# Essential Sudoku vs Digfender

The clearest difference is price: Digfender at Free against Essential Sudoku's $3.00. Digfender also leads on ratings volume (1K vs 14). Essential Sudoku's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 11) and ads (none vs shown). On rating, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Digfender is free to download; Essential Sudoku costs $3.00 up front. Digfender sells 11 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 Digfender. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Digfender has 1K 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 91% of Digfender's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on August 29, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Essential Sudoku | Digfender |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.00 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.8 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/essential-sudoku/id553890344/reviews)** | [4.7 (1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/digfender/id957253933/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 14 | **1K** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 91.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 1 MB | 482 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.4** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [CyberMoai](https://appshunter.io/developer/553890347) | [Mugshot Games Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/957253932) |

## 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


### Digfender

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/digfender/id957253933)

Defend your castle by digging deep underground to find resources and build powerful towers and traps. Customize your defenses through upgrade trees and challenge friends in survival mode. Enjoy a unique tower defense experience with no paywalls or wait timers.

**Highlights:** Digging for treasure and relics, Building towers and traps, Customizable defense upgrades, Survival mode with leaderboards, Over 70 challenging levels, No paywalls or wait timers

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1500 Diamonds | $1.99 | one-time |
| 4000 Diamonds | $3.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $3.99 | one-time |
| Special Offer 1 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Jeweler's Cart | $5.99 | one-time |
| 10000 Diamonds | $7.99 | one-time |
| Dwarven Stronghold | $7.99 | one-time |
| Dark Fortress | $7.99 | one-time |
| Ice Palace | $7.99 | one-time |
| Special Offer 2 | $14.99 | one-time |
| 30000 Diamonds | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Enjoyable gameplay
- 🚀 No intrusive ads
- 👍 Meaningful challenge
- 👍 Fun upgrade mechanics
- 👍 Engaging gameplay

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional game freezes
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer devices
- 🐛 Enemies that can destroy towers

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes and crashes
- UI elements not visible on newer devices

**Requested features**

- More levels and content
- Custom level creator
- Endless mode without tower-destroying enemies
- Target priority options for towers


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Essential Sudoku free?

Essential Sudoku costs $3.00, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Digfender free?

Digfender is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Essential Sudoku or Digfender?

Essential Sudoku is rated higher. Essential Sudoku averages 4.8 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while Digfender averages 4.7 from 1K ratings.

### Do Essential Sudoku or Digfender have ads?

Digfender shows ads; Essential Sudoku does not.

### Which is updated more often, Essential Sudoku or Digfender?

Essential Sudoku ships an update every 4 months, and Digfender every 4 months. Most recently, Essential Sudoku was updated on August 29, 2026 and Digfender on September 22, 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.*