Categories vs Action Codenames
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Categories
This free word puzzle game challenges you to connect and group words that share a common theme or association. Expand your vocabulary, improve logic skills, and enjoy hundreds of unique puzzles with daily challenges. It's a fun and educational brain exercise for all ages.
- Connect words into categories
- Hundreds of unique puzzles
- Daily challenges and rewards
- Improve logic and vocabulary
- Relaxing gameplay
- Hints available
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Unlock your brain power with Categories - Word Associations – the ultimate free word puzzle game! Perfect for word lovers and curious minds, this addictive word association challenge will help you expand your vocabulary, improve logic skills, and have lots of fun. How to Play Each level presents a variety of words jumbled together. Your task? Connect and group words that share a theme, category, or association. Think carefully—similar words may be spread across the board! As you progress, puzzles get more challenging, keeping your mind sharp and engaged. Why You'll Love Categories - Word Associations Hundreds of unique puzzles across various themes and difficulty levels. Engaging daily challenges and rewards to keep you motivated. Helps you improve logical thinking, word knowledge, and vocabulary. Relaxing gameplay suitable for all ages—play anywhere, anytime. Simple yet innovative brain exercise that’s both entertaining and educational. Whether you want to challenge yourself, train your brain, or just unwind—Categories is your go-to word game! Perfect for fans of puzzles, riddles, word connect, and matching games. Game Features Free to play – endless fun with no time limit! Hints available when you need a helping hand. Casual, colorful, and easy-to-use interface. Suitable for kids and adults alike – learn and have fun together! Regular updates with fresh puzzles and new categories. Improve your logic. Boost your vocabulary. Download Categories - Word Associations now and start playing the best word connection game today!
Action Codenames
A fast-paced, team-based word association game for parties and gatherings. Players give and guess clues based on a 5x5 grid of words, aiming to identify their team's secret words before the opposing team or hitting a losing card. Offers offline play and multiple languages.
- Team-based word association gameplay
- 5x5 grid of secret words
- Spymaster clue-giving mechanic
- Offline play support
- Multilingual options
- Built-in rules and strategy tips
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Codenames is a fast, team‑based word association game built for parties, family nights, study breaks, and quick office fun. Two teams—Red and Blue—race to find all of their secret words on a 5×5 grid of 25 cards. The twist: touch the black card and you lose instantly. Each round has two roles. The Spymaster sees the entire key and gives exactly one clue: a single word plus a number. Operatives discuss and guess based on that clue. With “Animal 2”, you may guess up to three times (number + 1). Picking your color lets you continue; choosing an opponent or neutral card ends your turn; hitting the black card ends the game on the spot. Red needs 9 words; Blue needs 8. A clean, modern interface keeps everyone focused: a clear current‑turn indicator, crisp card layout, smooth animations, score cards with progress bars, and handy one‑tap controls (New Game, End Turn, View Team). The dedicated Team view lists your team’s words—revealed and remaining—so you can decide whether to press your luck or bank the lead. If the game ends, a friendly Game Over screen summarizes the result and lets you restart immediately. Built‑in rules cover the objective, setup (9/8/7/1 split), roles, “clue + number” format, restrictions, and examples. Practical tips and an advanced strategy section help Spymasters craft multi‑card clues (categories, hypernyms, shared context) and help Operatives debate links, avoid traps, and converge on the safest picks. Robust local word libraries power high replayability: fruits, vehicles, school supplies, animals, weather and nature, places and buildings, family, sports, seasons and nature, food and drinks, colors, occupations, electronics, clothing, toys and games, gems and minerals, and more. Every new game shuffles a fresh 25‑word grid with the asymmetric distribution that keeps tension high and choices meaningful. Multilingual and classroom‑friendly: English, German, French, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Japanese, and Korean. Switch languages instantly; the grid regenerates on the spot. Fully playable offline—no sign‑up or connection required—so you can play anywhere. Why you’ll love it: Quick to teach, deep to master; perfect for mixed groups Laughs, tension, and real “aha!” moments in minutes Fast turns and near‑infinite replay value Thoughtful design that prioritizes readability Start a new game in seconds, give your first clue, and watch the table come alive. This digital adaptation pays homage to the classic party word game by Czech designer Vlaada Chvátil—faithful to team spirit and clever associations.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Categories at 4.6 against Action Codenames's 3.0. Categories also leads on review sentiment (25% vs 0%) and ratings volume (176 vs 1). Action Codenames's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7). On price, ads 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. Categories sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Action Codenames asks for nothing beyond the download.
Categories holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Categories has 176 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 25% of Categories's written reviews are positive against 0% of Action Codenames's.
Categories ships an update every 6 days, Action Codenames every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Categories | Action Codenames |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (176 ratings) — better | 3.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 176 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 73 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Yonatan Goldshtein | 梦成 李 |
Customer experience
Categories
Action Codenames
In-app purchases
Categories
- 500 Coins$2.99
- 15 Category Hints$3.99
- No Ads$3.99
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- 15 Connection Hints$4.99
- 10 + 10 Hints$5.99
- 1500 Coins$6.99
- 5000 Coins$19.99
Action Codenames
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Categories free?
Is Action Codenames free?
Which has better reviews, Categories or Action Codenames?
Do Categories or Action Codenames have ads?
Which is updated more often, Categories or Action Codenames?
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