KenKen Classic vs Calcudoku Puzzle
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Unlimited puzzles
- Adjustable difficulty and grid size
- Multiple input modes
- Hints, Undo, Redo, Reset
- Online leaderboards
- Color schemes and music options
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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
Calcudoku Puzzle
Enjoy unlimited logic puzzles similar to Sudoku. This app offers a vast collection of Calcudoku and Mathdoku challenges that can be solved through deduction. Compete with friends and share puzzles for a fun, ad-free experience.
- Unlimited Calcudoku and Mathdoku puzzles
- No ads or subscriptions
- Solve with logic and deduction
- Compete with friends via Game Center
- Share puzzles with others
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Unlimited Calcudoku, Mathdoku, Kenken puzzles. If you like Sudokus, try this app(!) - no ads - no subscription - unlimited puzzles - compete with friends through Game Center - share puzzles and challenge friends All puzzles can be solved with logical thinking/deduction. If you play well, you don't need to take a chance or gamble.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Calcudoku Puzzle at none against KenKen Classic's shown. Calcudoku Puzzle also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). KenKen Classic's advantage is review sentiment (73% vs 40%) and ratings volume (3.2K vs 51). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
Both are free to download. KenKen Classic sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year and Calcudoku Puzzle sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Calcudoku Puzzle holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: KenKen Classic has 3.2K ratings behind it against 51, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 73% of KenKen Classic's written reviews are positive against 40% of Calcudoku Puzzle's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
KenKen Classic ships an update every 4 months, Calcudoku Puzzle weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | KenKen Classic | Calcudoku Puzzle |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (3.2K ratings) | 4.8 (51 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 72.7% of reviews — better | 40.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3.2K — better | 51 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.1 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 40 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | KenKen Puzzle | Research and Market Insights B.V. |
Customer experience
KenKen Classic
Calcudoku Puzzle
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
Calcudoku Puzzle
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
KenKen Classic
- Full Year Subscription NO ADS!$19.991 Year
- 500 KenKen toKENs$0.99
- 31 Puzzles PLUS removal of all ads!$1.99
- 250 Puzzles PLUS removal of all ads!$7.99
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- 1000 Puzzles PLUS removal of all ads!$14.99
- Annual Unlimited Subscription - Ad Free$19.99
Calcudoku Puzzle
- Full Functionality$3.99
Questions
Is KenKen Classic free?
Is Calcudoku Puzzle free?
Which has better reviews, KenKen Classic or Calcudoku Puzzle?
Do KenKen Classic or Calcudoku Puzzle have ads?
Which is updated more often, KenKen Classic or Calcudoku Puzzle?
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