Crossword Labs is free to use, with an optional $9.95 lifetime membership that adds private puzzles and a dashboard. If you want more than crosswords, Printoodle generates print-ready crosswords plus coloring pages, word searches, bingo, trivia and more from a free 10-credit tier, with credit packs starting at $5 and free reprints forever. For a one-off crossword, Crossword Labs' free tier is hard to beat; for a whole activity library, Printoodle covers far more ground.
Bottom line: Crossword Labs wins on pure crossword value — free creation, printing and export with an optional $9.95 lifetime membership. Printoodle wins on breadth: crosswords are one of a dozen+ printable activity types, with photo-based personalization and a free 10-credit start.
TL;DR
- Crossword Labs is free to use with no ads, no watermarks, and no registration required.
- The optional Crossword Labs membership is a one-time $9.95 lifetime payment — not a subscription.
- The $9.95 membership adds private puzzles and a dashboard; basic creation, printing and export work without it.
- Crossword Labs exports to PDF, Microsoft Word, image, and SVG, and puzzles can be solved online, shared by link, or embedded on a website.
- Printoodle offers crosswords alongside coloring pages, photo-to-coloring-page, pixel color-by-number, word searches, bingo, trivia, flashcards, mazes, dot-to-dot and party packs.
- Printoodle's free tier gives 10 credits on email verification; credit packs start at $5 and reprints are free forever.
- Crossword Labs has no AI generation or freeform grid editor — you supply your own word list.
Head-to-head
| Dimension | Crossword Labs | Printoodle |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free; optional $9.95 one-time lifetime membershipwinner | Free 10 credits; credit packs from $5 |
| Ease of use | Paste words and clues, generate — no registration requiredwinner | Upload a photo, document, or short brief and download a PDF in seconds |
| Activity types | Crosswords only | Crosswords, coloring pages, photo-to-coloring-page, pixel color-by-number, word searches, bingo, trivia, flashcards, mazes, dot-to-dot, worksheets, party packswinner |
| Output formats | PDF, Microsoft Word, image, SVG; print from browserwinner | Print-ready PDF, Letter default with A4 toggle |
| Online solving & sharing | Solve online, shareable URL, embed on any website, Focus Mode for studentswinner | Print-ready PDFs only — no interactive online solving |
| Personalization | Your own word list and clues | Your photos, documents, and briefs — e.g. pet-photo coloring pages, birthday kits with the child's namewinner |
| Setup | None — open the site and start making puzzleswinner | Email verification unlocks 10 free credits |
Scores
Crossword Labs
crosswordlabs.com ↗Crossword Labs is a free online crossword puzzle maker built in 2011 by Matt Johnson while an undergrad at Washington State University, Vancouver. It has grown into one of the largest repositories of crossword puzzles on the internet, with over one million puzzles made. The workflow is deliberately simple: paste in a list of words and clues, click generate, and the tool produces a crossword you can solve online, share via a link, embed on a website, or print. Export options include PDF, Microsoft Word, image, and SVG for full customization. The site advertises no ads, no watermarks, and no registration required, and the developer notes you can make and print a complete crossword for free, with a paid account being optional. An optional $9.95 lifetime membership adds private puzzles and a dashboard. Puzzles work on tablets and phones, and a Focus Mode strips branding for students solving online. Commercial use is allowed with no attribution required.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | Make, print, share, solve and export crosswords; no ads, no watermarks, no registration |
| Lifetime Membership | $9.95/one_time | Private puzzles and a dashboard; one-time payment, not a subscription |
Pros
- Free to use with no ads, no watermarks, and no registration required
- One-time $9.95 lifetime membership instead of a recurring subscription
- Multiple export formats: PDF, Word, image, and SVG
- Interactive online solving with shareable links and website embedding
- Over one million puzzles made since 2011 — a large existing puzzle library
- Commercial use permitted with no attribution required
Cons
- No AI generation — you must supply your own words and clues
- No freeform editor; grid layouts are algorithmically generated with no manual adjustment
- Limited customization and basic visual design
- Crosswords only — no other puzzle or activity types
- Some third-party reviewers note limits on the free tier and premium-gated features, though the site itself states printing is free
Printoodle
