WordSalvo vs Wordfeud

Where they overlap

Both games run a 15×15 board, a seven-tile rack, Double Letter / Triple Letter / Double Word / Triple Word premiums with stacking word multipliers, and a center-square opening move. Swap rules match: you can swap any number of tiles as long as the bag still holds at least seven (Wordfeud Help). Blanks are worth zero in both. If you already play Wordfeud, WordSalvo's rules feel like the same game with 5 points more on top plays.

Both also ship a random-board mode — Wordfeud's Play Store listing calls it out; WordSalvo's variant keeps identical premium counts under diagonal symmetry and a no-adjacent-premiums constraint so layouts stay playable. Both have in-game chat. Both are free with ads, and both sell a way to remove ads.

Bingo bonus: 40 vs 45

Wordfeud's official help page is explicit: "If a player uses all seven tiles he is awarded an additional 40 points" (Wordfeud Help). WordSalvo sets the bonus at +45, sitting between Wordfeud's 40 and Scrabble's 50.

The 5-point gap is not cosmetic. Across a typical 2–3 bingo game, that is 10–15 extra points of ceiling. It is enough to flip close matches without letting a single rack-clear decide the game — the Scrabble +50 is famous for that. This is the single biggest rules-level divergence between the two apps.

Ratings and matchmaking

Wordfeud has a Performance Rating — community docs describe it as ELO-based — but it is not used for matchmaking. The Feudia FAQ: "There is no skill tracking, so you may end up paired with an opponent who is significantly more or less skilled than you are" (Feudia FAQ). Random Opponent pairs on board type and dictionary only. That is a deliberate design choice: Wordfeud prioritises fast matching over skill-gated pairings.

WordSalvo runs [Glicko-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glicko_rating_system#Glicko-2_algorithm) — the successor to ELO used in chess — and matches online games inside a ±200 rating-point window. Everyone starts at 1500. Above the number, ten named tiers: Novice (0–1149), Apprentice, Scholar, Adept, Virtuoso, Savant, Maestro, Sage, Grandmaster, and Laureate (2300+), tracked per language × board combination. Wordfeud's public help docs list no comparable named rating ladder as of April 2026.

If you value fast matches over fair ones, Wordfeud's approach wins. If you want a number that actually gates who you play, WordSalvo does.

Post-game analysis: the biggest gap

Wordfeud ends every game on a final score. Wordfeud's help documentation lists no engine replay, no optimal-move suggestions, no brilliancy scoring, and no turning-point detection. This is consistent with Wordfeud's minimalist philosophy and is not a bug.

WordSalvo runs a client-side instant-stats pass on completed games, surfacing the decisive moment, rack penalty, and any personal records you set. Covered online and AI games can then run a server-side pass in a Cloud Function, scoring moves against the engine's best and producing a Brilliancy Score, optimal moves you missed, and turning points where the match tilted. Instant stats are free; the full engine replay sits on the Word Master plan. Full detail at Post-game analysis.

Ratings, tournaments, languages

WordSalvo adds rated play, tournament structure, and head-to-head history around the same board-game rhythm. The exact competitive surfaces should be judged from the current app build, not from speculative roadmap language.

Wordfeud's competitive loop stops at the Performance Rating and a friends list, but it does offer something WordSalvo does not: up to 30 simultaneous games (Google Play — Wordfeud). For players whose ideal word game is many slow parallel matches with known friends, that is real and valuable.

On languages, Wordfeud ships 10 dictionaries — English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish (Wordfeud Help) — all strong and well-maintained. WordSalvo goes live with English and Dutch first.

Which you should pick

Stay on Wordfeud if your ideal word game is many asynchronous matches running at once with friends you already play — the 40 million download base (Wikipedia — Wordfeud) means your opponents are already there — and you actively prefer a minimal UI that stays out of the way. Wordfeud's 15-year maintenance record under Bertheussen IT is the closest thing the genre has to a classic.

Try WordSalvo if you want a rating that actually gates who you play, post-game review that helps you spot missed chances, tournament play, and English/Dutch go-live support. The core loop is familiar; the extra layer is where the depth lives.

These are not mutually exclusive. They coexist fine on one phone, and for a lot of players the right answer is "both".

Frequently asked questions

can I play my wordfeud friends on wordsalvo?

Not directly. Wordfeud games live on Bertheussen IT's servers and cannot be imported. To play the same friends on WordSalvo, both of you need a WordSalvo account — then friend codes are 6 characters and shareable over WhatsApp, Messenger, SMS, or QR.

is wordfeud still being updated?

Yes. The Play Store listing shows a March 2026 update, and Wordfeud crossed 40 million downloads in August 2025 per Wikipedia. It is a healthy, actively maintained product. The case for WordSalvo is additive features, not Wordfeud decline.

which has a cleaner UI, wordfeud or wordsalvo?

Both are uncluttered. Wordfeud is more minimal by design — fewer screens, less chrome — and many players prefer it for exactly that. WordSalvo has more surfaces because it adds analysis, ratings, tournaments, and practice tools. Neither is "cleaner" in the abstract; they are different philosophies.

is the wordfeud bingo bonus really 40?

Yes, per Wordfeud's official help page. Scrabble uses 50, Wordfeud uses 40, WordSalvo uses 45. Across a typical 2–3 bingo game, the +5 over Wordfeud shows up as roughly 10–15 extra points of ceiling.

does wordfeud have a rating or ranking system?

Wordfeud tracks a Performance Rating — community docs describe it as ELO-based — but the Random Opponent feature does not use it for matchmaking. Per the Feudia FAQ, pairings are board + dictionary only, so skill levels can be very uneven. WordSalvo matches inside a ±200 Glicko-2 window.

which is more popular right now?

Wordfeud. 40 million downloads since 2010, particularly strong in the Nordics and the Netherlands. WordSalvo is a 2026 release with a much smaller base. If raw opponent volume today is what matters most, Wordfeud wins on that axis.