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Heads Up! alternative
A free browser game for the same kind of night, and an honest look at when the app is still the better pick.
Charades Game Ideas is an independent free site. It is not made by, linked to or endorsed by the makers of Heads Up! Heads Up! is a trademark of its owner. Facts below were read on the App Store (US) on 14 November 2026.
What Heads Up! is
Heads Up! is a paid party game app for iPhone and iPad. On its App Store page it describes itself as a "charades-style party game". Its App Store notes describe holding the device up to your head, screen facing outward, and guessing the words from your friends' clues. On 14 November 2026 the App Store listed it at $1.99 with in-app purchases, with a rating of 4.8 from 301 thousand ratings, and it sat at number 2 in Top Paid Games.
How the two compare
| Heads Up! (app) | Charades Game Ideas (this site) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99, with in-app purchases for extra decks (App Store, 14 Nov 2026) | Free, no purchases |
| Install | App for iPhone and iPad from the App Store | A web page, on any phone, tablet or laptop |
| How you play | Phone held up to the head, friends give clues, the holder guesses | Classic charades: the actor reads the slip and acts it, the team guesses |
| Words | Many themed decks, some paid | 450 slips in 10 categories, all free |
| Your own words | "Build Your Own Deck", as App Store reviewers describe it | Fold your own slips into the hat and share them by link |
| Timer and teams | Timed rounds, score per round | 30, 60 or 90 seconds or no timer; up to 6 named teams with a running score |
| Three round bowl game | Not described on the App Store page | Yes, describe, act, one word |
| Account or data | See the app's privacy label | No account; your settings stay on your device |
When Heads Up! is the better choice
- You want the forehead version, where the guesser holds the phone and reacts to clues. That is a different game, and the app is built around it.
- You like big themed decks on films, music and celebrities. The app has many of these; this site keeps to family friendly everyday words.
- Your group plays it already and enjoys recording and sharing videos of each round, which the App Store page says the app can do.
When the browser game is the better choice
- You want classic charades, with one player acting and a team guessing, plus a score board for several teams.
- You do not want to pay or install anything, or not everyone has an iPhone.
- You want your own words, or the three round bowl game, without buying decks.
- App reviewers mention decks that disappeared and cards that repeat; the hat here never repeats a slip in one game, and nothing can be taken away because nothing was bought.