Comparison

KenKen Classic vs Hitori Puzzles

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

KenKen Classic

Engage your mind with this addictive logic and math puzzle game. It offers a virtually unlimited supply of challenges with adjustable difficulty and grid sizes. Enjoy a fun way to train your brain with a trusted source of daily puzzles.

Highlights
  • Unlimited puzzles
  • Adjustable difficulty and grid size
  • Multiple input modes
  • Hints, Undo, Redo, Reset
  • Online leaderboards
  • Color schemes and music options
Features
Read full description

KenKen® - Brain Training Puzzle Train your brain with KenKen®, the unbelievably fun, exciting and addictive logic and math puzzle! KenKen is an amazing puzzle that is frequently described as “sudoku on steroids.” If you like other brain games such as sudoku, 2048, Threes, Kakuro, Unblock Me, Tricky Test, Tetris, Flow, jigsaw puzzles, word search puzzles, or crossword puzzles, then you will LOVE KenKen! This is the ONE-AND-ONLY Original KenKen app, created by acclaimed Japanese mathematics educator Tetsuya Miyamoto. Don’t be fooled by unauthorized versions such as mathdoku and calcudoku, and don't get stuck in a sudoku rut. Play KenKen math puzzles today! KenKen appears daily in the New York Times and hundreds of other publications around the globe. NY Times puzzle editor, Will Shortz, calls KenKen "the most addictive puzzle since sudoku." There are virtually unlimited KenKen puzzles available to you on this app. The first 50 are included FREE with the download. If you need more...no problem! Just order them and they'll appear immediately. YOU select the size, difficulty level, and operations. KenKen Classic includes: - 50 FREE fun math puzzles of every size and difficulty level - Unlimited FREE 3x3 size puzzles to learn from and enjoy - Virtually unlimited puzzles, ranging from 3x3 to 9x9 grids, from Easy to Expert - A variety of color schemes and music (you can even set your own music to play in the background) - 3 input modes for digits and notes - Great extra features such as Hints, Check, Undo, Redo, Reset, Pause, and Timer - Online leaderboards - Ability to post results directly to Twitter - Ability to email results and invite friends

About

Hitori Puzzles

Engage your mind with a classic logic puzzle. Offers multiple grid sizes and difficulty levels, with manually crafted challenges. More puzzles are planned for future updates.

Highlights
  • Multiple grid sizes (8x8, 12x12, 17x17)
  • Three difficulty levels
  • Manually created puzzles
  • Regular updates planned
Features
Read full description

Original Hitori Puzzles Three different sizes 8x8, 12x12 and 17x17. Three levels of difficulty. Each level had been created manually. More levels will be available in the next updates

Screenshots

KenKen Classic2 screens
Hitori Puzzles4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: KenKen Classic at 4.6 against Hitori Puzzles's 3.0. KenKen Classic also leads on ratings volume (3.2K vs 4) and review sentiment (73% vs 50%). Hitori Puzzles's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support 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. KenKen Classic sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year and Hitori Puzzles 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

KenKen Classic holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: KenKen Classic has 3.2K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of KenKen Classic's written reviews are positive against 50% of Hitori Puzzles's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

KenKen Classic ships an update every 4 months, Hitori Puzzles every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
KenKen Classic versus Hitori Puzzles: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKenKen ClassicHitori Puzzles
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (3.2K ratings) — better3.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews72.7% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings3.2K — better4
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.18.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKenKen PuzzleKinetic Stars

Customer experience

KenKen Classic

All ratings3,172 ratings
Positive92.7%
Neutral2.6%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews315 reviews
Positive72.7%
Neutral9.5%
Negative17.8%

Hitori Puzzles

All ratings4 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative30.0%

Bugs and requests

KenKen Classic

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Puzzles disappearing after device reset or upgrade
  • Purchased puzzles not syncing across devices
  • App crashing or freezing

Requested features

4 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Ability to save and revert puzzle progress
  • No-op puzzles for advanced players
  • Improved puzzle loading and syncing across devices

Hitori Puzzles

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

KenKen Classic

Subscriptions1
  • Full Year Subscription NO ADS!$19.991 Year
One-time5
  • 500 KenKen toKENs$0.99
  • 31 Puzzles PLUS removal of all ads!$1.99
  • 250 Puzzles PLUS removal of all ads!$7.99
Show 2 more
  • 1000 Puzzles PLUS removal of all ads!$14.99
  • Annual Unlimited Subscription - Ad Free$19.99
2 purchases

Hitori Puzzles

One-time2
  • 10 Easy 8x8 Levels 13-22$0.99
  • 7 Medium 8x8 Levels 9-15$0.99

Questions

Is KenKen Classic free?
KenKen Classic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hitori Puzzles free?
Hitori Puzzles is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, KenKen Classic or Hitori Puzzles?
KenKen Classic is rated higher. KenKen Classic averages 4.6 out of 5 from 3.2K ratings, while Hitori Puzzles averages 3.0 from 4 ratings.
Do KenKen Classic or Hitori Puzzles have ads?
KenKen Classic shows ads; Hitori Puzzles does not.
Which is updated more often, KenKen Classic or Hitori Puzzles?
KenKen Classic ships an update every 4 months, and Hitori Puzzles every 2 months. Most recently, KenKen Classic was updated on November 6, 2026 and Hitori Puzzles on November 2, 2026.

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