Android and iPhone users have no shortage of great Scrabble and Scrabble-alternatives. Though purists may hold that Scrabble is the only game in town, many of these alternatives are definitely worth a look, and, in my estimation, exceed Hasbro’s official Scrabble app in features and playability. They build on the same essential word skills and often provide a better overall playing experience, depending on the features you are looking for. For this review, I briefly look at five competing games that crossword game players should take a look at. The primary selection criteria for this review is that all five of these are available for iPhone and Android devices, so you can play your friends regardless of whether they are iPhone or Android users.
Words with Friends
Android (310,968 reviews; 3.7 stars)
iPhone (19,269 reviews; 4.5 stars)
Words with friends is the classic Scrabble alternative. It allows you to seek opponents from your Facebook friends and your contact list, or it will let you start games with random opponents. Words with Friends also supports pass and play.
A notable feature of Words with Friends is a beautiful and easy to use interface. It is also supported on both Android and iOS, so you can likely play against any of your friends with a smart phone. In Words with Friends, you also have frequent opportunity to play across two DW score tiles, which can create a very high scoring opportunity you don’t get in traditional Scrabble.
Words with Friends does not have a great history of stability and sometimes seems a little laggy. This may be due, in part, to its huge install base. My personal experience is that the competition tends to be weaker on average than many of the alternatives, so beginners might enjoy the game. However, there are very strong players in the mix, too. Words with Friends lacks anything in the way of statistics to help you chart your improvement over time and only remembers your last ten games. Ironically, though Words with Friends is by far the most popular game in this list, you should note it has the lowest overall rating from users.
Wordfeud
Android (188,657 reviews; 4.6 stars)
iPhone (5,012 reviews; 4.5 stars)
Wordfeud was one of the first major Scrabble alternatives to the Android platform and has a strong, devoted following. It also has the highest rating of any of those discussed here, so it definitely worth checking out on that point.
One of the things I like about Wordfeud is that you don’t always have to play the same exact game. Wordfeud provides a random option for the placement of premium squares. This provides a nice variation not available in other games in this list.
Scrabble
Android (33,475 reviews; 3.9 stars)
iPhone (8,975 reviews; 4.0 stars)
The “Official” Scrabble game comes in third on this list. Relatively speaking, Scrabble is new to the game for Android, but for purists, this is the only legitimate option because of its parity with the board game. However, it also has some interesting features that users will either love or hate.
This game appears to be targeted to beginner and intermediate players. The app gives players access to a dictionary for in-game use, as well as a full list of legal two-letter words available during the game. Additionally, players, once they make a move, can be told the what the best scoring move for that play would have been based on the tiles they had. These features are probably very interesting to those becoming initially engaged with the game, but they might annoy more seasoned players who want to compete with others without the aid of these tools.
The application itself, seems heavy, and slow, though it is attractive. There is only a free, ad-supported version available, which is a nuisance if you would like to play without ad interruption. The game also opens in full-screen mode, hiding that notification bar, which seems undesirable. Currently, an ad-supported version is available for Android, but both ad-supported and paid apps are available for iPhone.
Wordsmith
Android (3,928 reviews; 4.2 stars)
iPhone (1 review; 4 stars)
Wordsmith is a highly rated alternative and dont’ let the low review count fool you. Wordsmith disappeared from the Android Market for a while because of complaints from Hasbro (owners of Scrabble). But it is back now. Also, it is just now out for the iPhone, so it hasn’t had a chance to get a following on the iPhone as of the publication of this review.
Wordsmith boasts some unique features. For one, it is the only game in the list that supports 2-4 player games. It also keeps track of statistics and it supports multiple time limits per turn. Wordsmith has been one of my personal favorites on Android for a long time. It was around before Words with Friends and Scrabble showed up, so it has a strong user base with good competition. iPhone players who try this will already have a good base of users available for immediate competition because of its establishment in the Android community.
Words By Post
Android (158 reviews; 4.3 stars)
iPhone (118 reviews; 4.5 stars)
Words By Post has quickly become my current personal favorite among these options, though it is one of the newer games available. One of the problems with most of the other games is related to finding opponents of comparable skill. Words By Post solves this problem by calculating an ELO rating based on your play. This is a system of rating player skill level based on past performance against people of different ratings. You are started with a provisional rating of 1200 and matched with people around that level. If you win, your rating goes up, and if you lose, it goes down. If you beat a player with a lower rating, you might only get a small bump in your ELO rating, but if you beat a player with a higher rating, you will get a bigger bonus. After a few games, you should begin to find your comfort zone. Words by post keeps a nice history, with graphs, that let you see your progress over time. This is also the only game that lets you step back and forward through past games so you can review every play that was made in your history.
Words By Post is the only game in this list that is supported by Android, iPhone, and Windows Phone. I recommend you give it a try. Free and paid versions are available.
If you have a favorite or would like to recommend another alternative, let us know in the comments below.
