Comparison

Alias vs CodeWords

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

Head to head
About

Alias

This party game challenges players to explain words to their teammates, who then guess them. It's a fun way to boost vocabulary and associative thinking while playing with friends.

Highlights
  • Explain words to teammates
  • Guess words explained by others
  • Increase vocabulary
  • Improve associative thinking
  • Themed word sets
  • Play with friends or in pairs
Features
Read full description

Alias is one of the best games for friends all over the world! You will appreciate it from the first minutes of the game. You need to explain words to your friends, and they - to guess. Sounds easy, right? Playing, you not only enjoy, but also increase vocabulary and improve associative thinking! In the game you will find themed sets of words. The game is suitable for a large company, and for two people.

About

CodeWords

A word association party game for groups of four or more. Players split into teams to guess code names based on one-word, one-digit clues given by their team captain. The first team to reveal all their agents wins, but beware the hitman.

Highlights
  • Team-based gameplay
  • Word association clues
  • Captain's role
  • Hitman card risk
  • Offline play possible
  • Brain exercise
Features
Read full description

CodeWords is an amusing game for companies of four or more people. The players should split into two teams and try to guess the code names of the undercover agents one by one. The first team to disclose all the names is the winner. The only thing you need to start playing is a smartphone—and a company of those who like word games and fun. This is how it works: The players split into two teams (red and blue). Each team assigns a captain. The phone screen displays a table with code names written on the CodeWords cards. The cards are colored, but only captains can see the color of the cards. Captains need to give cue words that describe one or several code names on the screen to their teams. Cue words must consist of only one word and one digit—for example, Planet 2. The word should name something that resembles the code word, and the digit shows how many code words can be associated with this cue. Players need to guess the code names from their captain’s cues and tap the correct words on the screen. The first team to find on all the cards of their color is the winner. However, if players accidentally guess their counterparts’ words, that team scores the guessed word. Last but not least, captains should avoid giving cues that may lead to the hitman card. There is only one such card on the screen. If a team taps on the hitman card, this team loses. During the game, you will: See how CodeWords, no matter what you’ve played before, is the best game to spark the most interest in all players and engage everyone deep into fun. Exercise your savvy and creative thinking by making and deciphering elaborate cues. Discover the professional word detective among you and those you want to be on the same team with during the next round. Find out who’s born to lead teams to victory—the ones you can rely on not only during the game but also in your everyday life. Warm up your brain with tricky tasks. Making cues and guesses is not only super-interesting but also helpful for your thinking—you can see why. Combine business with pleasure by playing this game! Rack your brain, win, and have fun with your friends—all at the same time. Laugh a lot, have an awesome time, make witty puns and jokes, and feel the thrill of competitiveness. This game is an inexhaustible source of sincere positivity! With CodeWords, a good time with a good company becomes the most fantastic event ever. Why play CodeWords on a smartphone: You can play any place, any time. You only need a company to play with and a smartphone—and the latter is already in your hands. Just download the app (which you can do right now) and bring your friends to play the game. It works perfectly for any occasion, be it a get-together in a cafe, a night at a friend’s place, or even a road trip. Get together with friends to play CodeWords, or bring fun to your car trip. The whole game fits on a smartphone screen, which is a real deal for those who love board games and handy interfaces. Download the CodeWords app and never worry about a big gaming table again—there’s no need to readjust your whole living room for a game night with friends. No board, no messy card decks that you can tear or lose. No huge cardboard boxes you have to stash somewhere or cram into a travel bag. All this game needs is a smartphone that can fit in your pocket. Once on your phone, CodeWords is always at hand wherever you go. A great company can crystallize on the spot—and you already have a fantastic game to play. Imagine you don’t need to worry about what to do: you can just pick up your smartphone, split into teams, and let the real fun begin. Get ready for any occasion with the CodeWords app on your phone!

Screenshots

Alias4 screens
CodeWords4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Alias at none against CodeWords's shown. Alias also leads on ratings volume (1.8K vs 9) and review sentiment (94% vs 78%). CodeWords's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Alias sells 31 one-off in-app purchases and CodeWords sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per 7 days. 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 — 4.9 for Alias against 5.0 for CodeWords. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Alias has 1.8K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 94% of Alias's written reviews are positive against 78% of CodeWords's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Alias ships an update every 2 months, CodeWords every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Alias versus CodeWords: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAliasCodeWords
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (1.8K ratings)5.0 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews93.9% of reviews — better77.8% of reviews
Number of ratings1.8K — better9
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.2
Further details — not scored
Size115 MB79 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperArGamesArtem Tischenko

Customer experience

Alias

All ratings1,740 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral1.3%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews261 reviews
Positive93.9%
Neutral0.8%
Negative5.4%

CodeWords

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive77.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative22.2%

Bugs and requests

Alias

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Occasional crashes or freezes
  • Compatibility issues on older devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • More free word packs
  • Ability to create custom word lists
  • Multiplayer/online gameplay
  • Language selection options
  • Difficulty settings

CodeWords

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

31 purchases

Alias

One-time31
  • Fairy tales$0.29
  • Мифы$0.29
  • Короткие слова$0.29
Show 28 more
  • Collocations$0.29
  • The game of the thrones$0.29
  • Sport$0.29
  • Music$0.29
  • Царство животных$0.29
  • Dota 2$0.29
  • Marvel Universe$0.29
  • Вселенная DC$0.29
  • Professions$0.29
  • TV & cinema$0.29
  • Tasty words$0.29
  • Хайп$0.29
  • Harry Potter$0.39
  • Famous people$0.39
  • Travel$0.39
  • For programmers$0.39
  • 18+$0.99
  • Geek Pack$0.99
  • Language & Words$0.99
  • Fantasy & Big Universes$0.99
  • Family pack$0.99
  • World Around$0.99
  • Memes$0.99
  • Pop Culture$0.99
  • Cinema$0.99
  • No Boundaries$1.99
  • All word packs$3.99
  • All Packs You Need$4.99
2 purchases

CodeWords

Subscriptions2
  • For a week$2.497 Days
  • Code Names - Annual3 Days trial$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Alias free?
Alias is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CodeWords free?
CodeWords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Alias or CodeWords?
CodeWords is rated higher. Alias averages 4.9 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while CodeWords averages 5.0 from 9 ratings.
Do Alias or CodeWords have ads?
CodeWords shows ads; Alias does not.
Which is updated more often, Alias or CodeWords?
Alias ships an update every 2 months, and CodeWords every 5 days. Most recently, Alias was updated on October 26, 2026 and CodeWords on October 24, 2026.

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