The best puzzle subscription boxes offer the option to choose the size of puzzles you want to complete, with options usually ranging from 300 to 1,000 pieces. Puzzle enthusiasts may enjoy supersized puzzles up to 2,000 pieces, but this size is rarer in a subscription box. In addition, some subscriptions let you choose themes you want (or don’t want) to receive. Whether you want to own the puzzles you get or just subscribe to a rental service, there likely is a puzzle subscription box right for you. Keep your puzzling skills sharp with a regular monthly delivery from Buffalo Games. Its puzzle subscription service is available in three sizes to match your time and abilities. At sign-up, you’ll choose between a subscription for 300- to 500-piece puzzles, 750- to 1,000-piece puzzles, or mega-sized 2,000-piece puzzles. Every month, you’ll receive one puzzle according to the size of your subscription package. Plans start at about $78 for six months and vary based on size and subscription duration. Most puzzle subscriptions select a puzzle for you each month, but Buffalo Games offers you two alternate options to pick from. This flexibility sets Buffalo Games apart from much of the competition and helps to ensure that you receive puzzles with artwork you enjoy. Puzzles available from Buffalo Games feature some distinguished names among puzzle artists, including Charles Wysocki, Aimee Stewart, and Darrell Bush. The designs often center on animals or landscapes, though you’ll see some variety featured in the subscription. If you’re looking for independent artists and unique prints, this is likely not the subscription for you. However, this subscription is a great option for building a basic puzzle library. If you’re eager to put puzzles together but are short on storage space, rent your puzzles from a subscription service like Completing the Puzzle. During sign-up, pick your skill level to determine the piece count of puzzles you receive. Options include puzzles with 100-300, 301-900, and 1,000+ pieces. There’s no rush on how quickly you need to finish them, so the choice is up to you on which puzzle size to pick. Plus, you can always change your preference with your online account. Pricing is the same regardless of which size puzzle subscription you choose; plans start at $30 per month. While you can’t request specific puzzles, Completing the Puzzle does keep track of the types of themes you don’t want to work on, and you can tweak this setting at any time. As mentioned, keep any puzzle as long as you like. Once you’ve returned it to the subscription service, the team will pick a new puzzle according to your preferences and ship it out to you—usually within a day or two. You’ll never have to wait long for a new puzzle to arrive and you can cancel anytime with a month-to-month subscription. Puzzling is a relaxing hobby that is also easy on the budget, especially if you subscribe to Mary Maxim’s Puzzle Club. This puzzle subscription only costs around $14.99 each month and you receive two puzzles in every shipment. To sweeten the deal, Mary Maxim has a special offer to receive your first month for only $9.99. Shipping does incur an additional cost of $4.99, but the overall value of this puzzle subscription is still hard to beat, and you can cancel at any time. It’s worth pointing out that there are no options to customize your subscription beyond choosing from a 300-, 500-, or 1,000-piece puzzle. All subscriptions cost the same, regardless of the size puzzle you choose. The artwork includes standard scenes—think animals, landscapes, and scenes from country life. It may not suit your art preferences, but it’s family-friendly, and you can build an expansive puzzle library in no time with this budget-friendly subscription. A subscription to Micropuzzles is a good pick for kids since each delivery includes two 150-piece puzzles that will challenge the mind and keep your child’s fingers busy. While not designed exclusively as a kids’ puzzle subscription, every month features two designs and a theme that makes the puzzles fun to open and complete. The cost per month is $22 with free shipping. Whether your child is a solo puzzler or you’re looking for some screen-free family time, this subscription is a great pick without the large commitment that comes from puzzles with more pieces. Unlike rental services, the Micropuzzles you receive are yours to keep, so your child can re-work their favorites any time. Wooden puzzles offer a unique aesthetic and challenge. Often featuring unusual shapes, these puzzles snap together in a satisfying way that any puzzle enthusiast will appreciate. In addition, the pieces are easier to grasp and harder to lose than cardboard pieces. However, wooden puzzles can be significantly more expensive than a standard puzzle. This adds to the value of the Hoefnagel Wooden Puzzle Club, which is a subscription exclusively for wooden puzzles. Choose between six- and 12-month rental periods, costing around $195 and $360, respectively. Subscribers create a wish list of wooden puzzles from the more than 500 options in the Hoefnagel library. They receive puzzles shipped directly from other club members who have just finished the puzzle, or in some cases, from the puzzle club’s warehouse. The rental period extends as long as you wish for each set of puzzles received, and you can send your puzzles back at any time to receive a new set to tackle. Take note that you pay no shipping to receive puzzles, but you’ll pay the $9.95 shipping rate upon return. The Jiggy Puzzle Club is a must for art lovers with a puzzle habit. This subscription service delivers an exclusive new design each month from an independent artist. These puzzles aren’t your usual assortment of landscapes, animal life, or famous works of art; instead, you’ll receive modern artwork mixed up into 500 pieces and ready for you to assemble. Frequently displayed on shelves once finished, you can purchase puzzle glue to make these puzzles part of your home’s artwork. A monthly subscription costs about $29, but you can save more by opting for a three-, six-, or 12-month prepaid subscription. If you fall behind on your puzzle project, you can pause your subscription. This puzzle subscription sends one or two new twisty puzzles that will challenge your mind and dexterity in new ways to your door each month. Brain puzzles provide a critical-thinking outlet and the satisfaction of solving a hands-on puzzle. Plus, they make a great addition to your coffee table or desk, since they’re excellent conversation starters and a great way to challenge your friends and colleagues. Plans start at about $34.99 for a month-to-month subscription. Puzzlcrate sources new and unique brain puzzles and then packs them with a description card explaining each one’s history and maker. Subscribers receive a new shipment each month with twisty puzzles, which are essentially unique variations on the concept of a Rubik’s cube. You can return a puzzle to the company if it breaks right away, you already have it in your collection, or there are other issues.
How Does a Puzzle Subscription Work?
The specifics of each puzzle subscription vary by company, but the basic idea is that subscribers receive one or more puzzles to work on a scheduled delivery basis—usually once a month or sometimes every quarter. Most puzzle subscriptions give you the option to choose what size puzzles you want to receive, ranging from 300 to 1,000 or more pieces. However, you often won’t have much choice in the specific artwork of each puzzle received.
Do I Keep the Puzzles I Receive With a Subscription?
Rental vs. ownership depends on which type of subscription you choose. Some companies provide a rental subscription option. Your monthly fee entitles you to borrow puzzles from the company’s library, and you’ll return the puzzle when you have completed it. This is a good choice for people who don’t like to repeat puzzles or lack the space to store a puzzle collection. Other puzzle subscriptions send you a new puzzle to keep. Instead of shipping it back, you can add it to your own puzzle library.
How Much Do Puzzle Subscriptions Cost?
Puzzle subscriptions cost between $20 and $40 a month, on average. When you consider that the typical cost of a puzzle is in the range of $15 to $20, there is a premium attached to jigsaw puzzle subscription services. However, the advantage is receiving puzzles shipped to your door—with no time spent perusing designs or running to the store. Plus, some subscriptions on our list include two puzzles each month, making it an excellent value for serial puzzlers. The subscription cost for renting a puzzle vs. owning is usually about the same.
Methodology
To find the best options, we looked at 20 of the top subscriptions to buy or rent puzzles. Since puzzle preferences and skill levels vary, we gave priority to puzzle subscriptions that let you pick your piece count and offer subscribers’ input on puzzle themes. Included in our subscription picks are options for kid-friendly and hands-on brain puzzles.
