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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

NYT Games vs Words of Wonders

NYT Games 4.8★ · Free to download 75
Winner NYT Games
Words of Wonders 4.9★ · Free + IAP 40

NYT Games is the better choice for users seeking a premium, ad-free puzzle experience with classic games, despite its higher subscription cost and recent technical issues, while Words of Wonders is plagued by an overwhelming number of intrusive ads that severely detract from gameplay.

Full reviews: NYT Games · Words of Wonders

NYT Games offers a variety of classic puzzles like crosswords and Wordle, appreciated for its consistent quality and mental stimulation, though recent updates have introduced bugs and usability issues. Words of Wonders provides engaging word puzzles but is heavily criticized for its excessive and often unskippable ads, which significantly hinder the user experience, even for those who pay to remove them.

Head to head

Features and Content edge: NYT GamesR8R20R23R32
NYT Games NYT Games is praised for its diverse selection of puzzles including crosswords, Wordle, Connections, and Spelling Bee, which users enjoy as a daily ritual and a way to keep their minds sharp R8R20R23R32. Users appreciate the continuous addition of new puzzles R20. Some users desire archives for Spelling Bee and more variety in purchasable crosswords .
Words of Wonders Words of Wonders offers challenging word puzzles that users find relaxing and good for mental exercise . However, some users note that the game's vocabulary can be inconsistent, with some 'words' not being actual words .
Ease of Use and User Experience edge: NYT GamesR1R2R4R8
NYT Games Many users find NYT Games to be a great daily app R2R8R32. However, recent updates have introduced significant usability issues: dark, unreadable clue backgrounds , constant prompts to review the app R1, and repetitive 'are you sure' confirmations for hints or checks . Some users also report difficulties with navigating between puzzles and columns and issues with game progress not being saved or displayed correctly R4.
Words of Wonders Words of Wonders is generally considered fun and quick to play . However, the user experience is severely hampered by an overwhelming number of ads . Many ads are described as impossible to close without restarting the app , making gameplay frustrating and often impossible.
Reliability and Performance edge: NYT GamesR6R9R13R19
NYT Games NYT Games has recently suffered from significant stability issues, with many users reporting frequent app crashes R36. There are also complaints about the app draining battery quickly R13R19, lagging , and not being supported on older devices or OS versions R6R28R43. Some users experienced lost streaks and scores due to app issues R9.
Words of Wonders Words of Wonders users report frequent app crashes . Additionally, the game is accused of cheating users by not recognizing completed daily puzzles and forcing them to use in-game currency to maintain streaks . Some users also report issues with in-game currency disappearing .
Price and Value edge: NYT GamesR12R53R63R75
NYT Games NYT Games is free to download but requires a subscription for full access to all games. Many users find the subscription price 'insane' or 'a bit high' for the content offered R12R53. Some users would be willing to pay a lower monthly fee R12.
Words of Wonders Words of Wonders is free to download with in-app purchases, including an option to remove ads. However, many users complain that despite paying for no ads, they still encounter them R63R75. The cost to remove ads is cited as high, with one user mentioning $15 R88 or $7 R100, and another $14/month R114. Users feel the game is not worth paying for due to the ad issue R88R100.
Customer Support edge: NYT GamesR22R36R44R63
NYT Games Some NYT Games users report slow or no response from support after reporting bugs R22R36. However, at least one user noted a quick response and fix for crashing issues R44.
Words of Wonders Words of Wonders reviews do not provide direct feedback on customer support effectiveness. Complaints about ads and in-game currency issues suggest a lack of responsive support for these common problems R63.
Pick NYT Games if

Pick NYT Games if you value a diverse collection of high-quality, classic word and logic puzzles, are willing to pay a subscription for an ad-free experience, and prefer a more challenging and mentally stimulating daily routine R8R23R32.

Pick Words of Wonders if

Pick Words of Wonders if you are looking for simple, quick word puzzles and are extremely tolerant of frequent, intrusive advertisements, or if you are interested in a free-to-play model and don't mind the potential for in-game purchase issues .

Evidence note: Recent reviews for NYT Games are heavily skewed negative due to several app updates introducing bugs and usability issues, which contrasts with its high lifetime rating. Words of Wonders' lifetime rating is also high, but recent reviews are overwhelmingly negative due to ad saturation, suggesting a significant decline in user experience.

