Free Mini Crossword: 7 NYT Mini Alternatives (2026)
May 30, 2026
Last updated: August 2026
No, the NYT Mini is not free anymore -- it moved behind the NYT Games subscription on August 27, 2025. If you want a free mini crossword today, the closest like-for-like replacements are USA Today Quick Cross and the Washington Post Mini, both free in the browser with no account. If you want unlimited free mini crosswords on any topic you pick, AI Crossword Maker generates one in under a minute.
Here's the full list of seven free mini crossword alternatives, plus a short guide to picking the one that actually fits how you solve.
| Alternative | Format | Account needed | Pick your topic? |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Crossword Maker | 5x5 mini, any topic | No | Yes |
| USA Today Quick Cross | Daily mini | No | No |
| Washington Post Mini | Daily mini | No | No |
| AARP Games Crossword | Daily, full-size | No | No |
| LA Times Crossword | Daily, full-size | No | No |
| Boston Globe Mini | Daily mini | No | No |
| This site's themed minis | 5x5 mini, any topic | No | Yes |
What happened on August 27, 2025
The NYT Mini used to sit outside the NYT Games subscription as a free daily teaser. On August 27, 2025, the New York Times folded it into the paid Games tier. There is no free daily Mini anymore, and the archive is subscriber-only.
The Mini was many people's entire crossword habit, which is why the change stung more than the size of the puzzle would suggest. The good news is that the free mini crossword format is easy to find elsewhere -- you just have to know where to look.
1. AI Crossword Maker: mini crosswords on any topic
This is the option for people whose real complaint was never the paywall but the supply. Instead of waiting for tomorrow's puzzle, type any topic ("classic rock", "Marvel villains", "breakfast foods") and get a complete crossword in seconds. The 5x5 mini format matches the NYT Mini's size, and there is a full 15x15 option when you want a longer solve.
The difference is that you pick the subject. Want five puzzles in a row about different decades of music? Go ahead. Want one about the show you are currently bingeing? Type it in.
Free on iPhone with no account and no ads. The free tier includes 3 puzzle generations per day, and Crossword+ lifts that limit if you burn through them.
2. USA Today Quick Cross
A daily mini crossword from USA Today, free in the browser. Slightly easier than the NYT Mini on average, which makes it a good warm-up or a satisfying speed run. Compact grid, clean clues, no paywall, no account.
Where to play: USA Today Puzzle Society
3. Washington Post Mini
The Washington Post runs its own daily mini, free and web-based. Difficulty swings more than the NYT Mini did: some days it is a breeze, other days it takes a genuine minute of thought. That variance is a feature if you solve minis from several sources and want the occasional harder one.
Where to play: the Washington Post games section, no subscription needed.
4. AARP Games Crossword
Free, no membership required, and no ads inside the puzzle itself. The name puts people off, but the daily crossword here is well constructed and the site does not gate anything behind a signup wall. Worth a look if the account-creation step is what annoys you about other options.
5. LA Times Crossword
The LA Times daily is a full-size crossword rather than a mini, but it is free in the browser and it is one of the most consistently well-edited puzzles in American newspapers. Monday and Tuesday puzzles are quick enough to fill the Mini-shaped gap in your morning.
6. Boston Globe Mini Crossword
A genuine mini in the NYT tradition, free online. Smaller archive than the bigger outlets and the daily cadence is less reliable, but the puzzles themselves are sharp.
7. Play the crosswords on this site
AI Crossword Maker generates a themed mini on whatever subject you name, whether that is coffee, classic rock, or this year's pop culture. It is free on iPhone and there is no account to create. You can also play a free mini crossword directly on this site without installing anything first.
Which alternative is right for you
These are not interchangeable. Pick based on what you actually lost when the Mini went paid:
- You want the same ninety-second morning ritual, in a browser. USA Today Quick Cross is the closest like-for-like replacement, with the Washington Post Mini as backup.
- You hate creating accounts. AARP Games asks for nothing. Neither does AI Crossword Maker.
- One puzzle a day was never enough. This was the Mini's real limitation, paywall or not. AI Crossword Maker is the only option here that lets you keep going.
- You want to choose the topic. Only AI Crossword Maker does this. Every other option serves you whatever the editor picked.
- You want a longer solve on weekends. LA Times, free and full-size.
The mini crossword sweet spot
What made the Mini work is the same thing that makes Wordle work: it respects your time. You sit down, you solve it, you are done. No forty-five minute commitment, no guilt about abandoning it halfway.
The constraint was always supply. Most publishers give you exactly one per day, which is fine until the day you want two. AI Crossword Maker is built around that gap: finished a puzzle about movies, make one about sports, then food, then your friend's favorite band.
If you want to go deeper on any of these, we have a full roundup of free crossword puzzles online, a shortlist of free easy crossword puzzles for when you want a guaranteed win, and a comparison of the best free daily crossword apps. If the Mini is slightly too small for you, the NYT Midi crossword sits between the Mini and the full puzzle.
You can also read our full comparison of AI Crossword Maker vs the NYT Crossword, browse more games like Wordle, or see how to make your own mini crossword.