Daily Crosswords
Play today's Mini
A free alternative to the NYT Mini Crossword
Same size grid, same three-minute habit, and nothing behind a paywall.
The New York Times Mini is the puzzle that turned the five-by-five crossword into a daily ritual. Today's Mini is free on the NYT site and in its app, but everything around it — yesterday's puzzle, the archive, your stats — sits behind a NYT Games subscription.
The Daily Mini takes the same idea and keeps it simple: a new 5×5 crossword every day at midnight, playable right here in your browser, with no account to create and no subscription to manage. It is the same daily mini that the Daily Crosswords & Word Games iPhone app serves.
Side by side
| Daily Mini | NYT Mini | |
|---|---|---|
| Grid | 5×5, new puzzle daily | 5×5 most days, new puzzle daily |
| Today's puzzle | Free | Free |
| Account required | No | Yes, to save progress |
| Past puzzles | In the app: from $0.99/month, 7-day free trial | NYT Games subscription |
| Timer & streaks | Yes, on the web and in the app | Yes, with an account |
| Auto-check & reveal | Yes | Yes |
| Other daily games | Crossword, Gram Slam, Word Lapse, Sudoku, Mind Reader | Wordle, Spelling Bee, Connections, Strands and more |
| Ads | None | Varies |
NYT details reflect nytimes.com as best we understand it and may change; check there for current terms.
What's the same
The shape of the game. Five rows, five columns, a dozen or so clues, and a timer that starts when you do. Auto-check paints correct letters as you go if you turn it on, and you can reveal a square when you are truly stuck. Finish and you get a share card with your time.
What's different
- Nothing to sign up for. Your in-progress grid, today's completion and your streak are stored in your browser. No email, no password, no newsletter.
- The archive isn't the product. The NYT charges for yesterday's Mini. Here, the daily puzzles are free forever, and every past Daily Mini lives in the iPhone app alongside 14,500 more puzzles for $0.99 a month or $6.99 a year — a puzzle subscription, not a newspaper subscription.
- Constructed for the grid. The NYT Mini is written by NYT editors and constructors, and it shows in the wordplay. The Daily Mini leans toward straightforward, fair clues — good for a fast solve and for people newer to crosswords.
Who it's for
If you love the NYT Mini and just want another one each day, this is a second cup of coffee. If you have never wanted a subscription to play a five-minute puzzle, this is the whole pot.
Daily Crosswords & Word Games is an independent app and website. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by The New York Times Company. "The New York Times", "NYT Mini" and "NYT Games" are trademarks of The New York Times Company and are used here only to identify the products being compared.