The Public Variable vs DLU
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Public Variable
Experience a unique augmented reality theatre piece exploring perspective and communication. This evolving digital space will eventually host the full production, offering an immersive artistic experience accessible from anywhere.
- Augmented reality theatre
- Perspective exploration
- Immersive digital space
- Evolving content
- Accessible anywhere
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I'm building a feature length AR experience, scene by scene. A piece of theatre about perspective, and how we stopped hearing each other. And how we might fix it. And, through this platform, a piece of theatre you can experience wherever you are. This space will be updating and expanding until it eventually contains the entire piece, and more. Your support couldn't mean more than it would right now. publicvariabletheatre.org
DLU
This is a fast-paced party game where players guess words displayed on a phone held to their forehead. Friends provide clues through acting, shouting, or making noises. It features diverse categories and the ability to create custom decks for personalized fun.
- Guess words by acting and shouting clues
- Tilt phone to guess or pass
- Diverse pre-made card decks
- Create custom word decks
- Play offline
- Modern and intuitive UI
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The Ultimate Party Game is Here! Looking for the perfect icebreaker? Don't Look Up is the hilarious, fast-paced charades game designed to turn any gathering into an unforgettable party. From blockbuster movies to pop culture deep dives, there’s a deck for everyone. How to Play: Pick a category and place the phone on your forehead. Your friends will shout clues, act out scenes, or make silly noises to help you guess the word on the screen. Tilt your phone down for a correct guess, or tilt it up to pass! Why You’ll Love Don't Look Up: Diverse Categories: Explore dozens of decks including Movie Buff, 90s Nostalgia, Blockbuster Hits, and more. Create Your Own: Feeling creative? Build custom decks tailored to your friend group or family inside jokes. Smooth, Modern UI: A vibrant, easy-to-navigate interface designed for quick starts and zero lag. Play Anywhere: No Wi-Fi? No problem. Perfect for road trips, waiting in line, or living room hangouts. Stop scrolling and start playing. Can you guess them all before the timer runs out? DLU PRO — OPTIONAL UPGRADE Every deck and all local play stay free. DLU Pro unlocks Party Mode: AirPlay the game to your TV, or SharePlay it over FaceTime with friends anywhere. DLU Pro Monthly — auto-renewable subscription, $0.99 per month DLU Pro Annual — auto-renewable subscription, $2.99 per year DLU Pro Lifetime — one-time purchase, $4.99 (not a subscription) Prices are in U.S. dollars and may vary by region. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. A subscription renews automatically at the same price unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the current period ends. You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renew in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://usernotfound12.github.io/app-legal/dlu/privacy.html Support: https://usernotfound12.github.io/app-legal/dlu/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Public Variable at none against DLU's 3. The Public Variable also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. DLU sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. The Public Variable asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for The Public Variable against 5.0 for DLU. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively.
The Public Variable ships an update every 2 weeks, DLU every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Public Variable | DLU |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.4 GB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | John Sullivan | Amol Srivastava |
Customer experience
The Public Variable
DLU
In-app purchases
The Public Variable
No in-app purchases
DLU
- DLU Pro Monthly$0.991 Month
- DLU Pro Annual$2.991 Year
- DLU Pro Lifetime$4.99









