Crosswords are having a moment, but a lot of the best-known ones now hide behind subscriptions. The good news: plenty of genuinely free options remain. We tested the most popular crossword apps and sites of 2026 and ranked the seven best that you can play without a paywall.
Our criteria were simple. Is it actually free — not a three-puzzle trial that expires? Is there a fresh puzzle every day? Does it play well on a phone browser without nagging you to sign up? And is the difficulty reasonable for everyday solvers, not just experts?
One theme stood out: the sites that stay free tend to be ad-supported rather than subscription-gated, and that trade-off is well worth it for a five-minute daily habit. Here is the ranked list.
1. Funzzle
Our pick for #1: a free Mini Crossword, unlimited Wordle, and daily Connections with no paywall and no account. Answers and explanations posted daily.
Play now: Mini Crossword, Wordle, and Connections.
2. The Guardian Quick Crossword
A long-running free daily quick crossword with a friendly difficulty curve and a clean web player.
3. USA Today Crossword
A free daily themed crossword that is approachable for beginners, playable in the browser with ads.
4. Crossword Nexus
A free open solver and puzzle host popular with indie constructors — great for discovering new grids.
5. Los Angeles Times Crossword
The classic LA Times daily is free to play online and steps up nicely in difficulty across the week.
6. Puzzmo
A modern puzzle site with a generous free tier and a fresh take on the daily crossword format.
7. Printable crossword books
Sometimes paper wins. A cheap puzzle book gives you hundreds of grids with zero screens or ads.
Which should you choose?
If you want everything in one free place, start with Funzzle — it covers the three games most people play daily and posts today's answers if you get stuck. Rotate in the Guardian or LA Times when you want a bigger grid, and keep a puzzle book(Sponsored) around for screen-free solving. However you mix them, you never have to pay for a daily crossword in 2026.
Want the deeper archive and streak tracking of the original? See our honest take in Is NYT Games Worth It in 2026?