printoodle.com ↗Printoodle is a consumer web app where anyone can generate personalized, print-ready activity pages in seconds. Beyond crosswords, it produces themed coloring pages, photo-to-coloring-page conversions (turning a pet or family photo into line art), pixel color-by-number mystery pictures, word searches, trivia cards, bingo, flashcards, mazes, dot-to-dot pages, classroom worksheets, and themed party packs. Users upload a photo, a document, or a short brief, spend credits, and download a print-ready PDF — Letter by default with an A4 toggle. Everything a user makes lives in a personal library where reprints are always free. The product is family-oriented with safe-for-kids defaults, no trademarked characters, and no NSFW content. It serves parents of kids 3-12, teachers building worksheets and quizzes from their own lesson material, party hosts running bridal or baby shower bingo and trivia, grown-up colorers, and gifters — for example, pet-photo coloring pages.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | $0/mo | 10 credits on email verification; reprints always free |
| Credit packs | $5/one_time | Pay-as-you-go credit packs starting at $5; no subscription; free reprints forever |
Pros
- Free 10-credit tier on email verification — no payment needed to start
- Credit packs from $5 with no subscription commitment
- Much broader than crosswords: coloring pages, word searches, bingo, trivia, mazes, flashcards, party packs and more
- Personalization from your own photos and documents (photo-to-coloring-page, custom lesson material)
- Print-ready PDFs with Letter and A4 options, and reprints are always free
- Family-safe defaults: no trademarked characters, no NSFW content
Cons
- Credit-based, so heavy usage means buying credit packs rather than unlimited free creation
- No interactive online solving — output is print-ready PDF, not shareable web puzzles
- No website embedding or shareable puzzle URLs for students to solve in a browser
- Crossword grid control is not a constructor-grade freeform editor
Pricing compared: $9.95 once vs credits from $5
Features: one deep tool vs one broad tool
Which fits small businesses, teachers, and event hosts
Which should you pick?
FAQs
How much does Crossword Labs cost in 2026?
Crossword Labs is free to use — the site states there are no ads, no watermarks, and no registration required, and you can make and print a complete crossword for free. The only paid option is an optional $9.95 lifetime membership, a one-time payment rather than a subscription, which adds private puzzles and a dashboard. The site's own FAQ notes most people never buy one because you can do basically everything without it.
What does the $9.95 Crossword Labs membership actually unlock?
The $9.95 one-time lifetime membership adds private puzzles and a dashboard. Core functionality — building crosswords from a word list, solving online, sharing via link, embedding on a website, and printing or exporting to PDF, Microsoft Word, image, or SVG — works without paying. Commercial use is also allowed on Crossword Labs with no attribution required.
Is Printoodle free to try?
Yes. Printoodle gives new users 10 free credits after email verification, enough to generate and download print-ready activity pages before spending anything. After that, credit packs start at $5 with no subscription required. Anything you create stays in your library, and reprints are always free forever.
Can I use Crossword Labs puzzles commercially?
Yes. Crossword Labs' own FAQ states you can sell your crossword or use it for commercial purposes, and no attribution to CrosswordLabs.com is required — though it's appreciated. This makes it workable for small businesses publishing puzzles in newsletters, on websites, or in printed materials.
Which tool is better for teachers?
It depends on the workflow. Crossword Labs excels at quick vocabulary crosswords: students can solve online via a shareable link (Focus Mode hides branding), or the teacher can print and export answer keys, all without an account. Printoodle fits teachers who want more than crosswords — worksheets, word searches, quizzes, and activities generated from their own lesson material, delivered as print-ready PDFs in Letter or A4 with free reprints.
Does either tool use AI to generate puzzles?
Crossword Labs does not offer AI generation — reviewers note you supply your own words and clues, and there is no freeform grid editor. Printoodle generates output from your inputs: upload a photo, a document, or a short brief, spend credits, and download a print-ready PDF, which covers personalized coloring pages, word searches, crosswords, and more.
Sources
- Free, Online Crossword Puzzle Maker - Crossword Labs
- About Crossword Labs
- Best Free Crossword Puzzle Makers in 2026: A Complete Comparison
- Crossword Labs vs 4 Free Crossword Makers (2026 Test)
- Best Crossword Puzzle Makers for Classrooms in 2026
- Lab Week 2026 - Crossword Labs
- Printoodle — personalized print-ready activity pages
- PuzzleMe Pricing & Plans