Comparison

Sudoku vs Sudoku Master Edition

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

Head to head
About

Sudoku

Engage your mind with this classic Japanese logic puzzle. Offers multiple difficulty levels, customizable backgrounds, and unique emoji number options. Track progress and compete with others.

Highlights
  • Four difficulty settings
  • Customizable background colors
  • Emoji number option
  • Duplicate highlighting
  • Unlimited Undo/Redo
  • Autosave functionality
  • Leaderboards and achievements
  • Note-taking feature
Features
Read full description

Train your brain anytime—and anywhere—with Sudoku :), the classic Japanese logic puzzle game. Playing Sudoku on your mobile device is fun & easy! Now you can take your favorite Japanese game wherever you go. Give your mind a workout with advanced difficulty, or play easier levels to exercise your brain. The Sudoku :) app offers access to many fun features. Game features: ● Play Sudoku games with four different difficulty settings: Easy, Medium, Hard & Expert ● Personalize your gameplay with custom background colors ● Switch numbers to emojis for a fun new way to play ● Highlight duplicates to avoid repeating numbers in rows, columns & blocks ● Use unlimited Undo & Redo actions ● Stop & resume the game anytime with Autosave ● Track your scores & completion times against top Sudoku players with leaderboards and achievements ● Keep track of possible numbers in the grid with Note-taking ● See your progress with Logic Puzzles Completed and Top Completion Times With user-friendly boards, this Sudoku puzzle game is rated one of the top brain games. Whether you are new to this classic puzzle game or you’ve been playing for years, give yourself a fun & challenging game experience with Sudoku :) everywhere you go. Download Sudoku :) on your iPhone & iPad today We hope you enjoy playing Sudoku :) Questions or feedback, please email us at contact@maplemedia.io for fast & friendly support. Brought to you by Maple Media. Visit us at https://maplemedia.io. Terms of Service and Subscription Terms: https://maplemedia.io/terms-of-service/ Privacy Policy: https://maplemedia.io/privacy/ - Level up your Sudoku experience with the Sudoku Membership subscription! Enjoy Ad-free game play, customize with unique backgrounds and mix it up with the new Emoji grid! - Once subscribed, payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase if you subscribe - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the subscription's renewal - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase.

About

Sudoku Master Edition

This app offers a comprehensive Sudoku experience with numerous customization options, multiple game modes, and difficulty levels. It features a minimalist design, daily challenges, and Apple Pencil integration for a pen-and-paper feel.

Highlights
  • Customizable themes and fonts
  • Multiple game modes (Lightning, Mistake, Classic, Zen)
  • 5 difficulty levels
  • Adjustable grid styles
  • Note-taking and highlighting features
  • Apple Pencil integration
  • Daily reminders and auto-complete
Features
Read full description

***FEATURED AS APPLE'S GAME OF THE DAY IN 40+ COUNTRIES*** SUDOKU MASTER EDITION is classic Sudoku with a wardrobe. Play across dozens of custom themes, jump into limited-time events, and pick your fight across five difficulty levels from Easy to Master. Beautiful, minimalist, and built to keep you coming back. Whether you're a daily solver or just getting hooked, here's what's inside: THEMES & EVENTS - Dozens of custom themes to make the board truly yours - Exclusive limited-time events with rewards you won't find anywhere else - 13 app icons and 26 hand-picked fonts to match your style - Sleek Dark theme for late-night solving PLAY YOUR WAY - Five difficulty levels, from a gentle Easy to a brutal Master - Lightning Mode for fast, high-energy solving - Zen Mode for a calm, distraction-free pen-and-paper feel - Mistake Mode or Classic Mode, however you like to play - Adjustable grid styles and a modern color palette that's easy on the eyes SMART TOOLS - Highlight Helper to spot your next move - Notes for jotting down possibilities (or secret messages, we won't tell) - Auto-complete and Quick Start to skip the busywork - Daily reminders so you never break your streak - In-app tutorial and help for when you need a hand APPLE PENCIL (compatible iPad & Apple Pencil) - A true pen-and-paper experience: scribble numbers and notes by hand - Built-in Notepad to sketch ideas and erase with a tap - No Pencil? Just toggle the notepad off and play as normal Relaxing original soundtrack by EARLYGUARD, endless customization, and more on the way. Download SUDOKU MASTER EDITION and find your perfect game.

