# Alias vs CodeWords

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Alias | CodeWords |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (1.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alias-board-game/id1195014784/reviews) | **[5.0 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/codewords-party-board-games/id1625875748/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.8K** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | **93.9% of reviews** | 77.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 115 MB | 79 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.2 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [ArGames](https://appshunter.io/developer/1810651723) | [Artem Tischenko](https://appshunter.io/developer/1549550763) |

## What reviewers say

### Alias

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alias-board-game/id1195014784)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (31)**

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

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Excellent for group activities
- 🤣 Hilarious and engaging
- 🧠 Expands knowledge and vocabulary
- 🎉 Great for parties and social gatherings
- 👥 Brings people together

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Too many paid content packs
- 🔁 Repetitive word choices
- 🤯 Can cause arguments/disagreements
- 🤕 Leads to broken friendships

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional crashes or freezes
- Compatibility issues on older devices

**Requested features**

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


### CodeWords

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/codewords-party-board-games/id1625875748)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| For a week | $2.49 | per 7 days |
| Code Names - Annual | $19.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*