# ⋆Sudoku vs Microsoft Sudoku

⋆Sudoku and Microsoft Sudoku both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 64% of ⋆Sudoku's written reviews are positive against 37% of Microsoft Sudoku's. ⋆Sudoku also leads on ratings volume (161K vs 7.5K) and update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months). 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 1 one-off in-app purchase 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 161K ratings behind it against 7.5K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 64% 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 28, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | ⋆Sudoku | Microsoft Sudoku |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (161K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sudoku/id418044512/reviews)** | [4.7 (7.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-sudoku/id1462494195/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **161K** | 7.5K |
| Positive reviews | **63.8% 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 | 316 MB | 153 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Brainium Studios LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/300891405) | [Microsoft Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/298856275) |

## What reviewers say

### ⋆Sudoku

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sudoku/id418044512)

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:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $11.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Challenging but not too challenging
- 👍 Great for learning advanced techniques
- 👍 Helpful hints that teach strategies
- 👍 Relaxing and soothing game
- 👍 Customizable themes and settings

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 🔍 Difficult to see numbers and patterns
- 🔍 Inconsistent difficulty levels
- 🔍 Overly distracting UI elements
- 🔍 Too many intrusive ads

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### 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 161K 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 28, 2026 and Microsoft Sudoku on October 28, 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.*