Comparison

Sudoku Premium vs ⋆Sudoku

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

Head to head
About

Sudoku Premium

This app offers a digital Sudoku experience with multiple difficulty levels and input modes. It features intelligent hints, auto-save, and unlimited undo/redo. Compete with others by submitting results and tracking progress online.

Highlights
  • 4 difficulty levels
  • 3 input modes
  • Pencil marks with auto fill
  • Highlighting options
  • Intelligent hints
  • Auto-save and unlimited undo/redo
  • Online progress tracking and competitions
Features
Read full description

The complete Sudoku, with no ads and nothing to buy – just you and the puzzle. Pick your challenge – Easy, Medium, Hard or Extreme – and solve with an interface that keeps every tool a tap away. Interrupted? Just leave: your puzzle is saved exactly as you left it. Want to see how you compare? Upload your results, check the top scores, or join the weekly Sudoku competition. Features: * 4 difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, Hard, Extreme * Custom mode: enter any puzzle and solve it in the same familiar interface * 3 input modes: "Digit first", "Cell first" or pop-up * Pencil marks (notes) with automatic fill and erase * Highlighting of the selected digit, plus crosshairs for the current row, column and box * Digit counts show how many of each digit are placed * Smart hints that use logic only – never guesses * Two levels of automatic error checking * Unlimited undo and redo * Night and Day modes * Auto-save * Plays offline – no internet needed to solve * Works on iPhone and iPad * Online results, top scores, history and real-time competitions Questions or suggestions? Contact us at sudoku@genina.com. Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Genina-135806803144543 Follow us on X: @GeninaDotCom Or visit us online: http://www.genina.com/apps/sudoku/ Enjoy!

About

⋆Sudoku

This app offers a classic Sudoku puzzle experience with a modern design and intuitive controls. It features five difficulty levels, a smart hint system that teaches logic, and daily challenges to keep your mind sharp. Track your progress and enjoy a customizable and relaxing gameplay.

Highlights
  • Smart hint system teaches logic
  • Five difficulty levels
  • Daily puzzle challenges
  • Customizable board and themes
  • Progress tracking and statistics
  • Auto-fill and auto-check options
Features
Read full description

Sudoku by Brainium has updated the classic Sudoku puzzle game you know and love, with a clean, modern design, calming backdrops, and intuitive controls. With endless number puzzles and five levels of difficulty, our Sudoku is perfect for players of all skill levels. Whether you’re in the mood for a quick game to help you relax, or an expert level logic challenge to train your brain, there’s a board for you. Brainium Sudoku also features the first and best smart hint system available. It goes beyond simply giving you the answers. Instead, it helps you learn and improve your skills by teaching you “why” the answer is what it is. With every puzzle, our “Hint” button provides the techniques you need to make progress even when it seems like your path is blocked. The instructions are easy to understand, unique for every puzzle, and presented with easy to follow, helpful animations and colorful visuals. This feature will improve your Sudoku skills whether you’re a first-time player or a seasoned expert. It’s the perfect companion for anyone looking to take their number game or logic puzzle skills to the next level. Enjoy a clear, easy to read, and customizable Sudoku board with visual guides that make reading the board and figuring out where to place your next numbers a breeze. Our input system is designed to make entering numbers and notes simple, and our user-friendly scoring system makes it easy to compete with yourself or friends. Starting and keeping a daily habit of mental exercise is easy by playing Sudoku’s Daily Puzzles, which are sure to keep your mind sharp and at ease. Track your progress with onboard statistics and unlock fun achievements along the way. Brainium’s Classic Sudoku Features: • The world’s most advanced Sudoku learning tool and hint system • Hints that teach you the logic behind the answer • Five perfectly balanced difficulty levels from beginner to expert • Daily Puzzle Challenges - complete them to earn points and gold checkmarks • Two beautiful grid styles • Nine relaxing backdrops • Light or dark grid fonts with adjustable size • Auto Light/Dark mode adjusts the theme based on your device settings • Unlimited collection of brain training logic puzzles • Game Statistics to track progress • Auto-Fill Notes option • Auto-Clear Notes option • Auto-Check Errors option • Number Painting option allows you to rapidly fill open squares with a selected number or note • Universal App looks great on iPhone and iPad • Global and friend leader boards • Portrait and landscape play options • Right or left-handed option in landscape • iPad keyboard compatible We hope Sudoku by Brainium brings you endless fun, relaxation, and a challenge for your mind. More Fun & Free Logic and Classic Card Games from Brainium: • Solitaire • Mahjong • Spider Solitaire • FreeCell • Pyramid • Blackjack Like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/BrainiumStudios Follow us on Twitter @BrainiumStudios Visit us on the web https://www.Brainium.com/

