Apps Like NYT Games: 8 Free and Paid Alternatives (2026)

The NYT Crossword, the Midi and the Mini all need a subscription. Wordle, Connections and Strands are free, but if the crossword is what you came for, you need a paid plan or another app.

Here are eight alternatives, from free newspaper crosswords to paid puzzle bundles. Some replace the crossword, some replace the daily habit of several small games, and one lets you solve with a friend in real time. We checked each one on its own site or app listing on November 4, 2026. Grid Genius is our product and is on the list, with its gaps stated like everyone else's.

What NYT Games includes, and what it costs

Start with the baseline, from the NYT help center and the App Store listing:

• Free: Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition, Crossplay, Pips, Strands, Sudoku, and a limited Spelling Bee.
• Subscription: the Crossword, the Midi, the Mini, Letter Boxed and Tiles, plus an archive of more than 10,000 crosswords going back to 1993.
• Price: the App Store listing shows in-app subscription options from $4.99 to $39.99. Plans bill every 28 days or yearly, and Games is also included in All Access and Home Delivery subscriptions.
• Ads: the App Store listing carries the Contains Advertising label, and the help center says the Times does not offer ad-free subscriptions.
• Social: friends leaderboards, up to 100 friends, for the Mini, Spelling Bee, Wordle and Connections. There is no global leaderboard.

If you want the hand-made NYT crossword, nothing replaces it. If you want a daily puzzle habit that costs less, or a crossword on your own terms, read on.

The 8 alternatives at a glance

The closest overall match: Puzzmo

Puzzmo feels most like NYT Games: a set of daily puzzles you work through, with a crossword at the center. Its Cross|word and Mini Cross|word carry constructor and editor bylines, so they are human-made and edited. Around them sit original games such as Typeshift, SpellTower, Flipart and Pile-Up Poker, plus leaderboards.

The app is free to download with in-app purchases, and its App Store listing carries the Contains Advertising label. Puzzmo Plus costs $3.99 a month on the App Store, with a $39.99 option. The app runs on iPhone, iPad, Apple silicon Macs and Vision Pro, and puzzmo.com works in any browser. We found no official Puzzmo app on Google Play, so Android players use the website.

Pick it if you like a daily mix of games and want an edited crossword for less than an NYT Games subscription.

For Apple households: Apple News+

Apple News+ includes a daily and archived crossword, a crossword mini, Quartiles, sudoku and Emoji Game. Each puzzle type has a Game Center leaderboard, you can challenge friends, and subscribers can download puzzles to play in Offline Mode. Apple says some puzzles may be available without a subscription.

It costs $12.99 a month after a free month for new subscribers, and it also comes with Apple One Premier at $39.95 a month. It works only on Apple devices: iOS 17, iPadOS 17 or macOS Sonoma or later.

Pick it if you already pay for Apple One, or you want magazine access along with the puzzles.

Free newspaper crosswords: The Washington Post and the LA Times

Two major papers publish free daily crosswords on the web, supported by ads.

• The Washington Post games page, powered by Arkadium, has a daily crossword, a daily mini, a Sunday crossword, and word games such as Wridges and Keyword. It calls its mini "the best free online crossword," and ads appear around the games.
• The Los Angeles Times games page offers a daily crossword and a mini, with ads. Registering for free lets you earn achievements and track your progress, and its Midi crossword is a member exclusive.

Pick one if you want a classic newspaper-style crossword every day and do not mind ads. Neither is the NYT puzzle, but both are free.

A crossword app with a free daily: USA TODAY PLAY Crosswords

The USA TODAY PLAY Crosswords app, on iOS and Android, has a daily crossword, a quick crossword called Quick Cross, a puzzle archive, hints, and sudoku and other games. It is free with ads, both store listings carry an advertising label, and a monthly subscription is $4.99 on the App Store.

Pick it if you want a phone app with a free daily crossword and an archive.

Free and ad-free: Crosshare

Crosshare is a free, ad-free, open-source site where crossword makers publish puzzles. It posts a new 5x5 mini every day, alongside a steady stream of community puzzles in other sizes. Quality varies more than at a newspaper, since anyone can publish, but there is no paywall and no ads.

Pick it if you want a daily mini that costs nothing and shows nothing. If you build puzzles too, Crosshare's constructor is one of the best free tools; see our Crossword Compiler alternatives.

Solve together: Cross with Friends

NYT Games is social through leaderboards, not shared grids. Cross with Friends describes itself as a way to "solve crossword puzzles together with friends in real time." Anyone with the link joins the same game room, and you see each other's cursors and edits. You upload a .puz file to play, no account is required, and the site says it is free and ad-free.

Pick it if you want to solve a crossword alongside someone, live.

A crossword on any topic: Grid Genius

Grid Genius is not a bundle of games. It is a crossword app that does two things NYT Games does not. First, the daily puzzle is free, with streaks and global leaderboards. Second, you can type any topic, from Taylor Swift to the French Revolution, and AI builds a complete crossword about it: the words, the clues and the grid. A free account includes 3 AI puzzles to start.

When a clue stumps you, AI Hints rephrase it or add a related fact, each one a little more helpful than the last, instead of revealing letters. You can also challenge a friend to a crossword duel, where you both solve the same grid on your own time and the faster solve wins.

What it lacks: there is no Wordle-style mix of other games, no offline play, and the puzzles are AI-generated rather than hand-built by professional constructors. The free tier shows ads in the app; the paid Pro plan removes them. For a head-to-head with the Times, read Grid Genius vs the NYT Crossword.

Which one should you pick?

If you mainly want to know which crossword apps are worth installing, our best crossword puzzle apps guide ranks the field.

Frequently asked questions