Smart Sudoku vs SudoCubed
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Smart Sudoku
This app offers advanced Sudoku solving assistance by identifying complex patterns and providing professional tips to eliminate candidates. It features a unique scoring system based on solution efficiency and allows for quick manual puzzle entry and import.
- Powerful hint system for solving strategies
- Fast manual puzzle entry
- Simultaneous multiple square handling
- Show/hide candidates
- Innovative efficiency-based scoring
- Import puzzles from text and internet
- Unlimited undo/redo
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Are you familiar with terms like "X-Wing", "2-String Kite", or "Locked Candidates"? If yes, Smart Sudoku is for you. If not, even more so. Unlike most Sudoku apps, Smart Sudoku helps you solve tough puzzles by not simply revealing cell solutions, but by giving you professional tips. It tells you what patterns to look for in order to eliminate candidates. Smart Sudokus' unique scoring system ranks your solution not by the time you spent, but by how efficiently you solved the puzzle. Smart Sudoku comes with hundreds of challenging puzzles built-in. Copying a puzzle from a newspaper is a breeze – think of typing in a few phone numbers. "Excellent. Very simple to enter puzzles from the newspaper. Candidate numbers are displayed, allowing solutions to really tough puzzles to be solved without the laborious job of setting up candidates." (UK user) Features: • Powerful hint system based on the most popular solving strategies • Very fast manual puzzle entry method (typically 40 seconds or less) • Multiple squares may be handled simultaneously • Show or hide candidates anytime while solving the puzzle • Innovative scoring, based on efficiency of solving instead of time spent • Copy/paste puzzles in standard text format, incl. "HoDoKu Library Format" and "Simple Sudoku Format" • Import puzzles from the Internet • Share partially or fully solved puzzles via e-mail • 509 puzzles built-in, from easy to almost unsolvable • Unlimited undo/redo • Built-in user's manual • Landscape mode (iPad, Mac, Vision Pro) Hints Learn how to eliminate candidates by finding standard patterns. Let Smart Sudoku tell you what pattern to look for next. Still stuck? Smart Sudoku can even show you the squares and numbers involved. The affected squares are selected automatically, so eliminating candidates is a snap. Patterns handled by Smart Sudoku include: • Naked and Hidden Singles, Pairs, Triples, Quads, and Quintuples • Locked Candidates Type 1 and 2 • X-Wing • XY-Wing • XYZ-Wing • W-Wing • Skyscraper • 2-String Kite • Swordfish • Jellyfish • Empty Rectangle • Unique Rectangle Type 1 and 2 Input checking After copying a printed puzzle, Smart Sudoku will tell you whether the puzzle has a unique solution or not (usually caused by a typo or missing number.) Efficient solving Smart Sudoku helps you solve Sudokus in a professional way. Never add candidates, only remove them, even from multiple squares in one step. Should you ever get stuck (and no hints are available), let Smart Sudoku solve any square you wish. Or all squares for a given number. Or even the entire puzzle. Novel scoring method Unlike many Sudoku apps, Smart Sudoku rates your efficiency in solving a puzzle, not how quickly you do it. Solve one square at a time and your score will remain at zero. Solve as many squares as possible for a given number simultaneously and watch the progress bar grow. To get the maximum of 1000 points requires you to finish each number in a single step. The current score is shown in the title. Share puzzles Send an e-mail of a puzzle at any stage to your friends. If partially or fully solved, they'll also get the original puzzle. And, of course, they'll see your score, even a message about your making use of candidates. Recipients may paste the puzzle into their own copy of Smart Sudoku. Puzzles from the Internet Smart Sudoku supports the well-established text format for Sudokus (a string of 81 digits and decimal points), as well as export formats used by programs like HoDoKu and Simple Sudoku, giving you access to thousands of puzzles available on the Internet. Just download the text strings and paste them into Smart Sudoku.
SudoCubed
Experience the classic number puzzle game in a unique 3D environment. Solve intricate cubes where numbers must be placed correctly across shared edges and faces. Offers both free progression via ads and a one-time purchase to unlock all content.
- 3D Sudoku gameplay
- Unique cube-based puzzles
- Shared edge value mechanics
- Unlock puzzles with reward videos
- One-time in-app purchase for all puzzles
- Expert mode for advanced players
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Play your favorite number puzzle game in 3D! There is a single solution to each cube. Game play is simple, but solving the cube is a challenge! Can you do it? Rules: Add numbers to the grid. The numbers 1-9 must appear a single time in each row, column and 3x3 box. There is a single solution for the entire cube! This is a 3D puzzle. Edge values of each cube face are shared between adjacent sides of the cube. When placing edge values, make sure to rotate the cube to check the other sides! You may find that the number you just placed should not be there! Puzzles can be unlocked for free by watching a reward video. You also have the option of making a single in-app purchase to unlock all puzzles. Controls: Simply drag your finger to rotate the cube. Tap a space to toggle the number. Double tap the cube to auto-rotate it. Use the pencil option to place multiple values in a square if you are unsure. Expert mode is difficult and should be avoided unless you are truly an expert! It may take several hours to complete an expert puzzle without any hints or error checking. Enjoy!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: SudoCubed at Free against Smart Sudoku's $0.99. SudoCubed also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 60%) and ratings volume (11 vs 3). Smart Sudoku's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On rating, device support and iOS requirement 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
SudoCubed is free to download; Smart Sudoku costs $0.99 up front. SudoCubed sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Smart Sudoku asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Smart Sudoku against 4.9 for SudoCubed. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 11 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 60% of Smart Sudoku's written reviews are positive against 100% of SudoCubed's.
Smart Sudoku ships an update every 9 months, SudoCubed every 19 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Smart Sudoku | SudoCubed |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | 4.9 (11 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 11 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months — better | Every 19 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 61 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | CuVee Software | Highway North Interactive Inc. |
Customer experience
Smart Sudoku
SudoCubed
In-app purchases
Smart Sudoku
No in-app purchases
SudoCubed
- Unlock All Puzzles$0.99
- Unlimited hints$0.99
Questions
Is Smart Sudoku free?
Is SudoCubed free?
Which has better reviews, Smart Sudoku or SudoCubed?
Do Smart Sudoku or SudoCubed have ads?
Which is updated more often, Smart Sudoku or SudoCubed?
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