Screenshots

Sudoku Premium4 screens
⋆Sudoku4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ⋆Sudoku at Free against Sudoku Premium's $4.99. ⋆Sudoku also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (161K vs 59). Sudoku Premium's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On 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

⋆Sudoku is free to download; Sudoku Premium costs $4.99 up front. ⋆Sudoku sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Sudoku Premium asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

⋆Sudoku holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ⋆Sudoku has 161K ratings behind it against 59, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 90% of Sudoku Premium's written reviews are positive against 64% of ⋆Sudoku's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sudoku Premium ships an update every 2 months, ⋆Sudoku monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 1 level
Sudoku Premium versus ⋆Sudoku: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSudoku Premium⋆Sudoku
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (59 ratings)4.7 (161K ratings) — better
Positive reviews89.5% of reviews — better63.8% of reviews
Number of ratings59161K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB316 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developergenina.comBrainium Studios LLC

Customer experience

Sudoku Premium

All ratings59 ratings
Positive84.7%
Neutral5.1%
Negative10.2%
Written reviews267 reviews
Positive89.5%
Neutral3.4%
Negative7.1%

⋆Sudoku

All ratings161,177 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral2.8%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews1,468 reviews
Positive63.8%
Neutral7.7%
Negative28.5%

User reviews

Sudoku Premium

From 59 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Best sudoku app
  • 👍 Great layout and functionality
  • 🤩 Addictive and engaging
  • 💡 Excellent range of difficulty levels
  • 🎨 Clean and intuitive interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes
  • 🔍 Lack of custom puzzle support
  • 💰 Ads in premium version
  • 🔄 Difficulty level changes unexpectedly
  • 🔧 Settings not saving properly

⋆Sudoku

From 161K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Challenging but not too challenging
  • 👍 Great for learning advanced techniques
  • 👍 Helpful hints that teach strategies
  • 👍 Relaxing and soothing game
  • 👍 Customizable themes and settings

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
  • 🔍 Difficult to see numbers and patterns
  • 🔍 Inconsistent difficulty levels
  • 🔍 Overly distracting UI elements
  • 🔍 Too many intrusive ads

Bugs and requests

Sudoku Premium

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes when uploading scores
  • Buttons not working after completing puzzles
  • Incompatibility issues with latest iOS versions
  • Freezing and performance problems
  • Inconsistent behavior when entering numbers

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to lock cells
  • Pencil mark coloring
  • Undo/redo functionality in-game
  • More puzzle variety and regular updates
  • Seamless transition from free to premium

⋆Sudoku

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Puzzle completion status not updating correctly
  • Floating number feature not working as expected
  • Scores not displaying properly on leaderboard
  • Game freezing or crashing on certain devices
  • Inability to play music in the background

Requested features

6 requests
  • Option to disable auto-check for errors
  • Ability to customize number colors and backgrounds
  • More granular difficulty settings between Hard and Expert
  • Ability to access past daily puzzles
  • Family sharing for ad-free version
Show 1 more
  • Clearer explanation of scoring system

In-app purchases

None

Sudoku Premium

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

⋆Sudoku

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$11.99

Questions

Is Sudoku Premium free?
Sudoku Premium costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ⋆Sudoku free?
⋆Sudoku is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Sudoku Premium or ⋆Sudoku?
⋆Sudoku is rated higher. Sudoku Premium averages 4.4 out of 5 from 59 ratings, while ⋆Sudoku averages 4.7 from 161K ratings.
Do Sudoku Premium or ⋆Sudoku have ads?
⋆Sudoku shows ads; Sudoku Premium does not.
Which is updated more often, Sudoku Premium or ⋆Sudoku?
Sudoku Premium ships an update every 2 months, and ⋆Sudoku monthly. Most recently, Sudoku Premium was updated on November 6, 2026 and ⋆Sudoku on November 8, 2026.

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