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

Elevate vs NYT Games

Elevate 4.8★ · Free + IAP 60
Winner NYT Games
NYT Games 4.8★ · Free to download 75

NYT Games offers a more focused and generally reliable puzzle experience, while Elevate provides a broader range of brain training but is heavily criticized for its paywall and aggressive monetization.

Full reviews: Elevate · NYT Games

Elevate offers diverse brain training games but faces significant user frustration due to its aggressive paywall and subscription issues. NYT Games provides classic puzzles like crosswords and Wordle, generally praised for quality but recently plagued by technical bugs and high subscription costs.

Head to head

Features & Content Variety edge: ElevateR2R4R6R8
Elevate Elevate offers a wide variety of games designed to improve memory, math, speaking, and writing skills, with users appreciating the diverse challenges and daily workouts R2R8. However, many users feel that the free version is extremely limited, with most of the advertised 40+ games locked behind a paywall R4R24R25. Some long-term users also note that content can become repetitive over time R6.
NYT Games NYT Games focuses on classic puzzles like crosswords, Wordle, Connections, and Spelling Bee, which users enjoy as a daily ritual and a way to keep their brains sharp R65R80R83. Users frequently request more content, such as archives for Spelling Bee and Acrostic puzzles, and more variety in crossword difficulty .
Ease of Use & User Experience tieR8R9R12R13
Elevate Elevate is generally found to be engaging and challenging, with adaptive difficulty R8. However, users report issues with inconsistent scoring R9, intrusive ads R12R13, and sudden, loud sound effects . Some users also find the app's content to be too American-centric, affecting language-based games for non-US users .
NYT Games NYT Games users generally appreciate the daily routine and challenge R80R83R92. However, recent updates have introduced significant usability problems, including unreadable clue colors R70R71, constant crashing , and annoying prompts for reviews or hint confirmations . Some users also report issues with puzzles not registering as complete or losing streaks .
Reliability & Performance edge: ElevateR33R40R49R66
Elevate Elevate has some reports of incorrect answers in math games R40 and app issues on specific devices, like restarting on iPad or not working on Samsung Fold after updates R49. Some users also mention notification issues R33.
NYT Games NYT Games has faced significant reliability issues recently, with numerous reports of the app crashing frequently on both iPad and iPhone . Users also complain about excessive battery drain R73R79, slow performance, and lagging . There are also issues with puzzles not being supported on older devices or OS versions R66.
Price & Value edge: NYT GamesR1R3R4R7
Elevate Elevate is a 'Free + IAP' app, but users widely criticize it for being a 'money hungry' app where nearly all content is paywalled after a short free trial R1R4R7. Many feel it's overpriced for a learning app and express frustration over being charged after attempting to cancel free trials R3R19R37.
NYT Games NYT Games is 'Free to download' but requires a subscription to access most puzzles beyond the daily mini crossword and Wordle. Users find the subscription price 'beyond insane' for the content offered . While some are willing to pay a small amount, the current pricing is a significant deterrent .
Customer Support edge: ElevateR3R19R37R47
Elevate Elevate has mixed reviews regarding customer support. Some users report positive experiences with quick refunds and issue resolution R47. However, others complain about being unable to contact support, especially for subscription cancellation issues, leading to unauthorized charges R3R19R37.
NYT Games NYT Games users have reported difficulty getting support, with one user waiting for an agent after chat AI failed to resolve an issue . Another user mentioned writing for support about crashes but receiving no response .
Pick Elevate if

you are looking for a wide variety of brain training games across multiple cognitive areas and are willing to pay for a premium subscription, or if you prioritize good customer service for billing issues R2R47.

Pick NYT Games if

you primarily enjoy classic newspaper puzzles like crosswords, Wordle, and Spelling Bee, and are willing to pay a subscription fee despite recent app instability R65R80R83R92.

Evidence note: Elevate's lifetime rating is slightly lower, and its recent reviews are heavily skewed negative due to pervasive complaints about its aggressive monetization strategy and paywall, which overshadow positive feedback on its game content. NYT Games has a slightly higher lifetime rating, but recent reviews indicate a significant decline in user satisfaction due to numerous technical bugs and poor updates.

Frequently asked

Is Elevate truly free?
No, Elevate is not truly free; while it offers a free trial, the vast majority of its content, including 95% of its 40+ games, is locked behind a subscription paywall, leading many users to feel misled by ads claiming it's 'absolutely free' R4R22R24R25.
What kind of games does NYT Games offer?
NYT Games primarily offers classic newspaper puzzles such as daily crosswords, Wordle, Connections, and Spelling Bee, which many users enjoy as a daily mental exercise R65R80R83R92.
Are there issues with subscriptions or billing for Elevate?
Yes, many Elevate users report significant problems with billing, including being charged for subscriptions after attempting to cancel free trials, difficulty finding cancellation options, and issues with refunds R3R19R28R37.
Why are NYT Games users complaining about recent updates?
Recent updates to NYT Games have caused frequent app crashes, excessive battery drain, unreadable clue colors due to poor contrast, and annoying new prompts for checking puzzles or hints, significantly deteriorating the user experience R70R71R73R79.

