Comparison

Essential Sudoku vs Royal Sort™

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

Head to head
About

Essential Sudoku

A minimalist and clean logic-based number puzzle game for iPhone and iPod touch. It offers a pure sudoku experience with no ads, in-app purchases, or distracting features. Enjoy straightforward gameplay focused solely on solving puzzles.

Highlights
  • Minimalist design
  • No ads
  • No in-app purchases
  • No tracking
  • No hints
  • No timers
  • Pure sudoku gameplay
Read full description

Solve sudoku puzzles on your iPhone or iPod touch. This is a clean, simple, minimalist sudoku app: • No ads • No in-app purchases • No tracking • No hints • No timers • No themes • No leaderboards • No achievements • No clutter Enjoy! (c:

About

Royal Sort™

Engage in a satisfying puzzle game where you drag and match three identical items to clear the board. Build your royal kingdom by collecting materials and unlocking new castle chambers. Compete with others and join clans for a collaborative sorting experience.

Highlights
  • Drag and match three identical items
  • Build and expand a royal kingdom
  • Unlock new castle chambers and challenges
  • Compete on global leaderboards
  • Join or create clans
  • Stunning 3D graphics
Features
Read full description

Welcome to Royal Sort, where sorting's the name and fun's the game! Drag, match three goods and build your own kingdom! Ad-free and no wifi needed, puzzlers are free to show off their sorting skills! Your mission is simple: Find the perfect 3-match and merge them to clear the level! Merge the toys, teacups, crowns, goods – anything you see! They're gone, making room for more. But watch out! Mismatched stuff gets in the way, slowing you down. Think fast, plan ahead, and use cool tricks to clear the board your own way. Join the world of sorting puzzle games, boredom will never bother you anyways! Cross the board, collect materials to build your kingdom after passing levels, and receive massive boosters to help you achieve new records. You’re able to join and create your clan to support each other and defeat millions of opponents to have your name on the world's top rank. Key differences: - Gameplay: Match the three identical stuff, suitable for both sorting master and newbie! - Focus: Shifted from decorating the castle to solving sorting challenges in different castle areas. - Obstacles: Be aware of mismatched goods and the time pressure - Unlockables: Unlocking new castle chambers and sorting challenges with thousands of new items and boosters! - 3D Graphics: Stunning 3D worlds that satisfy your artistic soul and gaming experiences. - Area: Build your kingdom, start from the castle to different rooms. - Community: Join clans, and invite your friend, family, and your other significant other to share the fun! - King of the hills: Show them whose name will be placed on top of the world’s leaderboard. Unlock fancy new rooms in the castle, each with its own sorting surprises. Ready to tackle the colorful chaos? Download Royal Sort and dive into a sorting adventure fit for a master!

Screenshots

Essential Sudoku4 screens
Royal Sort™4 screens

Verdict

The call

Essential Sudoku and Royal Sort™ both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Essential Sudoku's written reviews are positive against 44% of Royal Sort™'s. Essential Sudoku also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 15) and ads (none vs shown). Royal Sort™'s advantage is price (Free vs $3.00) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months). On rating 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

Royal Sort™ is free to download; Essential Sudoku costs $3.00 up front. Royal Sort™ sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Essential Sudoku asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Essential Sudoku against 4.7 for Royal Sort™. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Royal Sort™ has 43K ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Essential Sudoku's written reviews are positive against 44% of Royal Sort™'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Essential Sudoku ships an update every 4 months, Royal Sort™ fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on August 29, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Essential Sudoku versus Royal Sort™: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEssential SudokuRoyal Sort™
Price$3.00Free — better
Rating4.8 (14 ratings) — better4.7 (43K ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better43.9% of reviews
Number of ratings1443K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.4 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB378 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCyberMoaiOnetap Global Limited

Customer experience

Essential Sudoku

All ratings14 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Royal Sort™

All ratings43,207 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral5.4%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews490 reviews
Positive43.9%
Neutral19.0%
Negative37.1%

Bugs and requests

Essential Sudoku

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Royal Sort™

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Freezing and crashing during ads
  • Earned rewards not being awarded
  • Certain boosters not functioning properly
  • Levels ending prematurely due to glitches

Requested features

4 requests
  • Zen mode without time constraints
  • More instructions and tutorials
  • Better rewards and progression system
  • Improved stability and bug fixes

In-app purchases

None

Essential Sudoku

No in-app purchases

13 purchases

Royal Sort™

One-time13
  • Coin Pack 1$0.99
  • Normal Pack 1$1.99
  • Starter Pack$1.99
Show 10 more
  • Endless Small$2.99
  • Normal Pack 2$4.99
  • Coin Pack 2$4.99
  • Endless Big$4.99
  • Trick or Treasure$6.99
  • Normal Pack 3$9.99
  • Battle Pass$9.99
  • Normal Pack 4$19.99
  • Piggy 2$24.99
  • Event Xmas 2$24.99

Questions

Is Essential Sudoku free?
Essential Sudoku costs $3.00, with no in-app purchases.
Is Royal Sort™ free?
Royal Sort™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Essential Sudoku or Royal Sort™?
Essential Sudoku is rated higher. Essential Sudoku averages 4.8 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while Royal Sort™ averages 4.7 from 43K ratings.
Do Essential Sudoku or Royal Sort™ have ads?
Royal Sort™ shows ads; Essential Sudoku does not.
Which is updated more often, Essential Sudoku or Royal Sort™?
Essential Sudoku ships an update every 4 months, and Royal Sort™ fortnightly. Most recently, Essential Sudoku was updated on August 29, 2026 and Royal Sort™ on September 28, 2026.

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