# •sudoku vs Sudoku Cafe

The clearest difference is update cadence: Sudoku Cafe at every 3 weeks against •sudoku's every 5 weeks. •sudoku's advantage is ratings volume (1.1K vs 191) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. •sudoku sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Sudoku Cafe sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for •sudoku against 4.7 for Sudoku Cafe. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: •sudoku has 1.1K ratings behind it against 191, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of •sudoku's written reviews are positive against 89% of Sudoku Cafe's.

•sudoku ships an update every 5 weeks, Sudoku Cafe every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | •sudoku | Sudoku Cafe |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sudoku/id441153803/reviews)** | [4.7 (191 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sudoku-cafe/id540946844/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | 191 |
| Positive reviews | **91.5% of reviews** | 89.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 31 MB | 160 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sarah Pierce](https://appshunter.io/developer/406813189) | [BitMango, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/465882936) |

## What reviewers say

### •sudoku

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sudoku/id441153803)

Enjoy a vibrant and engaging sudoku experience with over a million free puzzles. This app offers customizable gameplay options, including different themes, note-taking methods, and the choice to play with or without a timer. Track your progress and compete with others in a visually appealing and challenging environment.

**Highlights:** 1 million free puzzles, Three puzzle themes, Customizable note entry, Optional timer for competition, Relaxing play mode, Progress tracking

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gentle Puzzle Pack #1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Easy Puzzle Pack #1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium puzzle pack #1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Hard puzzle pack #1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Extreme puzzle pack #1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Gentle puzzle pack #2 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Extreme puzzle pack #3 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Extreme puzzle pack #4 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Premium | $1.99 | one-time |
| Mega puzzle pack | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great game, fun and addictive
- 🎨 Colorful and visually appealing design
- 📊 Useful stats and progress tracking
- 🧠 Challenging and mentally stimulating
- 🔍 Helpful features like pencil marks and highlighting

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitches with timer and stats not working properly
- 📢 Loud and intrusive ads
- 🔍 Difficulty with small touch targets and accidental inputs
- 🔌 Drains battery life quickly

**Reported bugs**

- Timer keeps crashing or not starting
- Ads prevent returning to the game
- Scores and stats not updating correctly

**Requested features**

- Option to turn off timer and comparisons
- Landscape mode support
- More difficulty levels beyond 'extreme'
- Ability to customize colors and themes


### Sudoku Cafe

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sudoku-cafe/id540946844)

This logic-based puzzle game challenges you to fill a 9x9 grid with numbers from 1 to 9. Follow the rules of Sudoku to ensure no duplicates in rows, columns, or 3x3 subregions. Progress through multiple difficulty levels and test your skills.

**Highlights:** 9x9 grid puzzles, Multiple difficulty levels, Logic-based gameplay, Number placement, Error tracking

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 5 Combo Boosters | $0.99 | one-time |
| 5 Hints | $0.99 | one-time |
| 11 Hints | $1.99 | one-time |
| AdFree | $1.99 | one-time |
| 23 Hints | $3.99 | one-time |
| 50 Hints | $7.99 | one-time |
| 50 Combo Boosters | $7.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to learn and play for beginners
- 🎨 Clean, attractive graphics and visual design
- 🧠 Great mental exercise and brain stimulation
- ⚡ Smooth, flawless gameplay mechanics
- ✏️ Excellent pencil mark system with number highlighting

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Game mechanics differ from standard Sudoku (select number first, then square)
- 📺 Excessive advertisements, especially in free version
- ⏱️ Mandatory timer creates pressure and competition
- ❌ Harsh penalty system for mistakes (fail after 3 errors)
- 🎨 Monotone grid design makes sectors hard to distinguish

**Reported bugs**

- Results screen buttons (home/replay) non-functional after completing puzzle
- Timer starts automatically when ads play, adding unwanted seconds to score
- Theme/tile appearance changes when resuming saved games
- Pencil marks disappear from certain board themes after updates
- Incorrect number validation preventing correct entries

**Requested features**

- Ultra-hard difficulty level beyond expert
- Option to disable timer and mistake notifications
- Ability to turn off penalty system for casual play
- Save game feature to resume later
- Landscape orientation support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is •sudoku free?

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

### Is Sudoku Cafe free?

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

### Which has better reviews, •sudoku or Sudoku Cafe?

•sudoku is rated higher. •sudoku averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Sudoku Cafe averages 4.7 from 191 ratings.

### Do •sudoku or Sudoku Cafe have ads?

Both •sudoku and Sudoku Cafe show ads.

### Which is updated more often, •sudoku or Sudoku Cafe?

•sudoku ships an update every 5 weeks, and Sudoku Cafe every 3 weeks. Most recently, •sudoku was updated on November 6, 2026 and Sudoku Cafe on November 1, 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.*