The New York Times Mini Crossword was a beloved daily ritual for millions. It was the perfect, quick mental warm up to go with your morning coffee. But now that the Mini has moved behind a subscription paywall, many of us are searching for a new puzzle to fill that daily void. (For those still playing, we continue to post the NYT Mini crossword answers daily right here on our site.)
The good news? The world is full of fantastic, free mini crosswords waiting to be discovered. We’ve created the most comprehensive guide to help you find the perfect replacement. Whether you want a classic newspaper puzzle, a modern indie game, or a dedicated mobile app, you’ll find it here.
Quick Picks: The Best NYT Mini Alternatives at a Glance
In a hurry? Here are our top recommendations based on what you’re looking for:
- Best Direct Replacement: Los Angeles Times Mini
- Best for a Serious Challenge: The Atlantic Daily Puzzle
- Best for Modern & “Online” Clues: Slate Mini
- Best for Variety: The Washington Post Puzzles
- Best Dedicated Mobile App: Mini Crossword Daily
What is In Our NYT Mini Alternatives Article?
The Classics: Free Puzzles from Major Newspapers
These puzzles offer a familiar, high quality experience from trusted sources. They are the most direct replacements for the NYT Mini.
1. Los Angeles Times Mini
Best for a classic, traditional feel. This is the closest you’ll get to a free, like for like NYT Mini alternative. It’s a reliable, daily 5×5 puzzle from a major newspaper. The cluing style is a bit more traditional, which many solvers enjoy.
2. USA Today Puzzles
Best for a quick, easy, and accessible solve. USA Today offers a fantastic suite of free puzzles. You can choose from the standard Daily Crossword, the even faster Quick Cross, or the speed focused Two Minute Mini, which challenges you to solve against the clock.
3. The Washington Post Puzzles
Best for variety and a unique twist. The Washington Post provides a robust collection of minis. You’ll find a standard Mini Crossword, a timed Two Minute Mini, and its standout offering: the Daily Mini Meta Crossword, a clever puzzle where answers from several mini grids combine to solve a final meta puzzle.
Play The Washington Post Mini here
4. The Atlantic Daily Puzzle
Best for a real challenge. If you found the NYT Mini too easy, The Atlantic’s puzzle is for you. It’s known for its modern, intelligent, and often difficult clues. The puzzle’s grid size and difficulty increase throughout the week, culminating in a tough but rewarding challenge.
Play The Atlantic’s Daily Crossword here
5. The New Yorker Mini
Best for witty and sophisticated wordplay. While not a daily offering, The New Yorker’s puzzles are an event for crossword lovers. They publish a high quality, slightly larger mini on Fridays (and a midi on Thursdays). The cluing is exceptionally clever, reflecting the magazine’s sophisticated style.
Play The New Yorker puzzles here
6. Seattle Times Mini
A simple and reliable daily puzzle. The Seattle Times offers a no frills, straightforward daily mini crossword. It’s a dependable choice if you just want a classic, quick puzzle without any extra features.
Play the Seattle Times Mini here
The New Wave: Modern & Indie Puzzles
These platforms offer fresh perspectives, unique voices, and a strong sense of community.
7. Slate Mini
Best for modern and pop culture clues. Slate’s puzzles are famous for being “extremely online.” They are packed with witty, of the moment clues about internet culture, politics, and current events. It has a large, competitive community that loves to compare solve times.
8. Vulture 10×10
Best for entertainment lovers. Vulture’s daily 10×10 crossword is a pop culture paradise. Every puzzle is themed around movies, TV, music, and celebrities. It’s a fun, easy to medium difficulty puzzle that feels like a celebration of entertainment knowledge.
9. Puzzmo
Best for a fresh, community focused experience. Puzzmo is a beautifully designed platform with a suite of fun daily games. Its flagship crossword features accessible language and modern references. It has excellent social features, making it easy to share scores and compete with friends, perfectly replicating the community feel of the NYT Games app.
10. Crosshare
Best for endless, user generated content. Crosshare is a free, open source platform where anyone can create, share, and solve crossword puzzles. It hosts a massive library of puzzles in every size and style imaginable. While the quality can vary, you will never run out of free minis to solve.
11. Black Crossword
A vital and culturally rich puzzle. Created by Juliana Pache, this free daily mini has a clear mission: to celebrate and emphasize terms and clues from across the Black diaspora. It’s a beautifully crafted puzzle that serves a passionate community and offers a much needed perspective in the crossword world.
For On the Go: Best Dedicated Crossword Apps
If you prefer the seamless experience of a mobile app, these are your top choices.
12. Mini Crossword Daily
Best for competitive, timed solving. This app was built to replicate the thrill of the timed NYT Mini. It features a prominent timer and tracks your “win streak,” making it perfect for speed solvers. It offers two new free puzzles every day across four difficulty levels.
Download on iOS
Download on Android
13. Daily Themed Crossword
Best for a huge library of themed puzzles. With over 10 million downloads, this app is a giant in the mobile puzzle space. Every single puzzle has a theme (like Movies, Sports, or History), so the experience always feels fresh. It’s free with ads, with options for in app purchases.
Download on iOS
Download on Android
14. Omni Crosswords
A great puzzle aggregator app. OmniCrosswords bundles puzzles from multiple sources (including The Washington Post and others) into one convenient app. It’s a fantastic one stop shop if you like to solve minis from a variety of publishers each day.
Pro Tip: How to Play the NYT Mini for Free
Still can’t let go of the original? You might be in luck. Many public libraries offer free digital access to The New York Times, which often includes the Games section. Check your local library’s website to see if you can log in with your library card and get a free access pass.
Don’t Forget: Other Free NYT Games
While the Mini is now a paid feature, several other fantastic NYT games remain completely free to play:
- Wordle: The viral five letter word guessing game.
- Connections: Find the groups of four words that share something in common. You can also find the daily answers here if you are a fan.
- Strands: A themed word search with a twist.
- Pips: A new daily logic puzzle. Find the Pips answer today on our site.
