Comparison

KenKen Classic vs Countdown Game & Solver

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

Countdown Game & Solver

Experience the "Numbers" round of a popular TV game show as a tile-based puzzle game. Solve arithmetic challenges by combining numbered tiles to reach a target number. Includes a powerful solver to find all possible solutions and share your progress with friends.

Highlights
  • Numbers game show rounds
  • Tile-based arithmetic puzzle
  • Universal solution solver
  • Millions of starting configurations
  • Share accomplishments via Messages
  • Runs on iPhone and iPad
Features
Read full description

Countdown is a game show on British television (French original: Des chiffres et des lettres). This app reworks the “Numbers” portion of the game show as a Scrabble®-like tile game for your iPhone or iPad. It includes a Universal Solver that finds all possible solutions to any Numbers puzzle you care to throw at it. Feature List: • The “Numbers” rounds of the Countdown game show, reworked as a Scrabble®-like tile game. • More than 11 million unique starting configurations at your disposal. (The precise figure is 11 918 700.) • Play the game by dragging numbered tiles onto the game board and progressively building up arithmetic expressions to a final result that matches the target number (or comes within ten of it). • Includes a Universal Solver that finds, within a few seconds, all possible solutions for a given initial configuration. Furthermore, if no solution is found, you can be sure that no solution exists. • In generating the list of solutions, the Universal Solver recognizes new solutions that are near-duplicates of pre-existing solutions — e.g., with minor variations in the order of the arithmetic expressions — and culls such new solutions in order to the keep the list of solutions manageable. • Fully integrated with Apple’s Messages app, so you can share your accomplishments with your friends and issue challenges to them. • A single universal app which runs on all your iOS devices: iPhone, iPad, and/or iPod touch.

Screenshots

KenKen Classic2 screens
Countdown Game & Solver4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Countdown Game & Solver at none against KenKen Classic's 6. Countdown Game & Solver also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (86% vs 72%). KenKen Classic's advantage is ratings volume (3.2K vs 40). On price, rating, ads 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. Countdown Game & Solver asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for KenKen Classic against 4.7 for Countdown Game & Solver. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: KenKen Classic has 3.2K ratings behind it against 40, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 72% of KenKen Classic's written reviews are positive against 86% of Countdown Game & Solver's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

KenKen Classic ships an update every 4 months, Countdown Game & Solver every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
KenKen Classic versus Countdown Game & Solver: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKenKen ClassicCountdown Game & Solver
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (3.2K ratings)4.7 (40 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.3% of reviews85.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3.2K — better40
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.1 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKenKen PuzzleLawrence Anthony

Customer experience

KenKen Classic

All ratings3,172 ratings
Positive92.7%
Neutral2.6%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews311 reviews
Positive72.3%
Neutral9.6%
Negative18.0%

Countdown Game & Solver

All ratings40 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral2.5%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral4.8%
Negative9.5%

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

Countdown Game & Solver

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
None

Countdown Game & Solver

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is KenKen Classic free?
KenKen Classic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Countdown Game & Solver free?
Countdown Game & Solver is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, KenKen Classic or Countdown Game & Solver?
Countdown Game & Solver is rated higher. KenKen Classic averages 4.6 out of 5 from 3.2K ratings, while Countdown Game & Solver averages 4.7 from 40 ratings.
Do KenKen Classic or Countdown Game & Solver have ads?
Both KenKen Classic and Countdown Game & Solver show ads.
Which is updated more often, KenKen Classic or Countdown Game & Solver?
KenKen Classic ships an update every 4 months, and Countdown Game & Solver every 3 weeks. Most recently, KenKen Classic was updated on September 28, 2026 and Countdown Game & Solver on September 19, 2026.

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