Summary | Selected Apps | References; Misc. Apps
Summary
- "Today I learned that 'Across Lite' is actually...
Desktop and mobile applications (some free):- optimize crossword size/layout (usually) for different size displays:
phone, tablet, desktop - provide a consistent, often customizable, user interface
-- along with other features. 
open crossword files -- usually .puz- download .puz files within app or via browser; play offline
- see Sources:Web Sites on how to download (and/or Airdrop) and open .puz files
- If you don't want to install an app, there are several browser-based solvers
where you can upload a .puz / .jpz file, e.g., Crosshare, Crossword Nexus,
Cruciverbalizer, Exolve -- from Constructing Crosswords: Solving Applets - Selected applications for solving crosswords are listed below
(apps for Authoring will be covered later). - This list is incomplete and likely out-of-date -- additions, corrections welcome.
- A few apps access only a single puzzle source, e.g., Guardian, NYT, Penny Dell,
Telegraph, USA Today - To avoid malware, install software only from your device's "app store" or reputable developers
[on right (above,below): Crosswords from Stand Alone Software in iOS App Store] - The focus here is primarily on three, well-maintained, cross-platform applications:
- Across Lite from: Literate Software (aka LitSoft); free
- Crosswords from: Stand Alone; $
- Crossword from: NYT app: free; puzzles: $
- Gallery: Across Lite; Black Ink; Crosswords; CrozzWord; Puzzazz; XWord:
with OLLI example, from Constructing Crosswords: Solving: Applications
Across Lite | Black Ink | Crosswords | CrozzWord | NYT Crossword |
Puzzazz | USA Today | XWord | xWord Buddy
- app name: alphabetically by app name, with store/vendor link
- check vendors and app stores for latest versions, features and requirements
- platforms:
- desktop/laptop: Mac (Macintosh); Win (Windows); Lnx (Linux)
- phone/tablet: Android; iOS: iPad, iPhone
- ebook-Reader: Kindle
- cost: eval or free 'light' version available? NA: not available
- formats: most used: .puz
- newer: .jpz, .ipuz, .xpf, etc.; internal: unknown/proprietary
- Refs: Formats
- features: common: Check/Reveal, printing, etc.
- image, gallery (slideshow)
- read vendor FAQs; review articles
Across Lite (Literate Software)
- platforms/cost:
Win 7-10: free
Mac 10.6+: free
Mac 9.x-10.5: free
iPad: Across Lite: free
iPad: Across Trainer: $7 
formats: .puz,.txt- +check/reveal; +print; +customize ui; -manual download; -support
- Gallery: Across Lite: Mac & iPad; iPad tour; Gallery: OLLI Example
- Solve Crosswords With Across Lite
Black Ink (Red Sweater)
- platforms/cost: Mac, iOS: $30?
- formats: .puz
- Gallery: OLLI Example
- Black Ink 2.1.7: Preserving New York Times Support 8/10/2021
- Black Ink crossword puzzle game for iOS enters public beta 6/16/2021
- Black Ink Lets You Do Crossword Puzzles on Your Mac TB; 3/3/2020
- Black Ink crossword puzzle app for Mac gets new modern design,
Dark Mode and VoiceOver support 9to5; 12/3/2019
Crosswords (Stand Alone Software)
- platforms/cost: (store search: 'Crosswords')
Android store: $10;
iOS8+ 'Reg':store: free/Pro:$10
iOS8+ Classic:store: free/Pro:$10
Mac 10.6+:store: $20 - formats: .puz, .jpz
+download: US sites: 20; 'UK': 5; $: 4;
+browser .puz; +sync w/ desktop; +check/reveal; +customize ui; +support; +print- issue: import via Airdrop occasionally hangs; solution: force-quit; reimport missing puzzles
