Mad Libs vs Common Sense Media
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Mad Libs | Common Sense Media |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (2.9K ratings) | 4.8 (9K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 57.3% of reviews | 59.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.9K | 9K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 106 MB | 84 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Penguin Group USA | Common Sense Media |
Customer experience
Mad Libs
Common Sense Media
User reviews
Mad Libs
From 2.9K App Store ratingsWhat 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 ratingsWhat 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
Mad Libs
- Cool Mad Libs (21 stories)$1.99
- Goofy Mad Libs (21 stories)$1.99
- Sleepover Party Mad Libs$1.99
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- 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
Common Sense Media
- Monthly Plan$3.991 Month
- Weekly Plan$9.997 Days
- Yearly Plan$39.991 Year
Questions
Is Mad Libs free?
Is Common Sense Media free?
Which has better reviews, Mad Libs or Common Sense Media?
Do Mad Libs or Common Sense Media have ads?
Which is updated more often, Mad Libs or Common Sense Media?
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