# Popped Up vs SideQuest

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Popped Up at none against SideQuest's 4. Popped Up also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (23 vs 5). SideQuest's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). On price, rating, review sentiment and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SideQuest sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Popped Up asks for nothing beyond the download.

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 — 23 and 5 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

Popped Up ships an update fortnightly, SideQuest every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Popped Up | SideQuest |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (23 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/popped-up/id6768682077/reviews) | [5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sidequest-tiny-adventures/id6781441096/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **23** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 71 MB | 392 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Popped Up, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896595732) | [OMG Career](https://appshunter.io/developer/1822692415) |

## What reviewers say

### Popped Up

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/popped-up/id6768682077)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### SideQuest

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sidequest-tiny-adventures/id6781441096)

Discover and complete real-life quests designed to turn ordinary days into small adventures. Earn XP, collect badges, and document your experiences in a personal journal. Packs can be unlocked with one-time purchases.

**Highlights:** Curated quest packs, Real-life challenges, XP and badge system, Personal quest journal, Solo or group play, One-time pack purchases

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| One SideQuest Pack Key | $9.99 | one-time |
| Originals Vault | $14.99 | one-time |
| Discounted Originals Vault | $19.99 | one-time |
| Originals Vault | $34.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked 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 23 and 5 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 4 days. Most recently, Popped Up was updated on October 16, 2026 and SideQuest on October 15, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*