# Sudoku vs Microsoft Sudoku

Sudoku and Microsoft Sudoku both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 65% of Sudoku's written reviews are positive against 37% of Microsoft Sudoku's. Sudoku also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (59K vs 7.5K). Microsoft Sudoku's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Sudoku sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Microsoft Sudoku sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Sudoku against 4.7 for Microsoft Sudoku. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sudoku has 59K ratings behind it against 7.5K, 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 37% of Microsoft Sudoku's.

Sudoku ships an update monthly, Microsoft Sudoku every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sudoku | Microsoft Sudoku |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (59K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sudoku/id398990729/reviews)** | [4.7 (7.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-sudoku/id1462494195/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **59K** | 7.5K |
| Positive reviews | **65.0% of reviews** | 37.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 147 MB | 153 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Maple Media Apps, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1289801633) | [Microsoft Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/298856275) |

## What reviewers say

### Sudoku

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sudoku/id398990729)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| Premium Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Sudoku Apps Bundle | $7.99 | per month |
| Premium Annual | $8.99 | per year |
| Sudoku Membership | $14.99 | per year |
| Sudoku Bundle | $14.99 | per month |
| Premium Annual | $14.99 | per year |
| Sudoku Apps Bundle | $64.99 | per year |
| Sudoku Apps Bundle | $99.99 | per year |
| Sudoku Bundle | $129.99 | per year |
| Disable Ads | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


### Microsoft Sudoku

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-sudoku/id1462494195)

Enjoy classic and unique Sudoku puzzles with adjustable difficulty. Engage in daily challenges, track your progress, and customize your gameplay with various themes and settings. An optional premium subscription removes ads and unlocks past challenges.

**Highlights:** Classic and Irregular Sudoku modes, 6 difficulty levels, Daily Challenges with badges, Multiple themes and symbol options, Note-taking and mistake erasing, Cloud save and Xbox Live achievements, Progress tracking and statistics

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly Subscription | $1.99 | per month |
| Premium Yearly Subscription | $9.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Intuitive and fast gameplay
- 🔒 Robust security features
- 👍 Variety of puzzle types
- 👍 Customizable options
- 👍 Great for beginners and experts

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔋 Ads play audio even in silent mode
- 🔋 Excessive ads and intrusive monetization
- 🐛 Progress not saving properly
- 🐛 Compatibility issues on certain devices

**Reported bugs**

- Daily challenge progress not syncing across devices
- Levels and scores resetting unexpectedly
- App getting stuck on loading screens
- Ads hijacking device controls and interrupting background audio

**Requested features**

- Landscape mode support for tablets
- More customization options for notes and highlighting
- Ability to replay past daily challenges
- Improved undo/redo functionality
- Autofill or auto-complete options for advanced players


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sudoku free?

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

### Is Microsoft Sudoku free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Sudoku or Microsoft Sudoku?

Sudoku is rated higher. Sudoku averages 4.7 out of 5 from 59K ratings, while Microsoft Sudoku averages 4.7 from 7.5K ratings.

### Do Sudoku or Microsoft Sudoku have ads?

Both Sudoku and Microsoft Sudoku show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Sudoku or Microsoft Sudoku?

Sudoku ships an update monthly, and Microsoft Sudoku every 2 months. Most recently, Sudoku was updated on October 29, 2026 and Microsoft Sudoku on October 29, 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.*