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

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/

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 161K 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 1 one-off in-app purchase 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 161K ratings behind it against 7.9K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 64% and 63% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

⋆Sudoku ships an update monthly, Sudoku Master Edition every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
⋆Sudoku versus Sudoku Master Edition: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter⋆SudokuSudoku Master Edition
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (161K ratings) — better4.6 (7.9K ratings)
Positive reviews63.8% of reviews — better63.1% of reviews
Number of ratings161K — 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
Size316 MB120 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperBrainium Studios LLCHoolatron Studios

Customer experience

⋆Sudoku

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

Sudoku Master Edition

All ratings7,906 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral3.7%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews382 reviews
Positive63.1%
Neutral12.6%
Negative24.3%

User reviews

⋆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

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

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

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

1 purchases

⋆Sudoku

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$11.99
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 161K 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 November 5, 2026 and Sudoku Master Edition on November 3, 2026.

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