Comparison

Codenames vs Everdell

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Codenames

Engage in a strategic word game of deduction and teamwork. Give one-word clues to help your team guess associated words before the opposing team. Enjoy a blend of casual fun and deep thinking with turn-based multiplayer matches.

Highlights
  • Turn-based multiplayer
  • One-word clue system
  • Teamwork and deduction
  • Multiple game modes
  • Spymaster and Operative roles
  • Logic and creativity challenges
Read full description

The official Codenames puzzle game from the makers of the award-winning board game. Built on the same clever clue-giving, but made for mobile: nearly 50 rule-bending game modes, daily solo puzzles, themed word collections and a deep meta-game. One purchase. No ads. No timers, no pay-to-win. Optional Duet expansion for two-player co-op. NOT JUST THE BOARD GAME ON YOUR PHONE This is a standalone Codenames game with its own content and style. Where the board game is a party game, this one is a puzzle game: every clue is a small riddle you crack at your own pace, and every mode adds a new twist to think through. HOW IT WORKS A grid of words hides your team's secret agents. As Spymaster, you give a single clue that links as many of your words as you dare. As Operative, you work out what your teammate meant and make the guesses. One wrong word helps the other team, and the assassin ends the game instantly. NEARLY 50 TWISTS ON THE RULES Every mode keeps the core of Codenames and bends one rule, turning each game into a fresh puzzle: • Mines: Codenames meets Minesweeper. Numbers on the cards tell you how many agents are hiding nearby. • Mirrors: the Spymasters' grids are symmetrical. Find the axis and you can deduce cards you were never given a clue for. • Convertor: before giving a clue, the Spymaster can swap the colors of two cards to set up a better clue or sabotage the other team. • Quantum Gadget: torn between two words? Mark both and the gadget reveals which one is the better pick. Use it wisely, you only get three per mission. • …and dozens more. SOLO PUZZLES EVERY DAY • Daily Cases: 16 cards, one clue. Find the right words, collect your reward and move on to the next case. Every puzzle is made by real players, not an algorithm. • Daily Spymaster Challenge: everyone gets the same board. Come up with your best clue, then see how it performs when other players try to guess it, and how it ranks against every other Spymaster's clue. COLLECT, LEVEL UP, EXPLORE • Open briefcases to collect themed word cards: video games, movies, travel, sci-fi, fantasy, history, the 20th century and more • Play themed missions with the words you've collected • Earn experience and level up your agent to unlock more daily cases, better rewards and new options PLAY WITH OTHERS AT YOUR OWN PACE • Turn-based matches for 2–4 players: take your turn whenever you have a minute • Get matched with players from around the world, on iPhone, iPad and Android • Invite friends to a private game, or pass one phone around with Pass & Play • Run several games at once, chat with your team and draw notes right on the board PLAY IN YOUR LANGUAGE English, Czech, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic. FROM THE MAKERS OF THE ORIGINAL Codenames is designed by Vlaada Chvátil and published by Czech Games Edition. The board game won the Spiel des Jahres 2016. This app won Best Design at the Czech Game of the Year Awards and was selected as an App Store Editors' Choice. CODENAMES: DUET EXPANSION (in-app purchase) The cooperative two-player version, based on the green-box Duet board game: • Work together instead of competing: take turns giving clues and guessing • Each player knows only some of the agents, and the same card can look different to each of them: a card one player sees as the assassin may be an agent the other player needs to contact • 28 VIP missions adapted from the original Duet, now for cooperative play • Dual Cases: probably the hardest puzzle in Codenames yet. First find the cards that connect to both clues, then the words that fit only one

About

Everdell

Build a fantastical city by gathering resources, constructing buildings, and recruiting critters. Compete against others or AI in this strategic card-based city-building game adapted from a popular board game. The player with the highest-scoring city after four seasons wins.

