Comparison

Mad Libs vs Common Sense Media

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

Head to head
About

Mad Libs

Fill in the blanks of hilarious stories to create your own funny tales. This word game offers a fresh, engaging experience with new content added regularly. Play solo or with friends and family, and unlock rewards as you go.

Highlights
  • 21 free Mad Libs stories
  • New swipe gestures for faster play
  • Interactive hints for inspiration
  • Save and share stories
  • Earn stickers and badges
  • Optional in-app purchases for more stories
  • Kid-friendly interface
Features
Read full description

The world’s greatest word game is back with an all-new look! Fill in the blanks and be the funniest person in the room! FEATURES • 21 free Mad Libs stories with new free content added all the time • New swipe gestures make creating stories faster and easier • Interactive hints provide inspiration and speed your play along • Save your stories and share with friends • Earn stickers and badges every time you play • Brand-new Game Center rewards • Replay stories as many times as you want • Play solo or with friends and family • Bright, engaging color palette and all-new typography • Custom illustrations for every book • Explore optional in-app purchases for loads more stories • Kid-friendly interface • No 3rd party advertising AWESOME NEW LOOK Bright, fun, and more engaging—it’s an even cooler Mad Libs app experience. MAD LIBS MUSIC?! For the very first time, an original soundtrack and audio effects. CREATE, LAUGH, AND LEARN This game makes you seriously smart—you’ll learn how to make great, fun, smart word choices! **To restore your previously purchased books from older versions of the Mad Libs app, please visit the menu and click Restore Purchases, located under Game Center.** Please note that this app requires iOS 7.0 or higher For support, please contact: madlibsappsupport@us.penguingroup.com

About

Common Sense Media

This app provides parents with unbiased reviews and ratings for movies, TV shows, games, apps, and more. It helps families discover safe and age-appropriate content for children by detailing mature themes and positive messages. Users can filter content by age, interests, and streaming services, and create custom watchlists.

Highlights
  • Content ratings for movies, TV, games, apps, books, podcasts
  • Details on mature and positive content elements
  • Community reviews from parents and kids
  • Filter content by age, interests, and streaming services
  • Customizable watch and read lists
  • Curated collections of media
Features
Read full description

We are the essential review guide for parents when it comes to what kids are into: movies, TV shows, games, apps, podcasts, and more. Designed for families seeking unbiased and trusted information to help guide them to find safe and smart content for their children. •See how much age-appropriate content and positive messages your kid will find across movies, TV shows, books, games, apps, and more. •Get firsthand insights and extra details from other parents and kids in our community reviews. •Browse our library and effortlessly find the perfect pick for family movie night, thanks to intuitive filters, such as the streaming services you have, your kid's age and interests, and your family's preferences. •Easily filter out movies and TV shows with content and messages that aren't appropriate for your kids or that isn't right for your family. •Explore hand-curated collections of the best movies, shows, and books based on category, genre, theme, topic, and more. •Create your own custom watch and read list and save movies, TV shows, and books for later. Independent and Nonprofit Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization working on behalf of kids and teens to make the digital world more safe, healthy, and equitable for them and for all families. Our unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners. Terms of service: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/about-us/our-mission/site-terms-use

Screenshots

Mad Libs4 screens
Common Sense Media4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Common Sense Media at 4.8 against Mad Libs's 4.1. Common Sense Media also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (9K vs 2.9K). Mad Libs's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, 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. Mad Libs sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Common Sense Media sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Common Sense Media holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.9K and 9K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Mad Libs's written reviews are positive against 60% of Common Sense Media's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mad Libs ships an update every 4 months, Common Sense Media every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Mad Libs versus Common Sense Media: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMad LibsCommon Sense Media
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (2.9K ratings)4.8 (9K ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.3% of reviews59.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.9K9K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size106 MB84 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperPenguin Group USACommon Sense Media

Customer experience

Mad Libs

All ratings2,887 ratings
Positive76.4%
Neutral9.0%
Negative14.5%
Written reviews218 reviews
Positive57.3%
Neutral14.2%
Negative28.4%

Common Sense Media

All ratings8,944 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral1.8%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews159 reviews
Positive59.7%
Neutral5.7%
Negative34.6%

User reviews

Mad Libs

From 2.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🤩 Fun and entertaining
  • 👍 Great learning tool
  • 🤗 Nostalgic and brings back memories
  • 😊 Keeps kids entertained

Room to improve

  • 🤑 Too many paid books, not enough free content
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🙄 Formatting and display issues
  • 😤 Restore purchases not working

Common Sense Media

From 9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Helpful for finding appropriate content
  • 🚀 Convenient app version of the website
  • 💡 Detailed reviews on movies, books, and shows
  • 🔒 Trustworthy source for parents

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Paywall restricts access to basic features
  • 🐛 Login issues and app crashes
  • 💰 Subscription cost is too high
  • 🤔 Inconsistent or inaccurate reviews

Bugs and requests

Mad Libs

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes when trying to read completed stories
  • Restore purchases feature not working properly
  • Formatting issues make stories hard to read
  • Keyboard covers up input fields

Requested features

4 requests
  • More free books and stories
  • Add a back button to fix mistakes
  • Allow creating custom mad libs
  • Add text-to-speech for reading stories

Common Sense Media

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Constant log-out issues
  • Unreliable login functionality
  • Compatibility problems on older devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to mark content as already viewed
  • More customization options for user preferences
  • Improved search and recommendation algorithms

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Mad Libs

One-time10
  • Cool Mad Libs (21 stories)$1.99
  • Goofy Mad Libs (21 stories)$1.99
  • Sleepover Party Mad Libs$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Libs (21 stories)$1.99
  • Haunted Mad Libs (21 stories)$1.99
  • Mad Libs in Love (21 stories)$1.99
  • Ninjas Mad Libs (21 stories)$1.99
  • Happily Ever Mad Libs (21 stories)$1.99
  • We Wish You A Merry Mad Libs (21 stories)$1.99
  • 101 Goofiest Mad Libs$4.99
3 purchases

Common Sense Media

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly Plan$3.991 Month
  • Weekly Plan$9.997 Days
  • Yearly Plan$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Mad Libs free?
Mad Libs is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Common Sense Media free?
Common Sense Media is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mad Libs or Common Sense Media?
Common Sense Media is rated higher. Mad Libs averages 4.1 out of 5 from 2.9K ratings, while Common Sense Media averages 4.8 from 9K ratings.
Do Mad Libs or Common Sense Media have ads?
Common Sense Media shows ads; Mad Libs does not.
Which is updated more often, Mad Libs or Common Sense Media?
Mad Libs ships an update every 4 months, and Common Sense Media every 3 weeks. Most recently, Mad Libs was updated on October 20, 2026 and Common Sense Media on October 28, 2026.

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