Screenshots

Sudoku4 screens
Sudoku Master Edition4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Sudoku at 59K against Sudoku Master Edition's 7.9K. On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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. Sudoku sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Sudoku Master Edition sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Sudoku against 4.6 for Sudoku Master Edition. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sudoku has 59K ratings behind it against 7.9K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 65% of Sudoku's written reviews are positive against 64% of Sudoku Master Edition's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sudoku ships an update monthly, Sudoku Master Edition every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Sudoku versus Sudoku Master Edition: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSudokuSudoku Master Edition
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (59K ratings) — better4.6 (7.9K ratings)
Positive reviews65.0% of reviews — better63.8% of reviews
Number of ratings59K — better7.9K
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size147 MB120 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperMaple Media Apps, LLCHoolatron Studios

Customer experience

Sudoku

All ratings59,043 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral3.7%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews625 reviews
Positive65.0%
Neutral6.9%
Negative28.2%

Sudoku Master Edition

All ratings7,892 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral3.7%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews376 reviews
Positive63.8%
Neutral12.8%
Negative23.4%

User reviews

Sudoku

From 59K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great game
  • 👍 User-friendly interface
  • 📊 Tracks stats and times
  • 💡 Useful features like pencil mode
  • 🧠 Challenges the brain

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Intrusive ads
  • 💰 Expensive ad-free version
  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 🔋 Battery draining
  • 🔇 Disrupts audio playback

Sudoku Master Edition

From 7.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great app for sudoku
  • 👍 Fun game
  • 👍 Best design and master level is actually hard
  • 👍 Intuitive controls
  • 👍 Customizable

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App freezes and crashes
  • 🔋 Battery drain issues
  • 🐛 Handwriting recognition problems
  • 🐛 Puzzle difficulties are inconsistent
  • 🐛 Ads are disruptive and hard to close

Bugs and requests

Sudoku

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Numbers getting stuck/grayed out
  • Inconsistent difficulty levels
  • Display issues on newer devices
  • Crashes after updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Customizable color themes
  • Option to disable number highlighting
  • Reset button that fully clears the board
  • More granular difficulty levels

Sudoku Master Edition

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • App crashes after completing puzzles
  • Handwriting recognition issues with certain numbers
  • Saved games disappearing
  • Inconsistent behavior when using pencil input
  • Inability to enter wrong numbers
Show 1 more
  • Bugs introduced with recent updates

Requested features

10 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Ability to import custom puzzles
  • More themes and color options
  • Improved undo/redo functionality
  • Ability to differentiate user-entered numbers from pre-filled numbers
Show 5 more
  • Larger game board size
  • Difficulty progression that feels more balanced
  • Hint system that doesn't reveal full solutions
  • Multiplayer or leaderboard features
  • Ability to pause and resume games

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Sudoku

Subscriptions10
  • Premium Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Premium Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Sudoku Apps Bundle$7.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Premium Annual$8.991 Year
  • Sudoku Membership$14.991 Year
  • Sudoku Bundle1 Month trial$14.991 Month
  • Premium Annual$14.991 Year
  • Sudoku Apps Bundle$64.991 Year
  • Sudoku Apps Bundle$99.991 Year
  • Sudoku Bundle1 Year trial$129.991 Year
One-time1
  • Disable Ads$24.99
2 purchases

Sudoku Master Edition

One-time2
  • Premium Theme Credit$0.99
  • Remove Ads$7.99

Questions

Is Sudoku free?
Sudoku is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sudoku Master Edition free?
Sudoku Master Edition is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Sudoku or Sudoku Master Edition?
Sudoku is rated higher. Sudoku averages 4.7 out of 5 from 59K ratings, while Sudoku Master Edition averages 4.6 from 7.9K ratings.
Do Sudoku or Sudoku Master Edition have ads?
Both Sudoku and Sudoku Master Edition show ads.
Which is updated more often, Sudoku or Sudoku Master Edition?
Sudoku ships an update monthly, and Sudoku Master Edition every 3 weeks. Most recently, Sudoku was updated on September 24, 2026 and Sudoku Master Edition on September 22, 2026.

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