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. [R2] Elevate 5/5 · US Here since 2017!: I love the way that the game has adapted and continues to give us ways to elevate and stretch. Our minds. Definitely my go to for years. Still here in 2026. Loyal and in love!
  2. [R4] Elevate 1/5 · US all paid content: everything shown in ads is paid content, free version of the app is just bombardment with pop ups asking you to pay them on a subscription basis in order to access 95% of the app
  3. [R6] Elevate 3/5 · US Good but repetitive!: Elevate has been excellent for this 71 year-old male to improving maintain memory skills, math calculations, and improved speaking and writing. However, after almost a year, the program seriously needs some updating. Some of the puzzles I have done at least four or 5 or maybe 10 times.
  4. [R8] Elevate 5/5 · US Incremental challenges: I’m refreshingly confronted with new and intriguing pushes toward my pursuit of perfection.
  5. [R9] Elevate 3/5 · US Inconsistent: The games are fun but scoring is inconsistent and frustrating. Losing points already earned is demotivating. Fix the scoring system and I would give a higher rating.
  6. [R12] Elevate 3/5 · US Ads: Ads ads ads
  7. [R13] Elevate 1/5 · US Royal Match ruins it: I enjoy Elevate, and I am ok with ads. It is actually a really good app. Unfortunately, Royal Match ads ruin it. They don’t seem to have an end. I even added that app to see if it would help. Please at least make those ads end in a reasonable amount of time.
  8. [R33] Elevate 3/5 · US Reminders: At 12 o’clock at night, I got a reminder to do this and my phone’s ringer was turned off too.
  9. [R40] Elevate 1/5 · US The app is giving incorrect answers: I don’t know what’s wrong with this application but checked with the calculator on an answer and the app is giving the wrong answer for some math questions. I used to enjoy this application. I hope it gets fixed.
  10. [R49] Elevate 1/5 · US Total trzsh: This app absolutely sucks. it won't let you play any games on my Samsung fold once it did an update. The version on my IPad keeps restarting so often, it is becoming a huge issue just to do a single workout. I have emailed them several times and they never actually help me. They blame everything else but their app. I have been playing on the app everyday for over 11 years and this i
  11. [R66] 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
  12. [R1] Elevate 1/5 · US Class warfare: Great app for folks with disposable income. Here what apps like this teach parents and kids. “want to help your kids teach them to wait tables and mop floors for people who can afford the luxury of apps like this”
  13. [R3] Elevate 3/5 · US Cannot contact: I received a free trial and started to play a couple games. The games that I played were pretty fun. I just didn’t like it enough to pay the full price. So I decided after a day to delete the app. Usually I can delete an app and then go to my apple settings and opt out of the free trial. But I couldn’t find it in my settings for some reason. Then after a couple weeks, my card was c
  14. [R7] Elevate 1/5 · US Payment: If it’s to help with cognitive function and it’s for helping with disorders, why isn’t it free
  15. [R19] Elevate 2/5 · US Don’t get free trial unless you know how to end it: I can’t end my free trial and it keeps charging me money but it never gave me a option to end it
  16. [R37] Elevate 1/5 · US horrible billing problems: it never emailed me to end my subscription and continue to charge me multiple times and when i went to press manage subscription it told me to contact customer service and i’m still waiting to hear back
  17. [R47] Elevate 5/5 · US Great App: This app provides great games to strengthen the brain. When I cancelled a while back and later got charged $20 - they replied quickly, refunded the $20 and resolved the matter. They have great customer support
  18. [R22] Elevate 1/5 · US Ads are lying: Claims it’s “absolutely free” yeah… for a week? That’s a free trial, not that the app is free. Don’t try to scam people.
  19. [R24] Elevate 3/5 · US Good..... But just one thing: This is an amazing app and it does help my vocabulary. But it limits you soo much if you don't pay money. Its like you do the lesson and after that everything is locked down exept one thing that is nothing compared to all the others. It says 40 plus games but you have to pay for all of them. So basically please unlock more things and I will be happier.
  20. [R25] Elevate 1/5 · US MUST pay: Nothing to do accept the three little daily challenges if you dont buy the premium.
  21. [R65] NYT Games 5/5 · US Consistent and good: Love the online NYT xw puzzles.
  22. [R80] NYT Games 5/5 · US Great: Appreciate that they keep adding new puzzles. It's a morning ritual
  23. [R83] 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
  24. [R92] 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
  25. [R28] Elevate 1/5 · US Complete scam: They charged me twice and won’t refund my money. Apple isn’t helping. The app is redundant and not challenging. This is a waste of time and they don’t care about their consumers, just the one-and-done (excuse me, two-and-done) profit. DON’T DO IT.
  26. [R70] NYT Games 1/5 · US Unreadable clues: The new dark blue background for the crossword clues on the iPad version makes them extremely hard to read. There’s simply not enough contrast. Please go back to a lighter blue so we can actually read the clues.
  27. [R71] NYT Games 4/5 · US Fix the highlight color, please!: I love the puzzles but recently, the color of the clue highlight has changed to a darker shade of blue that makes it difficult for this vision-impaired player to read. Please change it back to the light blue.
  28. [R73] 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!
  29. [R79] 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

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