Highlights
  • Worker placement for resource gathering
  • Strategic card play for city building
  • Build Constructions and recruit Critters
  • Cross-platform multiplayer
  • AI play and Solo Challenges
  • Four-season game progression
Features
Read full description

From Everfrost to Bellsong, many a peaceful year has passed in Everdell — but the time has come for new territories to be settled and new cities to be established... Adapted from the award-winning board game from Tabletop Tycoon, Everdell is a fantastical city building game combining worker placement and strategic card play to create a new civilization. Gather resources to build fanciful Constructions and recruit colorful Critters to make your city thrive. Each card in your city scores points, and after four seasons have passed the highest-scoring city wins! Face off against other founders in cross-platform multiplayer games, or test your civic wits with AI play and Solo Challenges! On each turn, you'll take one of three actions: 1.) Place a Worker. Send one of your helpful workers out into the valley to gather resources! Berries, Twigs, Resin, Pebbles...and of course Cards! You'll need them all to help your new civilization grow. 2.) Play a Card. Your city can hold up to 15 Construction and Critter cards. Cards generate resources, open up new abilities, and score points to win the game! Discover combos and synergies to race past your opponents. 3.) Prepare for the Next Season. When the seasons change, your workers come home and get ready for the next round. But plan your city carefully! After four seasons, the Winter Moon returns and the game will end. There are buildings to construct, lively characters to meet, events to host— you will have a busy year ahead of you! Will the sun shine brightest on your city before the winter moon rises? Welcome to Everdell!

Screenshots

Codenames4 screens
Everdell4 screens

Verdict

The call

Codenames and Everdell both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 76% of Everdell's written reviews are positive against 66% of Codenames's. Codenames's advantage is price ($4.99 vs $5.99). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Codenames costs $4.99 and Everdell $5.99 up front. Codenames sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Everdell sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Codenames against 4.8 for Everdell. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.2K and 2.9K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of Codenames's written reviews are positive against 76% of Everdell's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Codenames ships an update fortnightly, Everdell every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Codenames versus Everdell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCodenamesEverdell
Price$4.99 — better$5.99
Rating4.7 (1.2K ratings)4.8 (2.9K ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.0% of reviews76.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.2K2.9K — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#13 — better#20
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size221 MB384 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperCGE Digital s.r.o.Dire Wolf Digital

Customer experience

Codenames

All ratings1,150 ratings
Positive93.6%
Neutral2.5%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews444 reviews
Positive66.0%
Neutral14.6%
Negative19.4%

Everdell

All ratings2,686 ratings
Positive96.2%
Neutral1.5%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews309 reviews
Positive76.1%
Neutral11.0%
Negative12.9%

User reviews

Codenames

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth and intuitive gameplay
  • 🎨 Excellent visual design
  • 💰 Good value for money
  • 🕹️ Engaging single-player modes
  • 🤝 Enjoyable multiplayer experience

Room to improve

  • ⏱️ Long wait times for other players
  • 🌐 Connectivity issues and server problems
  • 🌍 Cultural differences and language barriers
  • 🔒 Restrictive clue-giving rules
  • 🤖 Jury system allowing questionable words

Everdell

From 2.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Smooth and seamless gameplay
  • 🎨 Beautiful visuals and animations
  • 🎶 Soothing soundtrack
  • 🕹️ Faithful digital adaptation of the board game
  • 🏆 Challenging and enjoyable solo challenges

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 📱 Small text and UI elements on mobile devices
  • 🔙 Lack of undo/cancel functionality
  • 🤖 AI opponent issues (e.g., auto-regenerating critters)

Bugs and requests

Codenames

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Initial launch with only Czech language support
  • Occasional app crashes and server disconnections

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add Codenames Duet mode
  • Implement AI/bot players for faster games
  • Allow custom word packs and themes
  • Add a 'speed mode' for faster gameplay
  • Improve the jury system to maintain game integrity

Everdell

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to play certain cards or use locations
  • Game freezes or crashes during online play
  • Incorrect scoring or card interactions
  • Placement issues with workers and cards

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for expansions and additional content
  • Allow players to choose their character/critter
  • Implement a confirm/undo button for actions
  • Improve zoom and readability on smaller screens
  • Add push notifications for online games

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Codenames

One-time1
  • Krycí jména: Duet$4.99
2 purchases

Everdell

One-time2
  • Glimmergold$5.99
  • Bellfaire$8.99

Questions

Is Codenames free?
Codenames costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Everdell free?
Everdell costs $5.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Codenames or Everdell?
Everdell is rated higher. Codenames averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Everdell averages 4.8 from 2.9K ratings.
Do Codenames or Everdell have ads?
Neither Codenames nor Everdell shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Codenames or Everdell?
Codenames ships an update fortnightly, and Everdell every 3 weeks. Most recently, Codenames was updated on November 13, 2026 and Everdell on November 14, 2026.
Which is more popular, Codenames or Everdell?
Codenames currently peaks at #13 in the App Store charts, and Everdell at #20. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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