Frequently asked

Are there ads in NYT Games?
NYT Games is free to download, but a subscription is required for full access to all games, and users do not report ads within the paid experience R12R53.
How much does Words of Wonders cost to remove ads?
Words of Wonders offers an in-app purchase to remove ads, with users reporting costs of $7, $15, or $14 per month, but many users state that ads persist even after paying R63R88R100R114.
Does NYT Games work on older devices?
NYT Games users report that the app is no longer supported on older devices or slightly older iOS versions, forcing some paying customers to upgrade their hardware R6R28R43.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R8] NYT Games 5/5 · US Simply The Best: Daily fun and challenge all in one
  2. [R20] NYT Games 5/5 · US Great: Appreciate that they keep adding new puzzles. It's a morning ritual
  3. [R23] NYT Games 5/5 · US Games: I enjoy the Connections, the Crossword and Wordle with my morning coffee. A great way to start my day
  4. [R32] NYT Games 5/5 · US One of the best parts of my day: My favorite app. From Wordle to Connections to the Crossword- I rarely miss a day. Keeps my brain sharp and a great antidote to mindless scrolling
  5. [R1] NYT Games 1/5 · US Enough already: This pops up every time. Please make it stop.
  6. [R2] NYT Games 5/5 · US Love it: I’ve had it for years.
  7. [R4] NYT Games 2/5 · US GIANT BUG in Purchased packs: When you reset a crossword puzzle that you’ve already played it no longer shows that that puzzle is unfinished. This makes it significantly harder to tell which puzzles you have not already played. Since I purchased those puzzles, I should have the right to replay them as many times as I want and it should not be difficult to do so. What the heck New York Times?? PLE
  8. [R6] NYT Games 3/5 · US Very annoying that App is no longer supported on older devices: NYT should not be forcing paying customers to buy new devices and render older devices that are otherwise perfectly ok obsolete to the point of becoming landfill
  9. [R9] NYT Games 3/5 · US Lost high score and streak: Because there was an issue with crossword, but they made me reinstall before posting a fix. I lost my wordle streak and higher score. Thanks for taking care of subscribers.
  10. [R13] NYT Games 1/5 · US Battery drain: Current version of the app is terrible. It completely drains my year-old iPad mini battery within an hour of use. Never had this problem before. It affects both my older pad running ios18 and the newer one on ios26. Please fix this!
  11. [R19] NYT Games 1/5 · US Very high battery usage: This app has always used a lot of battery on my iPhone 13, but with the latest update, it has become an absolute hog. Spending a 30 minutes in a puzzle drains 20% of my battery and it makes my phone get HOT! There must be a lot of background activity or the app is poorly optimized, because my battery health is still decent. A crossword puzzle is simple, low refresh rate, n
  12. [R12] NYT Games 3/5 · US Love it but $$$: I love these games and would pay a buck or two a month for the rest. That subscription price is beyond insane for what amounts to a pile of flash games from the 2000s.
  13. [R53] NYT Games 4/5 · US Really good app: The previously reported crashing bug has been fixed. This is a really good app for folks who love puzzles. Subscription fee is a bit high, but otherwise no complaints.
  14. [R63] Words of Wonders 3/5 · US Game great tired of ads: Love the game but I paid for no ads and every start up I still receive ads, that’s disappointing.
  15. [R75] Words of Wonders 3/5 · GB Sigh.. another untruthful app: Apple really needs to crack down on this false advertising. Says no ads but I’ve had two in the last 5 mins. They’re ads for another version of this game, but still annoying. Deleted. And no I’m not paying to remove them.
  16. [R22] NYT Games 2/5 · US New version broken/fixed/broken again: The crosswords are gone! I spent half an hour with the chat AI, tried uninstall, etc, nothing works. AI says it will escalate to an agent, but I wait….. When I reinstall, the crosswords are there with all games but when I log in, they are gone. Update, an hour later: After shutting the iPad down for the third time, the crosswords are back. I never did get an
  17. [R36] NYT Games 3/5 · US Crashes!: Used to be great, now crashes every 5 minutes! Wrote for support, but no response, very disappointing
  18. [R44] NYT Games 4/5 · US July 2026 Grateful for quick response: The app was continually crashing and an app update arrived in just a few days. Back to puzzling!
  19. [R88] Words of Wonders 1/5 · US To many ads: Way too many ads and the game isn’t worth $15 to get rid of them.
  20. [R100] Words of Wonders 1/5 · US Absolutely horrible app.: I absolutely hate this app. First, the ads. This has ads EVERY SINGLE LEVEL, and you have to pay 7 DOLLARS TO GET RID OF THEM? This markets it as fun, but there is no fun having half of your playtime as ads! Also, there is ai everywhere. Do NOT DOWNLOAD.
  21. [R114] Words of Wonders 1/5 · US Has ads after 7th puzzle: Has ads after 7th puzzle and ask for rating plus $14/mo for no ads
  22. [R28] NYT Games 2/5 · US No longer available: On my old iPad Sad day
  23. [R43] NYT Games 1/5 · US Doesn’t support slightly older OS: Super annoying that it doesn’t support OS 17.7

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store