Comparison

Sudoku 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

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

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

Sudoku4 screens
⋆Sudoku4 screens

Verdict

The call

Sudoku and ⋆Sudoku are too close to call on the numbers: across 10 compared parameters — price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 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 4.7 for ⋆Sudoku. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 59K and 161K respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 65% and 64% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. Both last shipped on October 22, 2026.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Sudoku versus ⋆Sudoku: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSudoku⋆Sudoku
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (59K ratings)4.7 (161K ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.9% of reviews — better64.0% of reviews
Number of ratings59K161K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size147 MB316 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperMaple Media Apps, LLCBrainium Studios LLC

Customer experience

Sudoku

All ratings59,043 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral3.7%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews635 reviews
Positive64.9%
Neutral6.6%
Negative28.5%

⋆Sudoku

All ratings161,022 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral2.8%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews1,464 reviews
Positive64.0%
Neutral7.7%
Negative28.3%

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

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

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

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

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
1 purchases

⋆Sudoku

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$11.99

Questions

Is Sudoku free?
Sudoku is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ⋆Sudoku free?
⋆Sudoku is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Sudoku or ⋆Sudoku?
⋆Sudoku is rated higher. Sudoku averages 4.7 out of 5 from 59K ratings, while ⋆Sudoku averages 4.7 from 161K ratings.
Do Sudoku or ⋆Sudoku have ads?
Both Sudoku and ⋆Sudoku show ads.
Which is updated more often, Sudoku or ⋆Sudoku?
Sudoku ships an update monthly, and ⋆Sudoku monthly. Most recently, Sudoku was updated on October 22, 2026 and ⋆Sudoku on October 22, 2026.

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