Comparison

Codenames vs Clank!

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
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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

Clank!

Embark on a thrilling deck-building adventure where you sneak into a dragon's lair to steal artifacts. Be quick and quiet to escape with your loot before the dragon awakens. Acquire new items and abilities to outwit your opponents and survive the dungeon.

Highlights
  • Deck-building mechanics
  • Dungeon exploration
  • Steal artifacts from dragon's lair
  • Competitive multiplayer
  • Cross-platform play
  • Tutorial and challenges
Features
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Burgle your way to adventure in the award-winning board game! A New Adventure Begins! Clank!, the iconic deck-building board game adventure, challenges daring thieves to sneak into a dragon’s lair, steal one of her precious artifacts, and escape – before you’re roasted to a crisp! Winning fans and awards around the world, Clank! is one of the most-beloved modern board games, with a wide range of expansions and adaptations for players to enjoy. How Deep will you Delve? The deeper you go, the more valuable treasures you’ll find…but the harder it will be to escape! So be quick and be quiet: One false step and – CLANK! Each careless sound risks drawing the dragon’s attention. You’re competing against your fellow thieves to claim the most valuable prize…but you can only enjoy your loot if you make it out of the depths alive! Choose Your Path You’ll need a good pair of boots, a sharp sword, and all your roguish skills to survive in the dungeon. Along the way, you’ll acquire new items, abilities, and allies that will help you achieve victory! Blending deck-building and exploration, Clank! offers a unique dungeon-delving adventure each time you play." Many Ways to Play Learn the ropes in a guided Tutorial, then hone your abilities by collecting Achievements and completing Challenges. Play cross-platform against friends, or compete in exciting new Heists that put you up against players from around the world! However you choose to enter the dungeon: Good luck!...you’re going to need it!

Screenshots

Codenames4 screens
Clank!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Codenames at $4.99 against Clank!'s $10.99. On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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 Clank! $10.99 up front. Codenames sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Clank! 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 Clank!. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.2K and 1.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of Codenames's written reviews are positive against 71% of Clank!'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Codenames ships an update fortnightly, Clank! every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
Codenames versus Clank!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCodenamesClank!
Price$4.99 — better$10.99
Rating4.7 (1.2K ratings)4.8 (1.5K ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.0% of reviews70.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.2K1.5K — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#16 — better#18
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size221 MB477 MB
Age rating9+9+
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%

Clank!

All ratings1,394 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral1.6%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews85 reviews
Positive70.6%
Neutral12.9%
Negative16.5%

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

Clank!

From 1.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fun deckbuilder
  • 👍 Great adaptation of board game
  • 🚀 Intuitive to use
  • 👍 Excellent port of base game
  • 👍 Well-designed app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy multiplayer
  • 🔧 Lack of controller support
  • 👎 Text too small on iPhone
  • 🐢 Slow on mobile
  • 👎 Cramped UI

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

Clank!

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Multiplayer issues
  • Async multiplayer results not visible
  • Tutorial blocks instructions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add expansions from board game
  • Accessibility options to increase font size
  • Option to skip/speed up animations
  • Easier invitations for private games
  • Improved AI opponents

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Codenames

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

Clank!

One-time2
  • Sunken Treasures$8.99
  • Mummy's Curse$8.99

Questions

Is Codenames free?
Codenames costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Clank! free?
Clank! costs $10.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Codenames or Clank!?
Clank! is rated higher. Codenames averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Clank! averages 4.8 from 1.5K ratings.
Do Codenames or Clank! have ads?
Neither Codenames nor Clank! shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Codenames or Clank!?
Codenames ships an update fortnightly, and Clank! every 2 weeks. Most recently, Codenames was updated on November 13, 2026 and Clank! on November 11, 2026.
Which is more popular, Codenames or Clank!?
Codenames currently peaks at #16 in the App Store charts, and Clank! at #18. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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