# Essential Sudoku vs Royal Sort™

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Essential Sudoku | Royal Sort™ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.00 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.8 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/essential-sudoku/id553890344/reviews)** | [4.7 (43K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/royal-sort/id6478954814/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 14 | **43K** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 43.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 1 MB | 378 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.4** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [CyberMoai](https://appshunter.io/developer/553890347) | [Onetap Global Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1706028654) |

## What reviewers say

### Essential Sudoku

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/essential-sudoku/id553890344)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Royal Sort™

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/royal-sort/id6478954814)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Coin Pack 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Normal Pack 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Endless Small | $2.99 | one-time |
| Normal Pack 2 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Coin Pack 2 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Endless Big | $4.99 | one-time |
| Trick or Treasure | $6.99 | one-time |
| Normal Pack 3 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Battle Pass | $9.99 | one-time |
| Normal Pack 4 | $19.99 | one-time |
| Piggy 2 | $24.99 | one-time |
| Event Xmas 2 | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 Colorful and appealing graphics
- 🎨 Fun and relaxing
- 💡 Keeps your mind active

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- ⏱️ Levels become too difficult and time-constrained
- 💰 Pay-to-win mechanics
- 📺 Excessive and intrusive ads

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*