Puzzle Cottage
The cost difference, annualized
NYT All Access (which includes News + Games + Cooking + Audio) runs $25/month. Standalone NYT Games is $7.20/month. Puzzle Cottage is $0. Not a trial. Not freemium. Free.
Every NYT Games puzzle has a Puzzle Cottage equivalent
Here’s how the puzzle types map between the two sites:
Plus 4 puzzle types NYT Games doesn’t have
- Echo — fill in the missing words of a famous quote. First-letter hints only.
- Type Racer — daily typing speed test with live WPM and accuracy.
- Unfold — spatial reasoning. Predict where holes appear when a folded paper is unfolded.
- & Math Sprint — two math puzzles (logic grid + timed mental math). NYT has zero math games.
Puzzle Cottage vs. NYT Games — full comparison
| Feature | Puzzle Cottage | NYT Games |
|---|---|---|
| Daily puzzle count | 12 | 6 (3 free + 3 paid) |
| Sign-up required | No | Yes (NYT account) |
| Full archive access | Every past puzzle, free | Subscription only |
| Cross-game streak | Yes (one streak, 10 games) | Per-game only |
| Puzzle variety | Word, logic, math, memory, spatial | Mostly word |
| Mobile app | Installable PWA | iOS + Android |
| Strategy tips library | 15 guides | Limited |
| Price | $0 | $7.20/mo or $60/yr |
| Offline play | Yes (after first visit) | Yes (app) |
| Ads in the game | No (outside gameplay only) | No (subscription model) |
“But NYT writes better puzzles, right?”
Fair question. NYT has a 70+ year editorial legacy and their crossword editor is Will Shortz — a genuine legend. For high-end crossword construction, NYT is still the gold standard.
But for daily brain exercise — which is what 95% of NYT Games users actually want — the editorial difference matters less than you’d think. Puzzle Cottage puzzles are algorithmically generated or editor-curated with the same quality bar as any mid-tier puzzle publication. If you’re playing to wake up your brain over morning coffee, not to solve a construction masterpiece, the gap is small.
If you specifically want Shortz-constructed crosswords, stay with NYT. If you want a daily puzzle habit with variety and no subscription, come over.
What we don’t have (yet)
- Full 15×15 crossword. Still on the roadmap. Our 5×5 Mini Crossword ships a new puzzle daily. For longer word-construction, Anagram Hunt and Word Scramble cover that space.
- Leaderboard tied to a real account. Our leaderboard is streak + score based, saved locally. NYT’s is tied to your NYT login.
- Puzzle editor byline. No celebrity constructors yet. Puzzles are attributed to Puzzle Cottage as a house.
Trade-offs are honest. If any of these matter more to you than the $60/year, NYT Games is the right call. For most people, they don’t.