the latest puzzle - Type everything you need in one page in a simple format - Title and clues automatically highlighted for you as you type! - Make the most out of the single page to make the puzzle pop - Support background image - your own, 12 stock images, or none - Magnifying glass (tap and hold to magnify) - Background customization is easy - position, size, opacity, transition (fading) - Transition allows for gorgeous backdrop without making words illegible - Automatically adjust title color (black or white) for best contrast - Single tap to change typeface, with a choice of 10 curated typefaces - Support vector graphics (PDF) - Share via Email - crossword and key as two separate PDFs - Air Print support (PDF) - Share via Facebook or Twitter (PNG)

About

Bench Reference

This professional jeweler's reference guide provides comprehensive information on gemstones, metals, and bench techniques. It includes calculators for pricing, measurements, and 3D printing, along with a personal library and learning tools. Essential for jewelers needing quick access to data and procedures without an internet connection.

Highlights
  • Gemstone and material reference
  • Bench technique guides
  • Metal properties and working notes
  • Repair procedures
  • Measurement and data conversions
  • Professional calculators
  • Personal library system
Features
Read full description

Bench Reference — The Professional Jeweler's Pocket Guide Everything a bench jeweler needs, right on your phone. Bench Reference puts 30+ reference sections, professional calculators, and a personal library system in your pocket — no internet required. GEMSTONES & MATERIALS Browse 100+ gemstones with Mohs hardness, specific gravity, refractive index, care instructions, setting tips, steam safety, and cleaning methods. Filter by hardness or steam safety to make quick decisions at the bench. Plus dedicated sections for pearls, birthstones, gemstone origins, and stone shapes. BENCH TECHNIQUES Step-by-step reference guides for stone setting (prong, bezel, pavé, channel, flush, tension), soldering, casting, polishing, engraving, wax carving, repairs, annealing, torch & gas, laser welding, rhodium plating, patina & oxidation, and chemical safety. Each section built from real bench experience. 23 METALS Melting points, annealing temps, hardness, specific gravity, and working notes for every metal you'll encounter — from 24K gold and platinum to palladium, steel, and titanium. REPAIRS HUB Sizing up, sizing down, shank replacement, prong rebuilding, chain repair, clasp replacement, soldering guides, porosity troubleshooting, and more. A complete repair reference when you're at the bench. MEASUREMENTS & DATA Ring sizes (US/UK/EU with conversions), wire gauge reference, MM-to-carat weight charts by stone shape, chain styles, necklace and bracelet lengths, finding sizes, and formulas for weight, pricing, and alloy calculations. IDENTIFICATION & TESTING Gemstone testing methods, acid testing procedures for gold, silver, and platinum, hallmark identification, metal allergy reference, and a Stone ID table with SG and RI values for quick identification. PROFESSIONAL TOOLS Ring Blank Calculator — stock length for any ring size Metal Weight Calculator — weight by dimensions and alloy Job Pricing Calculator — materials, labor, and markup Temperature Converter — Fahrenheit and Celsius Weight Converter — grams, dwt, troy oz, carats Bench Timer — burnout and casting countdowns 3D PRINT & CAD Castable resin profiles, resin comparison charts, shrinkage calculator, burnout schedules, support placement guide, troubleshooting, post-processing, printer settings, and stone-in-place casting. Plus MatrixGold CAD shortcuts and workflows. MY LIBRARY Your personal database. Store product specs, component details, alloy recipes, consumable inventory, and supplier contacts. Add photos, SKUs, links, and notes. Organized by category, searchable, and always with you. LEARN & PRACTICE Flashcards and quizzes covering gemstones, metals, setting techniques, and bench skills. Study at your own pace. Perfect for apprentices and seasoned jewelers brushing up. GLOSSARY 200+ jewelry industry terms defined clearly — from bail to burnisher, firescale to findings. NEW IN v8.1 Redesigned splash screen and home page Expanded and fact-checked reference data across metals, solders, gemstones, and casting Added Wire Gauge reference, Patina & Oxidation section, and new gemstones to Stone ID Fixed display issues and icons throughout the app General polish and performance improvements BUILT FOR THE BENCH No ads. No subscriptions. No internet required. Bench Reference is built by jewelers for jewelers — a single purchase that works offline, everywhere you need it.

Screenshots

Crossword Puzzle Maker4 screens
Bench Reference4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bench Reference at 100% against Crossword Puzzle Maker's 39%. Bench Reference also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.4) and update cadence (weekly vs every 6 months). Crossword Puzzle Maker's advantage is ratings volume (45 vs 2) and device support (3 vs 1). On ads and in-app purchases 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

Crossword Puzzle Maker costs $3.99 and Bench Reference $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Bench Reference holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Crossword Puzzle Maker has 45 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of Crossword Puzzle Maker's written reviews are positive against 100% of Bench Reference's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Crossword Puzzle Maker ships an update every 6 months, Bench Reference weekly. Both last shipped on October 12, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Crossword Puzzle Maker versus Bench Reference: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCrossword Puzzle MakerBench Reference
Price$3.99 — better$4.99
Rating3.4 (45 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews39.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings45 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.1 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB3 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperKwok LeungAaron brown

Customer experience

Crossword Puzzle Maker

All ratings45 ratings
Positive55.6%
Neutral6.7%
Negative37.8%
Written reviews38 reviews
Positive39.5%
Neutral15.8%
Negative44.7%

Bench Reference

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Crossword Puzzle Maker

No in-app purchases

None

Bench Reference

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Crossword Puzzle Maker free?
Crossword Puzzle Maker costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bench Reference free?
Bench Reference costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Crossword Puzzle Maker or Bench Reference?
Bench Reference is rated higher. Crossword Puzzle Maker averages 3.4 out of 5 from 45 ratings, while Bench Reference averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Crossword Puzzle Maker or Bench Reference have ads?
Neither Crossword Puzzle Maker nor Bench Reference shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Crossword Puzzle Maker or Bench Reference?
Crossword Puzzle Maker ships an update every 6 months, and Bench Reference weekly. Most recently, Crossword Puzzle Maker was updated on October 12, 2026 and Bench Reference on October 12, 2026.

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