CrossFire is desktop crossword construction software from Beekeeper Labs. If you are weighing crossfire crossword software against other constructor tools — or wondering whether it belongs in a KDP puzzle-book workflow — the useful split is simple. CrossFire is built to finish one newspaper-style grid at a time on your own machine. Puzzle Maker Pro is built to batch themed pages and assemble book interiors. Those are different jobs, and mixing them up is how you buy the wrong tool.
Last checked: 10 November 2026 against the official CrossFire page, download page, and FAQ.
What CrossFire is for
CrossFire targets American newspaper-style crosswords: interactive and quick grid fill, custom dictionaries, rebus support, and integration with the Matt Ginsberg clue database, all in one desktop workspace. The vendor names version 1.3.2 on the public site (checked 10 November 2026).
The FAQ states that CrossFire is designed and optimized for 15×15 and 21×21 newspaper grids, while other rectangular sizes are possible. Cryptic grids are doable with setting tweaks (for example turning off unchecked-square warnings). Barred grids are not supported. That scope matters if your buyer expects thick-line British barred puzzles instead of black-square American layouts.
CrossFire is a constructor’s bench, not a book factory. You design a grid, fill it, write or import clues, and export that puzzle. There is no built-in path that turns one word list into sixty themed interiors for Amazon in an afternoon. For that production shape, compare crossword puzzle creation software that scales — our chooser for batch work, reuse, and export — rather than expecting CrossFire to behave like batch book software.
Platform and pricing publishers ask about
These are the questions that show up in search threads about crossfire crossword software platforms and licensing.
Operating systems. The official site says CrossFire runs on Windows, Macintosh (OS X 10.12 and later), and Linux, tested across those platforms. That tri-platform story is a real difference from tools that are Windows-only or browser-only.
Registered copy price. As of 10 November 2026, Beekeeper Labs lists $50 for a registered copy, with lifetime updates included in that purchase (the vendor’s wording on the public page; we did not re-quote their promotional phrasing about upgrade charges).
Unregistered trials. Without a registration code, sessions end after one hour and you cannot save work — enough to test fill and UI, not enough to run a production book.
Tablets and phones. The FAQ states you cannot install CrossFire on an iPad or an Android tablet.
Multiple machines. Licensing details live in the FAQ; verify there before you plan a laptop-plus-desktop setup.
If you are comparing crossfire crossword software vs crossword compiler on platform alone: CrossFire’s native Mac and Linux builds avoid the “Windows plus Parallels” pattern that Crossword Compiler’s FAQ describes for Mac users. Price shape is different too — CrossFire’s one-time $50 registered copy (checked 10 November 2026) versus Crossword Compiler’s subscription-first ordering page. See our Crossword Compiler for publishers page for that product’s current tiers.
The workflow gap for KDP and Etsy puzzle books
Puzzle-book publishers usually need dozens of puzzles with consistent trim, margins, and answer placement — often via Instant Puzzle Books inside Puzzle Maker Pro. CrossFire assumes you are crafting individual submission-grade grids, not spooling fifty variants from one themed word list.
The FAQ draws a hard line on school-style word-list crosswords: puzzles built from a pasted word list without a structured square grid or significant interlock between words. CrossFire does not support that style. Do not read that as a reason to skip Regular Criss Cross — those are different animals. Regular Criss Cross is a word-list-driven intersecting grid for book pages: words cross at shared letters with Across and Down numbering, not the loose school layout CrossFire refuses, and not a hand-built 15×15 newspaper grid. The Crossword Variations Bundle covers related shipped variation types for the same book-interior job.
CrossFire is for newspaper-style construction one grid at a time. Puzzle Maker Pro is for themed intersecting book pages at volume. Keep those jobs separate when you shop.
Puzzle Maker Pro does not ship a full-size American or British newspaper crossword module — the unreleased product some buyers mean when they ask for 15×15 or 21×21 constructor-style puzzles. The legacy /product/crossword/ URL redirects to the Crossword Variations Bundle. Do not plan a listing around “Puzzle Maker Pro newspaper crosswords”; plan around criss-cross, fill-in, spiral, and bundle variations. For how those book types differ from constructor tools, read crossword and fill-in puzzles for publishers.
How CrossFire compares
This is a short map, not a mega-roundup. Each tool has its own page; use them when you have narrowed the job.
| If your job is… | CrossFire | Also consider |
|---|---|---|
| One 15×15 or 21×21 grid, deep fill control, desktop offline | Strong fit | Crossword Compiler for publishers (Windows-focused, broader puzzle-type list) |
Browser session, .puz import/export, cloud save | Weaker fit | Crosserville crossword software |
| Open-source browser constructor, Exolve export | Different stack | Exet crossword software |
| Themed criss-cross book interiors at scale | Wrong tool | Regular Criss Cross + Instant Puzzle Books |
For a three-way constructor lens — crossfire vs crossword compiler vs crosserville — CrossFire wins when you want a paid, native tri-platform desktop app with newspaper grid fill as the center of the UI. Crossword Compiler wins when you need one Windows vendor that also handles sudoku, word search, web applets, and a long feature list on a subscription. Crosserville wins when you want browser access, curated word lists, and export formats aimed at modern .puz / ipuz workflows (pricing on the public site was not listed when we checked 10 November 2026).
None of these tools, including CrossFire, replaces Puzzle Maker Pro for multi-puzzle KDP interiors. They construct; Puzzle Maker Pro generates pages and books from lists and presets you control.
Where Puzzle Maker Pro still earns a mention
Buy CrossFire (or another constructor) when you or a hired constructor are producing individual newspaper-grade grids — for a magazine column, a submission packet, or a premium bonus puzzle.
Buy Puzzle Maker Pro when the product is a book or pack of themed intersecting puzzles without hand-building every 15×15 from scratch:
- Regular Criss Cross — word-list-driven intersecting grids with Across and Down clues or Word Fill mode.
- Crossword Variations Bundle — related shipped crossword-style variation types.
- Instant Puzzle Books — included in every paid edition; Productivity or Time Saver unlocks multi-collection books.
There is no shipped full-size newspaper crossword SKU.
Get the free Puzzle Maker Pro demo now if your next title is a book interior, not a single grid file.
Other puzzles you might like
- Constructor round-up neighbors: Exet crossword software, Crossword Compiler for publishers, Crosserville crossword software.
- Book-side chooser: crossword puzzle creation software that scales.
- Crossword types we ship today: crossword and fill-in puzzles for publishers and which crossword variation.
- Shop anchors: Regular Criss Cross, Crossword Variations Bundle.