How do leveling and EXP work in Pokemon Shuffle?

I'm playing Pokemon Shuffle and I need to grind my team a little more for harder levels.
So I'm now wondering about the leveling mechanics. They are quite vague, you can't tell how much experience a Pokemon gained during a match, if there are certain factors to how much they gain...
For example:
- Do my Pokemon receive EXP if they're just in my party or do they only get it from combos?
- Should I focus on higher levels or do they level up the same for no matter which level I choose?
- Are Expert Stages a good way to grind?
The only thing I know is that the Pokemon that's removed the most gets a crown icon with boosted EXP. But I don't know how much.
Pictures about "How do leveling and EXP work in Pokemon Shuffle?"



What do levels do in Pokemon shuffle?
Level is a statistic inherent to every Pokemon you obtain in the game. Leveling up a Pokemon increases its attack power, or the damage it does in a match. A Pokemon gains levels by getting EXP, and it normally caps off at Level 10. However, it can cap off up to Level 30 when using Raise Max Levels.What is the max level in Pokemon shuffle?
Each level will increase their attack power by a small amount, and the max level is 10.How many stages are there in Pokemon shuffle?
There are 700 stages in both the 3DS version and the mobile version. The player must complete the tutorial (first 11 stages) before they have access to the Expert Stages and the Special Stages.How I level up fast in Pokemon Shuffle
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: mentatdgt, Erik Mclean, Ivan Samkov, Anna Shvets