Comparison

Keyword vs Taboo

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

Head to head
About

Keyword

This app offers a fast-paced word guessing game for groups, inspired by classic TV shows. Players give single-word clues to their teammates, with a time limit to guess before passing the phone. It features a large word library, AI-generated custom decks, and multiple game modes for endless fun.

Highlights
  • Single-word clue gameplay
  • AI-generated custom word decks
  • Family and Adult modes
  • Offline play
  • Multiple game modes
  • Large word library
Features
Read full description

The hit Password-style word game for iPhone! Give a single-word clue, pass the phone, and watch your friends shout hilarious guesses before the buzzer sounds. Keyword Party blends the TV classic’s one-word-clue rules en.wikipedia.org with the frantic energy of charades and hot-potato. Perfect for 4–20 players, online or 100 % offline for road trips and campfires. Why you’ll love it • 10 000+ words & phrases —never play the same deck twice. • Instant AI decks. Type any theme (“Bridgerton”, “Euro 2024 teams”) and ChatGPT builds a custom list in seconds. • Family & Adult modes. Kid-safe laughs or hilariously risqué rounds—your call. • True offline play. No Wi-Fi? No problem. Perfect for flights, classrooms, and long car rides. • One device, one minute. No sign-ups, no ads between turns, just shout, guess, and pass. How to play Split into two teams (or circle pass). The clue-giver sees the keyword and says one word only—just like on the show en.wikipedia.org . Teammates have one guess. Miss it? Pass the phone—time is ticking! Team holding the phone when the buzzer blows loses the point. First to 7 wins. Game modes • Classic Password – pure one-word clues. • Catchphrase Hot Potato – unlimited clues, rapid passing. • Mad Phrases – fill-in-the-blank chaos. • Roadtrip Bingo – solo word-search while you drive. Powered by ChatGPT Need a “Cyber-Security Buzzwords” deck for work happy hour? A “’90s Cartoon Quotes” set for family night? Tap -> Generate Deck -> Play—no update required apps.apple.com Disclaimer: Not affiliated with NBC, Fremantle, or the Password television franchise.

About

Taboo

A word-guessing party game where teams compete to describe words without using forbidden terms. Play remotely with friends via video chat and customize game settings for endless fun.

Highlights
  • Video chat integration
  • Team-based word guessing
  • Customizable game settings
  • Ad-free gameplay
  • Multiple language support
  • Themed card decks
Features
Read full description

Can you describe an APPLE without using the words RED, FRUIT, PIE, CIDER or CORE? Taboo is the ultimate brain-teasing, word-twisting adult party game. Play with video chat and throw a house party on your phone! Split into two teams and take it in turns to describe the words on the cards. Your team has to guess as many as possible before the timer runs out. If you use a taboo word by mistake, the other team will buzz and you’ll lose a point. Think fast and talk your way to victory! HOW TO PLAY TABOO: 1. Start a game and invite your friends. 2. Split into two teams and name your team. 3. The app chooses a Clue-giver for each team. Each team then takes their turn! 4. The Clue-giver draws a card. The Clue-giver must describe the word without saying any of the words on the card. 5. Team B will buzz if the Clue-giver says a taboo word! 6. Your team must guess as many words as possible before the time runs out. FEATURES - FULLY CUSTOMISABLE – Decide the number of players, rounds, how many turns per round and how many skips are allowed. - AD-FREE GAME – Have fun with zero ads to distract you. - COMPLETE STARTER CARD DECK – Includes cards from the original game. Expand your game further with additional themed decks! - FULLY TRANSLATED – Available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Turkish, Greek, Polish and Hindi. Get the perfect party game on your mobile now!

Screenshots

Keyword4 screens
Taboo4 screens

Verdict

The call

Keyword and Taboo both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Keyword's written reviews are positive against 37% of Taboo's. Keyword also leads on price (Free vs $1.99). Taboo's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (4.7K vs 219). On rating, update cadence, 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

Keyword is free to download; Taboo costs $1.99 up front. Keyword sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per year and Taboo sells 10 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 — 4.8 for Keyword against 4.9 for Taboo. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Taboo has 4.7K ratings behind it against 219, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Keyword's written reviews are positive against 37% of Taboo's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Keyword versus Taboo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKeywordTaboo
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.8 (219 ratings)4.9 (4.7K ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better37.2% of reviews
Number of ratings2194.7K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#2 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size76 MB272 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperPlexum, LLCMarmalade Game Studio Limited

Customer experience

Keyword

All ratings218 ratings
Positive93.1%
Neutral5.0%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Taboo

All ratings4,680 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral1.3%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews242 reviews
Positive37.2%
Neutral14.0%
Negative48.8%

Bugs and requests

Keyword

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Taboo

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game stopped in the middle to ask for payment
  • Video chat feature not working
  • App not optimized for high refresh rate displays

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more cards in the base version
  • Allow customization of game rules
  • Implement a stats/history section
  • Support more than 2 teams

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Keyword

Subscriptions1
  • One Year Pro Upgrade$3.991 Year
10 purchases

Taboo

One-time10
  • Mystery Mix Pack 1$1.99
  • Generations Gen Z Pack$1.99
  • Unlock Taboo Premium$2.99
Show 7 more
  • Midnight Night Out Pack$2.99
  • Midnight Bedroom Pack$2.99
  • Ready to Roast$6.49
  • Sports and Games Pack$7.99
  • Welcome Offer$9.99
  • Midnight Deck$9.99
  • Word Bonanza Bundle$19.99

Questions

Is Keyword free?
Keyword is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Taboo free?
Taboo costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Keyword or Taboo?
Taboo is rated higher. Keyword averages 4.8 out of 5 from 219 ratings, while Taboo averages 4.9 from 4.7K ratings.
Do Keyword or Taboo have ads?
Keyword shows ads; Taboo does not.
Which is updated more often, Keyword or Taboo?
Keyword ships an update monthly, and Taboo monthly. Most recently, Keyword was updated on October 27, 2026 and Taboo on November 3, 2026.

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