# *SUDOKU vs Decoding Word Puzzle

*SUDOKU and Decoding Word Puzzle both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 90% of *SUDOKU's written reviews are positive against 27% of Decoding Word Puzzle's. *SUDOKU also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.0). Decoding Word Puzzle's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and update cadence (daily vs every 33 months). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. *SUDOKU sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Decoding Word Puzzle asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for *SUDOKU against 4.9 for Decoding Word Puzzle. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Decoding Word Puzzle has 11K ratings behind it against 113, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of *SUDOKU's written reviews are positive against 27% of Decoding Word Puzzle's.

*SUDOKU ships an update every 33 months, Decoding Word Puzzle daily. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | *SUDOKU | Decoding Word Puzzle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (113 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sudoku/id463774685/reviews) | **[4.9 (11K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/decoding-word-puzzle/id6747968388/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 113 | **11K** |
| Positive reviews | **90.3% of reviews** | 27.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 33 months | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 19 MB | 255 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sarah Pierce](https://appshunter.io/developer/406813189) | [Peace Word Studio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1787839993) |

## What reviewers say

### *SUDOKU

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sudoku/id463774685)

This app is designed for new players to learn Sudoku. It offers a gradual learning curve with small puzzles and visual aids for rules. Progress through nine difficulty levels and master the game with a variety of puzzle sizes and a progress tracker.

**Highlights:** Gradual learning curve, Visual rule explanations, Nine difficulty levels, Multiple puzzle sizes, Progress tracking view, 60 free puzzles

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 4x4 Easy Puzzle Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| 6x6 Easy Puzzle Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| 9x9 Easy Puzzle Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| 4x4 Medium Puzzle Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| 4x4 Hard Puzzle Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| 6x6 Medium Puzzle Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| 6x6 Hard Puzzle Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| 9x9 Medium Puzzle Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| 9x9 Hard Puzzle Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Mega Puzzle Pack | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Excellent learning tool for beginners
- 📈 Progressive difficulty levels build confidence
- 🧠 Helps keep mind sharp and active
- 🎯 Clear and easy-to-understand instructions
- ✨ Intuitive user interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📢 Pop-up ads can be annoying
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with iOS 14.2+
- 📱 No landscape mode option
- 🔧 Limited strategy hints and explanations
- ⚙️ Lacks automatic pencil feature

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on iOS 14.2 and later
- App fails to open on Apple iOS devices
- Installation failures on first attempt
- Game progress issues and slowness

**Requested features**

- Landscape orientation mode
- More comprehensive strategy hints
- Automatic pencil feature for note-taking
- Ability to select multiple squares with single number
- Sound muting option for ad audio


### Decoding Word Puzzle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/decoding-word-puzzle/id6747968388)

Engage your mind with a word puzzle game featuring quotes from famous figures, literature, and movies. Solve creatively designed levels with hints and letter matching, enhanced by beautiful hand-drawn art and an unfolding narrative.

**Highlights:** Quote-based puzzles, Word creation and letter matching, Contextual hints, Hand-drawn artwork, Narrative mode, Daily challenges

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🤩 Relaxing and mentally challenging
- 👍 Fun and enjoyable game

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔥 Overloaded with ads
- 🐛 Buggy and unresponsive touch interface
- 🔋 Poor performance and battery drain

**Reported bugs**

- Forced to restart from beginning after update
- Frequent crashes and freezes

**Requested features**

- More puzzle content
- Option to disable ads


## Frequently asked questions

### Is *SUDOKU free?

*SUDOKU is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Decoding Word Puzzle free?

Decoding Word Puzzle is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, *SUDOKU or Decoding Word Puzzle?

Decoding Word Puzzle is rated higher. *SUDOKU averages 4.8 out of 5 from 113 ratings, while Decoding Word Puzzle averages 4.9 from 11K ratings.

### Do *SUDOKU or Decoding Word Puzzle have ads?

Neither *SUDOKU nor Decoding Word Puzzle shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, *SUDOKU or Decoding Word Puzzle?

*SUDOKU ships an update every 33 months, and Decoding Word Puzzle daily. Most recently, *SUDOKU was updated on October 14, 2026 and Decoding Word Puzzle on October 15, 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.*