Best Free Crossword Makers Compared [2025]: Features, Pros & Cons

Finding the Right Crossword Maker for Your Needs

Whether you're a teacher creating vocabulary exercises, an event planner designing party games, or a puzzle enthusiast making crosswords for fun, choosing the right crossword maker can save you hours of frustration.

We've tested the most popular free crossword generators to help you find the best fit. This comparison covers ease of use, features, output quality, and what each tool does best.

What to Look for in a Crossword Maker

Before diving into specific tools, here are the key features to consider:

• Ease of use: How quickly can you create a puzzle without reading tutorials?
• Word limit: How many words can you include?
• Output formats: PDF, printable, interactive, or editable?
• Answer key: Is a separate solution included?
• Customization: Can you adjust difficulty, layout, and appearance?
• Account requirement: Do you need to register?
• Cost: Free vs. freemium vs. paid features

Crossword Maker Comparison

1. JigsawMake Crossword Maker

JigsawMake offers a clean, modern interface designed for quick puzzle creation without registration.

Pros:

• ✓ No account required—start creating immediately
• ✓ Clean, ad-free interface
• ✓ Three difficulty levels (Easy, Medium, Hard)
• ✓ Automatic grid generation with smart word placement
• ✓ PDF download with separate answer key
• ✓ Works great on mobile devices
• ✓ 100% free, no hidden paywalls

Cons:

• ✗ No saved puzzles (browser-based only)
• ✗ Limited styling options

Best for: Teachers and parents who need quick, printable crosswords without creating accounts or navigating ads.

2. Crossword Labs

Crossword Labs is one of the most popular free crossword makers, offering both free and premium tiers.

Pros:

• ✓ Simple word/clue input format
• ✓ Shareable puzzle links
• ✓ Interactive online solving
• ✓ Embed puzzles on websites

Cons:

• ✗ Ads on free version
• ✗ PDF/print requires premium ($)
• ✗ Answer key requires premium ($)
• ✗ Limited word count on free tier

Best for: Users who want to share interactive puzzles online and don't mind paying for print features.

3. Discovery Education Puzzlemaker

A long-standing educational tool that offers various puzzle types including crosswords.

Pros:

• ✓ Multiple puzzle types (crossword, word search, cryptogram)
• ✓ Educational focus
• ✓ Free to use

Cons:

• ✗ Outdated interface
• ✗ Heavy advertising
• ✗ Limited customization
• ✗ Basic output quality

Best for: Educators who need multiple puzzle types in one place and don't mind the dated design.

4. The Teacher's Corner

A teacher-focused resource offering crossword and other educational puzzle generators.

Pros:

• ✓ Free for educators
• ✓ Additional teaching resources
• ✓ Simple interface

Cons:

• ✗ Requires registration
• ✗ Limited puzzle customization
• ✗ Older design

Best for: Teachers who want access to additional educational worksheets alongside puzzles.

5. Canva (Crossword Templates)

The popular design platform offers crossword templates for manual creation.

Pros:

• ✓ Beautiful, customizable designs
• ✓ Full creative control
• ✓ Brand-consistent outputs

Cons:

• ✗ Not a true generator—must manually place words
• ✗ Time-consuming for complex puzzles
• ✗ No automatic word intersection
• ✗ Best templates require Canva Pro ($)

Best for: Designers who want visually stunning puzzles and have time for manual layout.

Feature Comparison Table

Here's a quick comparison of key features:

Which Tool is Best for Your Needs?

For Teachers Creating Printables

Recommendation: JigsawMake

When you need quick, printable crosswords for class, JigsawMake is the fastest path from idea to PDF. No login, no ads interrupting your workflow, and free answer keys included.

For Online Interactive Puzzles

Recommendation: Crossword Labs

If you want students to solve puzzles online and track completion, Crossword Labs' shareable links and embed features are useful—though you'll need premium for full functionality.

For Multiple Puzzle Types

Recommendation: JigsawMake (full suite)

Beyond crosswords, we offer Word Search, Sudoku, and Jigsaw Puzzle makers—all free and ad-free.

For Professional/Commercial Use

Recommendation: JigsawMake or Canva

For newspapers, magazines, or commercial publications, JigsawMake provides clean outputs while Canva offers more design flexibility (with manual word placement).

Why JigsawMake Stands Out

We built JigsawMake to solve the frustrations we experienced with other crossword makers:

• Zero friction: No account creation, no email verification, no waiting
• True free: PDF downloads, answer keys, and all features are genuinely free—not "free trial" or "freemium"
• Clean experience: No banner ads, pop-ups, or distractions while you work
• Smart algorithm: Our generator creates optimal word intersections automatically
• Adjustable difficulty: Easy (compact), Medium (balanced), and Hard (sparse) grid options
• Modern design: Clean, professional output that looks great when printed

Try JigsawMake Crossword Maker Now

Ready to create your crossword? Get started in seconds:

1. Go to our Crossword Puzzle Maker
2. Enter your words and clues (one per line)
3. Choose your difficulty level
4. Download your PDF with answer key

Need a step-by-step tutorial? Check out our Complete Crossword Making Guide.

Start creating: Free Crossword Puzzle Maker →