Comparison

Popped Up vs SideQuest

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

Head to head
About

Popped Up

Discover the best pop-up events and freebies in NYC with curated lists and an interactive map. Get real-time intel on wait times and sold-out alerts, and connect with a community of fellow explorers.

Highlights
  • Curated pop-up lists
  • Interactive event map
  • Real-time wait times
  • Sold out alerts
  • Community event chats
  • Photo sharing
  • Add new pop-ups
Read full description

POP UPS WORTH GOING TO Our curated lists highlight the best of the best across NYC. Popped Up! ensures every stop is actually worth the trip. We’re currently 100% focused on NYC, with expansion to new cities coming soon. Join the community and find your next pop up :) DISCOVER EVERY DROP Find every pop up happening across NYC on one interactive map. From secret rooftop cafes to limited-edition fashion drops, Popped Up! keeps you in the loop with what’s trending right now. No more scrolling through social media to find where the action is—it’s all in one place. REAL-TIME INTEL Don't waste your afternoon standing in the wrong lines. Get live wait times and "sold out" alerts provided by the community on the ground. Know before you go if the exclusive matcha is out of stock or if the line is moving fast. JOIN THE SCENE Connect with the community through live event chats and shared photo albums. See the vibe before you arrive and chat with other attendees to coordinate your next city adventure. Don’t be that "Ugh, what’s the move?" person—see what everyone is talking about in real-time. SHARE THE DISCOVERY Spot something new on your walk? Easily add a new pop up to the map, upload your photos, and share the intel with your friends or the whole city. Help the community find the best hidden gems NYC has to offer.

About

SideQuest

Discover playful real-world quests that transform ordinary days into memorable adventures. Explore your city, engage in creative challenges, or connect with others through unique, bite-sized activities. Keep track of your journeys and level up in real life.

Highlights
  • Playful real-world quests
  • Themed quest packs
  • City-specific quests
  • Solo or group adventures
  • Journal for memories
  • XP, levels, and badges
  • Quest cost and time upfront
Features
Read full description

Give your day a side quest. SideQuest sends you on small, playful real-world quests that turn an ordinary day into a story worth telling. Go solo or bring a friend. Pick a quest, go do it, keep the memory. Write a dramatic museum label for a random object. Board the next bus, ride four stops, and explore wherever it drops you. Have the best outing you can on five dollars. Present one distinguished pebble to a stranger for an official rating. No big plans required. Most quests take under an hour. 100+ ORIGINAL QUESTS, IN PACKS THAT FIT YOUR MOOD Each pack is a themed set of hand-written quests with its own art, voice and badge. • City After Dark: turn one evening into a tiny movie • Make It Weird: creative dares with just enough absurdity • Main Character Energy: act like your life has a plot • Talk to Humans: tiny social moves that leave you a little less afraid of everyone • Soft Reset: quiet rituals for slowing down and looking up • Local Legend: know your city like it's been waiting for you • Curious Forever: odd questions, tiny lessons, real conversations • Taste of Somewhere: let appetite pick the route • Plus a pack of brave, respectful asks where a "no" still completes the quest CITY EDITIONS IN 160+ CITIES See your own city with new eyes. City Editions are quests written for real places, from New York and San Francisco to London, Paris, Tokyo and Mexico City. Crack optional riddles, collect small details, make something, and find the spots worth pausing in. Do them in any order, at your own pace. SOLO OR TOGETHER Take yourself on a little adventure, or finally give your group chat a plan. Invite a friend into a quest and they join free, no purchase needed. Bring two new friends in and you'll unlock Better Together, ten missions made for doing side by side. KEEP THE STORY Add a photo or a note when you finish. Your Journal keeps every adventure in one place, so you can look back on all the times you said yes. LEVEL UP IN REAL LIFE Earn XP, climb levels and collect badges like Certified Oddball, Night Cartographer and Plot Armor. KNOW BEFORE YOU GO Every quest shows its time, cost and challenge level up front, so you can pick what fits today and skip what doesn't. PACKS YOU KEEP. Unlock with one-time purchases: a single pack, a whole city, or all ten core Originals with the Originals Vault. Once it's yours, it's yours. Less scrolling. More adventure. Pick a quest and go. Terms: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy: https://tinysidequest.com/privacy/

Screenshots

Popped Up4 screens
SideQuest4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Popped Up at none against SideQuest's 10. Popped Up also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (38 vs 9). SideQuest's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly). On price, rating, review sentiment 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

Both are free to download. SideQuest sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Popped Up asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Popped Up against 5.0 for SideQuest. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 38 and 9 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Popped Up ships an update fortnightly, SideQuest every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Popped Up versus SideQuest: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPopped UpSideQuest
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (38 ratings)5.0 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings38 — better9
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size74 MB162 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperPopped Up, IncOMG Career

Customer experience

Popped Up

All ratings33 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

SideQuest

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Popped Up

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

SideQuest

One-time10
  • UC San Diego$9.99
  • Tulane University$9.99
  • University of Pennsylvania$9.99
Show 7 more
  • University of Georgia$9.99
  • University of Texas at Austin$9.99
  • NJIT$9.99
  • One SideQuest Pack Key$9.99
  • Tucson City Edition$14.99
  • 1 City Edition$14.99
  • Originals + 2 Cities$34.99

Questions

Is Popped Up free?
Popped Up is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SideQuest free?
SideQuest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Popped Up or SideQuest?
Popped Up and SideQuest are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 38 and 9 ratings respectively.
Do Popped Up or SideQuest have ads?
SideQuest shows ads; Popped Up does not.
Which is updated more often, Popped Up or SideQuest?
Popped Up ships an update fortnightly, and SideQuest every 3 days. Most recently, Popped Up was updated on November 9, 2026 and SideQuest on November 5, 2026.

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