Comparison

Marple vs KenKen Classic

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

Head to head
About

Marple

This logic puzzle game challenges players to deduce the correct order of 20 tiles using a set of clues. It offers millions of unique puzzles and includes a tutorial and hint system to guide players through the deduction process.

Highlights
  • Logic and deduction gameplay
  • 20 tiles arranged in 4x5 grid
  • Multiple clue types (In between, Left of, Same column, Next to)
  • Over 1 million unique puzzles
  • Tutorial mode
  • Hint system with explanations
  • Graphical help with beginner tips
Read full description

AWARDED "BEST PUZZLER" IN MACWORLD'S "THE BEST GAMES OF 2008"! NOMINEE FOR "BEST PUZZLE GAME" IN "2008 BEST APP EVER AWARDS"! RATED "BETTER" IN APPREVIEW! Getting tired of Sudoku? Why not try Marple? Marple is a game of logic and deduction. The playing field consists of 20 tiles arranged in 4 rows of 5 columns each and a set of clues. The goal of the game is to figure out the correct order of those 20 tiles using the given clues by process of elimination. There are four different types of clues: "In between", "Left of", "Same column" and "Next to". "In between" clue tells that the middle tile has to be located in between the other two. It however does not tell the order of the other two tiles or how far they are from the middle one. "Left of" clue tells that the left tile has to be located left of the right tile. It however does not tell how far apart they are. "Same column" clue tells that the two tiles have to be on the same column. "Next to" clue tells that the two tiles are adjacent to each other. It however does not tell the order of the two tiles. Features: * 1,000,000 fiendishly clever puzzles to play so don't expect to run out of them any time soon! At 3 minutes / puzzle, 1 hour / day = ca. 137 years of puzzles! * Tutorial mode * Hint system that highlights a clue that you should be concentrating on next and also explains exactly what you should be doing next. * Graphical help with beginner tips

About

KenKen Classic

Engage your mind with this addictive logic and math puzzle game. It offers a virtually unlimited supply of challenges with adjustable difficulty and grid sizes. Enjoy a fun way to train your brain with a trusted source of daily puzzles.

Highlights
  • Unlimited puzzles
  • Adjustable difficulty and grid size
  • Multiple input modes
  • Hints, Undo, Redo, Reset
  • Online leaderboards
  • Color schemes and music options
Features
Read full description

KenKen® - Brain Training Puzzle Train your brain with KenKen®, the unbelievably fun, exciting and addictive logic and math puzzle! KenKen is an amazing puzzle that is frequently described as “sudoku on steroids.” If you like other brain games such as sudoku, 2048, Threes, Kakuro, Unblock Me, Tricky Test, Tetris, Flow, jigsaw puzzles, word search puzzles, or crossword puzzles, then you will LOVE KenKen! This is the ONE-AND-ONLY Original KenKen app, created by acclaimed Japanese mathematics educator Tetsuya Miyamoto. Don’t be fooled by unauthorized versions such as mathdoku and calcudoku, and don't get stuck in a sudoku rut. Play KenKen math puzzles today! KenKen appears daily in the New York Times and hundreds of other publications around the globe. NY Times puzzle editor, Will Shortz, calls KenKen "the most addictive puzzle since sudoku." There are virtually unlimited KenKen puzzles available to you on this app. The first 50 are included FREE with the download. If you need more...no problem! Just order them and they'll appear immediately. YOU select the size, difficulty level, and operations. KenKen Classic includes: - 50 FREE fun math puzzles of every size and difficulty level - Unlimited FREE 3x3 size puzzles to learn from and enjoy - Virtually unlimited puzzles, ranging from 3x3 to 9x9 grids, from Easy to Expert - A variety of color schemes and music (you can even set your own music to play in the background) - 3 input modes for digits and notes - Great extra features such as Hints, Check, Undo, Redo, Reset, Pause, and Timer - Online leaderboards - Ability to post results directly to Twitter - Ability to email results and invite friends

Screenshots

Marple4 screens
KenKen Classic2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Marple at none against KenKen Classic's 6. Marple also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). KenKen Classic's advantage is ratings volume (3.2K vs 48). On price 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. KenKen Classic sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year. Marple asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Marple holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: KenKen Classic has 3.2K ratings behind it against 48, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of Marple's written reviews are positive against 72% of KenKen Classic's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Marple ships an update every 2 months, KenKen Classic every 4 months. Both last shipped on September 22, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Marple versus KenKen Classic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarpleKenKen Classic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (48 ratings) — better4.6 (3.2K ratings)
Positive reviews85.9% of reviews — better72.3% of reviews
Number of ratings483.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better12.1
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMikko KankainenKenKen Puzzle

Customer experience

Marple

All ratings48 ratings
Positive95.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews142 reviews
Positive85.9%
Neutral4.2%
Negative9.9%

KenKen Classic

All ratings3,172 ratings
Positive92.7%
Neutral2.6%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews311 reviews
Positive72.3%
Neutral9.6%
Negative18.0%

User reviews

Marple

From 48 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great logic game
  • 🚀 Engaging and challenging
  • 💡 Unique puzzle concept
  • 👍 Addictive gameplay
  • 👍 Polished and well-designed

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
  • 🔧 Needs better tutorial/instructions
  • 🔧 Difficulty level could be improved
  • 🔧 Outdated UI elements
  • 🔧 Clues can be confusing

KenKen Classic

From 3.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and challenging puzzles
  • 🧠 Helps improve math and logic skills
  • ⭐ Great variety of puzzle sizes and difficulties
  • 🏆 Satisfying to solve puzzles
  • 💻 Clean and intuitive user interface

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Limited number of free puzzles
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases for more puzzles
  • 🐛 Buggy undo/redo functionality
  • 🔀 Cursor/selection issues when switching between note-taking and number entry
  • 📢 Intrusive ads

Bugs and requests

Marple

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game crashes on launch for some users
  • Buttons/UI elements not fully visible
  • Clues get cut off on certain devices
  • Incorrect/missing puzzle solutions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add undo/redo functionality
  • Implement save/restore progress
  • Introduce different difficulty levels
  • Optimize for larger screens (iPad)
  • Improve color contrast and readability

KenKen Classic

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Puzzles disappearing after device reset or upgrade
  • Purchased puzzles not syncing across devices
  • App crashing or freezing

Requested features

4 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Ability to save and revert puzzle progress
  • No-op puzzles for advanced players
  • Improved puzzle loading and syncing across devices

In-app purchases

None

Marple

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

KenKen Classic

Subscriptions1
  • Full Year Subscription NO ADS!$19.991 Year
One-time5
  • 500 KenKen toKENs$0.99
  • 31 Puzzles PLUS removal of all ads!$1.99
  • 250 Puzzles PLUS removal of all ads!$7.99
Show 2 more
  • 1000 Puzzles PLUS removal of all ads!$14.99
  • Annual Unlimited Subscription - Ad Free$19.99

Questions

Is Marple free?
Marple is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is KenKen Classic free?
KenKen Classic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Marple or KenKen Classic?
Marple is rated higher. Marple averages 4.8 out of 5 from 48 ratings, while KenKen Classic averages 4.6 from 3.2K ratings.
Do Marple or KenKen Classic have ads?
KenKen Classic shows ads; Marple does not.
Which is updated more often, Marple or KenKen Classic?
Marple ships an update every 2 months, and KenKen Classic every 4 months. Most recently, Marple was updated on September 22, 2026 and KenKen Classic on September 22, 2026.

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