# Sudoku vs HAL 9000

The clearest difference is rating: Sudoku at 4.7 against HAL 9000's 4.0. Sudoku also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 36 months) and ratings volume (59K vs 2). HAL 9000's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Sudoku sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. HAL 9000 asks for nothing beyond the download.

Sudoku holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sudoku has 59K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Sudoku ships an update monthly, HAL 9000 every 36 months. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sudoku | HAL 9000 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (59K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sudoku/id398990729/reviews)** | [4.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hal-9000/id1518486203/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **59K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 65.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 36 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 147 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Maple Media Apps, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1289801633) | [Vladimir Djokic](https://appshunter.io/developer/1483350231) |

## 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 (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $0.99 | 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


### HAL 9000

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hal-9000/id1518486203)

Experience classic chess with advanced 3D graphics and an AI opponent. This hobby project offers a virtual chess set for players to test their skills. More features are planned for future updates.

**Highlights:** Advanced 3D graphics, Virtual chess set interaction, Play against AI opponent, Classic chess gameplay

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sudoku free?

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

### Is HAL 9000 free?

HAL 9000 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Sudoku or HAL 9000?

Sudoku is rated higher. Sudoku averages 4.7 out of 5 from 59K ratings, while HAL 9000 averages 4.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Sudoku or HAL 9000 have ads?

Sudoku shows ads; HAL 9000 does not.

### Which is updated more often, Sudoku or HAL 9000?

Sudoku ships an update monthly, and HAL 9000 every 36 months. Most recently, Sudoku was updated on November 13, 2026 and HAL 9000 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.*