Comparison

Heads Up! vs Charades!™

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

Head to head
About

Heads Up!

This charades-style party game lets you guess words on screen as friends give clues. Choose from over 100 themed decks or create your own. Tilt the phone to guess or pass, and record gameplay to share.

Highlights
  • Over 100 themed word decks
  • Custom category creation
  • Tilt to guess or pass
  • Record gameplay videos
  • Group play for many players
  • Frequent updates with new content
Features
Read full description

It's the game The New York Times called a "Sensation!" and Cosmopolitan raved “Your existence is dull and meaningless without this life-changing app!” Get ready for endless fun with Heads Up!, the exhilarating charades-style party game that's taking the world by storm. Guess the words on the screen as your friends and family shout out clues. With diverse categories ranging from Celebrities to Movies and Hilarious Accents, Heads Up! guarantees hours of laughter for everyone involved. How to Play: 1. Select from over 100 themed decks or create your own custom category! 2. Hold the phone to your forehead and let the word guessing commence! 3. Tilt down for correct answers and up to pass on challenging words. 4. Keep the fun rolling with an extensive library of engaging trivia cards! Decks You’ll Get: - Celebrity Quiz - Blockbuster Movies - Animals - Accents - Superheroes - Famous Characters - And lots more! Features: - Enjoy group play with friends, team, or even hundreds of players simultaneously. - Draw new word cards with a simple tilt of your phone. - Keep priceless memories by recording gameplay videos to keep for yourself or share on social media - Entertain everyone from trivia buffs to casual players with various difficulty levels. - Updated frequently with seasonal and topical fun, plus huge brands like Harry Potter, Marvel, Seinfeld, Friends, Star Wars, and much more! Heads Up! is the ultimate party game that combines the best elements of charades, trivia, and light-hearted team competition. Whether you're looking to liven up a family gathering or a game night with friends, this app is your ticket to endless fun. It's your super-affordable way to bring joy and laughter to any occasion. Download Heads Up! now and let the unforgettable guessing games begin!

About

Charades!™

This multi-activity game challenges players to guess words by acting, singing, dancing, or sketching. Play with friends using themed decks and various creative challenges before the timer runs out.

Highlights
  • Act, sing, dance, or sketch to guess words
  • Play with one or many friends
  • Over 100 themed card decks
  • Tilt phone to draw new cards
  • Wacky challenges for all players
Currently charting
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Charades! is the outrageously fun and exciting multi-activity game for you and your friends! And thanks to you, it's also the #1 Word & Card game in the USA! With different challenges from dancing, singing, acting or sketching -- guess the word on the card that’s on your head from your friends’ clues before the timer runs out! Features: - Play with one friend, or one hundred at the same time. - Draw a new card by tilting your phone up or down - Wacky activities from dancing, impersonating to trivia will challenge even the most well-rounded players With over 100 themed decks to choose from, many packed with over 400+ exciting gameplay cards, the fun will never stop! So whether you're an artist, a singer, an actor, or a science nerd--there's something for everyone. Decks include: - TV Shows & Movies - Dance Moves - Science - I Love the 70s, 80s, & 90s - Movie Characters - And lots more! Challenging players in trivia and creativity, your next party, reunion or family game night will never be the same.

Screenshots

Heads Up!4 screens
Charades!™4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Charades!™ at Free against Heads Up!'s $1.99. Charades!™ also leads on review sentiment (70% vs 33%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Heads Up!'s advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.8 vs 4.3). On in-app purchases and device support 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

Charades!™ is free to download; Heads Up! costs $1.99 up front. Heads Up! sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Charades!™ sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Heads Up! holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Heads Up! has 301K ratings behind it against 8.4K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 33% of Heads Up!'s written reviews are positive against 70% of Charades!™'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Heads Up! ships an update weekly, Charades!™ every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 14, 2026.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Heads Up! versus Charades!™: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHeads Up!Charades!™
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (301K ratings) — better4.3 (8.4K ratings)
Positive reviews32.9% of reviews69.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings301K — better8.4K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#1 — better#121
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size205 MB46 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperWarner Bros.FatChicken Studios

Customer experience

Heads Up!

All ratings300,487 ratings
Positive94.5%
Neutral2.2%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews1,008 reviews
Positive32.9%
Neutral8.5%
Negative58.5%

Charades!™

All ratings8,393 ratings
Positive83.1%
Neutral5.2%
Negative11.7%
Written reviews422 reviews
Positive69.9%
Neutral9.7%
Negative20.4%

User reviews

Heads Up!

From 301K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🤩 Fun and engaging game
  • 🎉 Great for parties and gatherings
  • 👍 Fantastic family-friendly entertainment
  • 💯 Highly recommended by users

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 🔁 Repetitive content and card decks
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and technical issues
  • 🤔 Lack of customization options

Charades!™

From 8.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun family game
  • 👍 Diverse categories
  • 👍 Ability to create custom decks
  • 👍 Works without internet
  • 👍 Great for passing time

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Repetitive content in some categories
  • 💰 Coins required to unlock certain categories
  • 📢 Frequent and intrusive ads
  • 🤔 Confusing controls (tilt/pass/correct)
  • 🔢 Limited language options

Bugs and requests

Heads Up!

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Purchased decks disappearing or not restoring
  • Freezing and crashing on certain devices
  • Inaccurate voice recognition and gesture detection

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to adjust game timer length
  • More free content and decks
  • Improved deck management and organization
  • Better customer support and communication

Charades!™

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Incorrect/inappropriate content in some categories
  • Glitches with pass/correct functionality
  • Crashes and freezes on certain devices
  • Ads that cannot be closed or disabled

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more up-to-date categories (e.g., TV shows, music, games)
  • Improve custom deck creation and editing
  • Implement a search/filter function for categories
  • Add multiplayer/online play options
  • Provide language selection settings

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Heads Up!

One-time10
  • Just For KidsFree
  • The Ellen ShowFree
  • Mix It UpFree
Show 7 more
  • Branded$1.99
  • That's So 90s$1.99
  • Food Fight$1.99
  • Super Heroes$1.99
  • Adult Supervision$1.99
  • Adult Supervision 2: Even Adultier$1.99
  • Happy Holidays$1.99
3 purchases

Charades!™

One-time3
  • Remove Ads$0.99
  • 500 Coins$3.99
  • 500 Coins & Remove Ads$3.99

Questions

Is Heads Up! free?
Heads Up! costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Charades!™ free?
Charades!™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Heads Up! or Charades!™?
Heads Up! is rated higher. Heads Up! averages 4.8 out of 5 from 301K ratings, while Charades!™ averages 4.3 from 8.4K ratings.
Do Heads Up! or Charades!™ have ads?
Charades!™ shows ads; Heads Up! does not.
Which is updated more often, Heads Up! or Charades!™?
Heads Up! ships an update weekly, and Charades!™ every 2 months. Most recently, Heads Up! was updated on November 14, 2026 and Charades!™ on November 14, 2026.
Which is more popular, Heads Up! or Charades!™?
Heads Up! currently peaks at #1 in the App Store charts, and Charades!™ at #121. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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