Compare
Crux vs NYT Games
Crux and NYT Games are both daily puzzle apps for iPhone and iPad. NYT Games has The New York Times' own puzzles, including Wordle, Connections and the Crossword, and about 300,000 App Store ratings. Crux is newer (out since 3 November 2026), has a ton of different daily games in one app, shows no ads, and every game is free to play without a subscription or any purchase. Crux does not include any New York Times puzzles. Crux has a No Wifi section with practice rounds you can play offline; the daily games download each day's puzzle when you are online.
| Crux | NYT Games | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Pizzart Pte. Ltd. | The New York Times Company |
| Games | a ton of daily games: word, logic, number, geography, trivia, colour, arcade | The Crossword, the Mini and the Midi, Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Strands and others. |
| Price | Free. Optional Crux Plus $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year in the US. | Free to download. Wordle, Connections and Strands are free; the Crossword, the Mini and the rest of the archive need a subscription. |
| Paid tier | Crux Plus: a daily drop of gems and coins, double XP on every solve, and Family Sharing. Not needed to play. | App Store in-app purchases listed include Games - Monthly at $4.99 to $5.99 and a New York Times Crossword subscription at $39.99 (US prices, 6 Nov 2026). |
| Ads | None (promise: "No ads. Ever.") | Its listing does not describe in-game ads. |
| Offline | Yes: a No Wifi section of practice rounds; results sync when you are back online. | Not stated in its listing. |
| App Store rating | Not shown yet (too few ratings) | 4.8 stars from about 300,000 ratings |
| Age rating | 13+ | 13+ |
Choose NYT Games if
- You want the official Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee or the NYT Crossword.
- You want puzzles from The New York Times and an app with a long track record.
- You already pay for a New York Times subscription.
Choose Crux if
- You want many kinds of daily games in one app , including Wordle-style games like Room 5×6 and Quad, a small crossword (Quick Crossword) and four-group sorting (Quartet).
- You want every game free to play, with no ads and no subscription needed.
- You like geography, trivia, colour or arcade games next to your word puzzles.
Or use both
The two work side by side: the free Wordle and Connections in NYT Games, everything else in Crux.
Get Crux
Free on iPhone and iPad. No ads.
Last checked . Spot a mistake? support@crux.quest