# Balatro vs Sudo

The clearest difference is price: Sudo at Free against Balatro's $9.99. Balatro's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs every 4 months) and chart position (#3 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Sudo is free to download; Balatro costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Balatro ships an update every 8 days, Sudo every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Balatro | Sudo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[5.0 (108K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/balatro/id6502453075/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **108K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 81.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | **#3** | — |
| Size | 94 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.2 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Playstack Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1133080356) | [Kadircan KARACA](https://appshunter.io/developer/1878112472) |

## What reviewers say

### Balatro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/balatro/id6502453075)

**Currently charting:** #3 Top Paid · Card, #4 Top Paid · Strategy, #9 Top Paid · Games, #13 Top Paid, #108 Top Grossing · Card, #154 Top Grossing · Strategy (US App Store)

This game blends poker and solitaire mechanics with unique rule-bending twists. Build powerful poker hands, discover game-changing Joker cards, and create exciting combos to defeat challenging Boss Blinds. Explore different decks and game modes for endless replayability.

**Highlights:** Poker and Solitaire hybrid gameplay, Rule-bending mechanics, Collect over 150 unique Joker cards, Create powerful combos, Campaign and challenge modes, Pixel art visuals

**Features:** Game Controller support, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Addictive gameplay
- 💎 Unique and compelling mechanics
- 👍 Easy to learn, hard to master
- 🎨 Charming pixel art and music
- 💰 Great value for money

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and save issues
- 🔍 Small text and UI elements
- 🔋 Battery draining
- 🔇 No background music support

**Reported bugs**

- Unlocks and achievements not registering properly
- Crashes and freezes on certain devices
- Joker and card interactions not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Cloud save sync across devices
- Portrait mode option
- Customizable UI and accessibility settings


### Sudo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sudo-classic-sudoku/id6759330463)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Balatro free?

Balatro costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Sudo free?

Sudo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Balatro or Sudo have ads?

Neither Balatro nor Sudo shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Balatro or Sudo?

Balatro ships an update every 8 days, and Sudo every 4 months. Most recently, Balatro was updated on November 3, 2026 and Sudo on October 25, 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.*