A Word Game Without Forced Ads — How Glossa Makes Money

Glossa is a free word game that makes money from optional purchases and a limited number of ads in the free version, under strict rules: never mid-puzzle, never on retry, skippable after five seconds and muted on silent. Everything you need to play is free, nothing you buy changes difficulty, and there are no timers, countdowns or "best value" badges. Our promise is simple: no forced ads, ever.

What is free in Glossa?

Quite a lot. Free players get:

• Every Journey level: 2,000 per language, in English, Spanish, Dutch, German and French.
• The Daily Emoji, every day, in every language.
• 3 free hints a day, back at local midnight.
• All five home cities: New York, Madrid, Amsterdam, Berlin and Paris.
• Stamps, earned from bonus words, level clears, the Daily and streaks.
• Progress backup through iCloud on iPhone and Android's automatic backup, with no account needed.

You can play from level 1 to level 2,000 without paying. If you have not played yet, start with how to play Glossa.

When do ads appear in the free version?

Glossa shows an occasional interstitial (a full-screen ad) between levels. These are the rules:

• At most once every three completed levels.
• Never mid-puzzle. You will never be interrupted while solving.
• Never on retry. Replaying a level never triggers one.
• Skippable after five seconds.
• Muted when your phone is on silent.

That is the only kind of ad you see without asking for it.

What are rewarded ads?

Rewarded ads are ones you choose to watch in exchange for something, such as one extra hint or some Stamps. They only play when you tap the button. Rewarded ads share a cap of six per day, so they never turn into a grind.

What does "no forced ads, ever" mean?

It means two things. First, Glossa Lifetime and Glossa Plus show no ads at all, not even the interstitial between levels. Second, we back it with a guarantee: if you ever see a forced ad, email us and we'll refund you.

What is the difference between Lifetime and Plus?

There are two ways to support Glossa. Prices below are EUR base prices; the App Store and Google Play show the price for your country, which may differ.

Glossa Lifetime is a one-time purchase. It removes ads for good, gives you 10 hints a day and the Mexico City postcard, includes streak insurance, and covers every current and future language.

Glossa Plus is a subscription with everything in Lifetime, plus unlimited hints, both puzzle packs while you are subscribed, the Daily Archive and double Stamps from the Daily. You can cancel any time in your App Store or Google Play settings.

When you open the purchase sheet, you see exactly three options: Plus yearly, Lifetime and Plus monthly, with links to restore purchases and manage your subscription. No countdowns, no "best value" labels, no crossed-out prices. See the pricing section for the current details.

What else can you buy?

Hint packs

Hint packs of 10, 30 or 100 hints start from €0.99 (EUR base price). They never expire, are backed up with your progress and are only used after your free daily hints run out. Hints are sold for real money only; you cannot buy them with Stamps.

If you run out of hints, Glossa shows a calm sheet: your free hints come back tomorrow, packs are there if you want them, and you can watch an optional ad for one hint. Plus subscribers never run out, so they never see it.

Puzzle packs

Puzzle packs are themed sets of 100 levels, in all five languages: Travel and Food & Kitchen. Each costs €1.99 (EUR base price) or comes with Plus. Their difficulty runs from the Journey's second band to its third, so they feel like a break rather than a wall.

Daily Archive

The archive lets you replay past Daily Emoji puzzles since launch. It costs €1.99 once (EUR base price) or comes with Plus. Archive days are for fun and do not count for streaks or Stamps. More in The Daily Emoji: one clue, one word.

Mexico City

The Mexico City postcard theme can be unlocked with 1,500 Stamps, comes with Lifetime and Plus, or can be bought on its own.

Can you buy Stamps?

No. Stamps are earned only: 1 for each bonus word, 5 for each cleared level, 10 for the Daily Emoji, 50, 200 and 500 for 7-, 30- and 100-day streaks, and some from optional rewarded ads. They buy city postcard themes and nothing else: never hints, never progress. Because nobody can buy them, a postcard collection reflects play, not spending.

Does paying make puzzles easier?

No. Nothing you can buy changes the difficulty of any level. Hints and skips help you past a stuck moment, but every player meets the same puzzles in the same order. Skip appears only after two minutes on a Journey or pack level, costs three hints, and leaves the level open to replay.

What dark patterns does Glossa avoid?

We decided early what Glossa would never do:

• No timers or countdowns on offers, and no "limited time" pressure.
• No "best value" badges or crossed-out prices.
• No badges pulling you towards the shop.
• No ads mid-puzzle, and no ads at all for Lifetime and Plus.
• No buying difficulty: paid items never make levels easier or harder.
• No pushy notifications: streak reminders only start at a three-day streak, come at most twice a week, never on consecutive days, never between 21:00 and 09:00, and stop after three ignored.

Prices always come from the store, so what you see is what you pay. For how ads and data are handled, read our privacy policy.

In short

• Every Journey level, the Daily Emoji and 3 hints a day are free in all five languages.
• Free-version ads appear between levels at most once every three levels, never mid-puzzle or on retry, skippable after 5 s and muted on silent.
• Lifetime (€7.99 once) and Plus (€14.99/year or €1.99/month) remove ads entirely; EUR base prices, local prices may differ.
• Stamps are earned only and buy postcards only; hints are real money only; nothing changes difficulty.
• If you ever see a forced ad, email us and we'll refund you.