- issue: empty 'duplicate' entries sometimes appear: solution: delete ghost versions
- issue: formatting, e.g., italics, doesn't appear; solution: use .jpz, e.g., for NYT
- issue: rebus entries disappear; solution: re-enter or solve at a single sitting
- FAQ: regular, Classic
- Galleries: regular, Classic; Gallery: OLLI Example
- You Should Play: Crosswords 8/10/2012
- Crossword Puzzle Fans, Toss Away That Eraser NYT; 7/11/2012
CrozzWord (CommuniCrossings)
- platforms/cost: requires Java; NA ($15)
Mac (8.x-10.14); Win; Zaurus (Lnx)
S-E P800; iPaq PPC; others - formats: .puz, others
- +download (sites out of date)
+check/reveal; +customize ui
+cross refs; +puzzle info; -print - Galleries: Gallery: Zaurus, Mac, etc.; OLLI Example
CrozzWord was awarded 1st place in the JPDA 2002 Application Developers Contest in the Entertainment /
Educational / Multimedia category -- sponsored by Insignia Solutions, HP, Intel, Metrowerks,
Sharp, Softbank Publishing and Sun Microsystems. winner list; contest description;
Insignia Begins Search for Best Java Developer Brains on the Planet with JPDA 2002 Application Developers Contest- Although limited in many ways (original installer apps may not work, remote puzzle sites won't work
and it's unsupported & may expire), CrozzWord can still (~2018) run and access .puz from a local file system - System requirement: Java JDK (development kit) to run full apps
(Java JRE provides run-time environment for only browser applets).
Check if JDK already installed via a command-line app/shell, e.g., macOS Terminal:java -version - Download and place in same directory/folder, e.g., 'cz': crozzword.jar, help.zip, samples.zip;
expand .zip, result:cz/crozzword.jar, cz/help/..., cz/samples/crozzword1.puz,... - Terminal:
cd cz; java -cp crozzword.jar CrozzWord
CrozzWord:Local Directory > Other > Samples : 1
browser: download .puz file, e.g., newton1.puz
CrozzWord:Local Directory > Other > Other: newton1.puz
New York Times Crossword app
- platforms/cost: iOS, Android, Kindle: free
- formats: 'internal'
- - NYT only;
samples, mini-crosswords: free;
current, archive: $ - iOS 17: How to Play Daily Crossword Puzzles in Apple's News App requires Apple News Plus subscription; CNet; 2/10/2024
- The Benefits Of Doing The NY Times Daily Crossword 7/17/2020
- From Duolingo to The New York Times Crossword: 5 Apps That Can Spark Creative Thinking 4/23/2020
- Across, Down, Diagonal -- How We Test Crossword Puzzles on Android NYT; 8/9/2019
- NYT Launches Crossword App for Kindle Fire NYT; 4/6/2017
- Improvements Made to NYT Crossword iOS App NYT; 1/14/2015
- New York Times Crossword app gets its appeal across (and down) MW; 5/31/2014
Puzzazz
- platforms/cost: iOS: free
- formats: internal: 'ebook'
- 100 types of word & non-word puzzles
puzzles: $ (Google acct required)
NYT puzzles (print version): NYT acct required;
Gallery: OLLI Example
USA Today
- platforms/cost: iOS, Android: free
- formats: 'internal'
- puzzles: $6/mo.
- USA Today Relaunches Subscription Crossword App 8/16/2021
XWord
- platforms/cost: Win, Lnx, Mac: free
- stable, but 'alpha'-level software; docs older?; Gallery: OLLI Example
- formats: .jpz, .puz, .ipuz
- download: NYT?, Newsday, LAT, USA Today, Jonesin' (Th), WSJ (Mo-Sa),
Universal (Mo-Su & Su), BEQ (Mo, Th), WaPo (Su), New Yorker (Mo-Fr),
Atlantic (Mo-Fr, Su), NY Magazine (Su) -- also customizable feeds [image below] 
Crossword Race video; using XWord;
orig. Crossword Solver -- intended to replace AL?
