# Kakuro vs Einstein Challenge

The clearest difference is price: Kakuro at Free against Einstein Challenge's $0.99. Kakuro also leads on update cadence (every 4 months vs every 39 months) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). Einstein Challenge's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On device support there is nothing between them.

Kakuro is free to download; Einstein Challenge costs $0.99 up front. Kakuro sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Einstein Challenge asks for nothing beyond the download.

Kakuro ships an update every 4 months, Einstein Challenge every 39 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Kakuro | Einstein Challenge |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kakuro-number-crossword/id1197071375/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 93.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | — |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 months** | Every 39 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 11 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Conceptis Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/479420055) | [Joao Silva](https://appshunter.io/developer/1293675690) |

## What reviewers say

### Kakuro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kakuro-number-crossword/id1197071375)

Fill empty squares with numbers 1-9 so that each block sums to the clue on its left or top. No number can be repeated within a block. This logic puzzle offers endless fun and sharpens cognitive skills.

**Highlights:** Fill empty squares to match sum clues, No number repetition within blocks, 200 free puzzles and weekly bonus, Multiple difficulty levels, Zoom and pencilmark features, Graphic puzzle progress previews, Dark Mode support

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Medium Snacks 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Hard Snacks 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Easy Variety 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Medium Variety 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Hard Variety 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Big & Medium 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Big & Tough 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Big Challenges 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Medium Variety - Large 1 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Hard Variety - Large 1 | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 🔒 No ads
- 💡 Variety of difficulty levels
- 👍 Helpful features (pencil marks, check progress)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Some puzzles have multiple valid solutions
- 💡 Wish for more advanced solving techniques
- 💡 Ability to highlight/add pencil marks to multiple cells at once
- 💡 Option to auto-fill pencil marks after using hints

**Reported bugs**

- Some puzzles claim incorrect solutions are correct
- Weekly bonus puzzles not refreshing properly on iOS 17

**Requested features**

- Ability to highlight and add pencil marks to multiple cells in one operation
- Help feature to learn advanced solving techniques
- Option to auto-fill pencil marks after using hints without overwriting existing marks


### Einstein Challenge

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/einstein-challenge/id1293675691)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Kakuro free?

Kakuro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Einstein Challenge free?

Einstein Challenge costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which is updated more often, Kakuro or Einstein Challenge?

Kakuro ships an update every 4 months, and Einstein Challenge every 39 months. Most recently, Kakuro was updated on November 2, 2026 and Einstein Challenge on November 3, 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.*