Comparison
NYT Connections vs Clusters
NYT Connections asks you to sort sixteen words into four hidden groups. Clusters is Coronet Arcade's independent daily on that connecting-wall format, free in any browser.
What's the same
Both hide four categories of four words in a grid, cost you a strike for a wrong group, and end the run after a few strikes. The trap is the same: words that could belong to two groups are the ones to leave until last.
How Clusters differs
Clusters Unlimited pushes past four groups to five- and six-group boards, which sharply increases the overlap between categories. It adds a daily archive and plays in the browser with no login, beside eight other puzzles.
Verdict
Connections players will slip straight into Clusters, with bigger boards in practice and an archive.