xWord Buddy
- platforms/cost: Newton: NA ($30)
- formats: .puz
- handwriting recognition;
download .puz via Newt's Cape;
Steve's Newton puzzle
Misc. Apps, Devices, References
- Acrostics: Terminology&Types: sources, apps, tools
- American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (ACPT) [old list]
- Best Crossword Games for Android and iPhone 8/29/2020
- Boatload of Crosswords; Android, iOS: free; format: internal;
app: 1 puz/day? play online (unlimited) - Cross Your Heart Android
- CrossMe collaborative crossword-puzzle solver; web; Meteor source code
Crossword City Chronicles Review warns people how terrible it is; 1/25/2021- Crossword Genius iOS; an app (from unlikely.ai) containing an AI, Ross, who can solve and explain
even the most difficult cryptic crossword clues. The app also uses state-of-the-art machine vision
to read in crosswords found in newspapers via the smartphone camera and allow solving on your device;
earlier: Crossword Maestro for Windows - Crossword Scraper; free browser extension: Firefox, Chrome [image: above]
converts browser crossword applets [PuzzleMe, Crossword Compiler]
on some sites to .puz, .jpz or .pdf, e.g., Atlantic, New Yorker, NYT, The Week;
other puzzle sites tagged/compatible with "CS" (Crossword Scraper) 
Crossword Solver Win, Mac; free; requires Java;
if requires older OS, use Across Lite, XWord or other solving app- cursewords: a crossword solving interface for the terminal Mac; Linux; app; 3/3/2019
- Daily POP Crosswords Android; PuzzleNation
- Excalibur Touch-Screen Crossword Puzzle 1000 NYT puzzles; Model 455 manual; ~2003;
Amazon, eBay, garage sales -- I got mine for $2 at AAUW's yard sale! [imgs: above & right] - Crosswords Gnome Linux
- Gnome Crosswords Linux; .puz, .ipuz
- Kindle Scribe: I Love And Hate My Stupidly Expensive Crossword Puzzle Device .pdf puzzles; 3/6/2023
-
from: Omni Crosswords Omni Crosswords iOS 14+; free; [image: right]
download: NYT?, LAT, USA Today, Atlantic, Newsday, New Yorker, WSJ;
no puzzle import; source code - Penny Dell Crosswords & Jumbo Crosswords Android, iOS;
each app features Free Daily Puzzles and hundreds ($) of unique puzzles; Easy to Hard - Redstone Crossword iOS, Android, Mac; also Palavras Cruzadas;
free (with ads); $15 (no ads); many puzzle bundles included; no puzzle import - Scrabble; iPad
- WORDS with friends; iOS, Android
- xword-dl
command-line (Python) tool to download .puz files for online crossword puzzles
from supported outlets or arbitrary URLs with embedded crossword solvers; 12/2022 - 10 Best Crossword Puzzles for Android and iOS Smartphones 12/1/2021
- The Big Crossword app -- world's biggest crossword puzzle;
'the biggest' [103 x 103 (10,069 squares); 1,284 clues]
published in an app (iOS, Android, Kindle Fire) -- not paper? 2/7/2020 - 15 crossword solvers for Android, iOS, and the web that actually work! 10/19/2019
- 10 best crossword games for Android 10/17/2019
- 10 Free Apps for Solving Crosswords on the Go And; 12/17/2016
- 5 Top Apps For Crosswords In One Go! 10/5/2018
- Learning to Read, With the Help of a Tablet Montessori Crosswords; NYT; 8/21/2013
- 5 Daily iPad Crossword Apps To Do While You Wait Daily Quick Crossword Puzzles;
NYTimes Crosswords; Crosswords (Standalone); CRUX Crosswords; Montessori Crosswords; 5/13/2013 - Crossword Puzzle Fans, Toss Away That Eraser
Crosswords (Standalone); Crux Crosswords; ShortyzCrosswords; NYT; 7/11/2012 - Word Games Anytime, No Travel Tiles Required Scrabble; Words with Friends; NYT; 2/22/2011
- Crosswords Online: Cruciverbalizing on the Web web sites; Mac apps; TB; 6/2/2003