# Visual Pinball vs Thunder Buddy Sudoku

The clearest difference is rating: Thunder Buddy Sudoku at 5.0 against Visual Pinball's 4.3. Thunder Buddy Sudoku also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly) and review sentiment (100% vs 79%). Visual Pinball's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Thunder Buddy Sudoku sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Visual Pinball asks for nothing beyond the download.

Thunder Buddy Sudoku holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Visual Pinball has 74 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Visual Pinball's written reviews are positive against 100% of Thunder Buddy Sudoku's.

Visual Pinball ships an update fortnightly, Thunder Buddy Sudoku every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Visual Pinball | Thunder Buddy Sudoku |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (74 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/visual-pinball/id6547859926/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thunder-buddy-sudoku/id6813772737/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **74** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 78.6% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 134 MB | 24 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.6 | **26.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jason Millard](https://appshunter.io/developer/1527911552) | [Thunder Buddy](https://appshunter.io/developer/6798351581) |

## What reviewers say

### Visual Pinball

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/visual-pinball/id6547859926)

Experience the full virtual pinball simulator with realistic physics, lighting, and sound. This open-source app offers a redesigned interface, enhanced table management, and the complete desktop experience for mobile devices. Enjoy a vast library of tables without ads or in-app purchases.

**Highlights:** Realistic physics, lighting, and sound, Redesigned interface with Liquid Glass, Full in-game menu for graphics and controls, Support for various backglass and display types, Easy table import and management, Optimized memory usage

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Awesome way to play virtual pinball on the go
- 👍 Super easy to set up with minimal file prep time
- 👍 Insane that I can play favorite pins on just my phone
- 👍 Fantastic portable implementation of VPX
- 👍 Fun and exciting to archive the history of pinball

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔧 More ability to adjust table settings needed
- 🔧 Struggling to manage camera angle
- 🔧 No fullscreen on iPad, plunger and outlanes cropped
- 🔧 Some tables don't work or have issues

**Reported bugs**

- Tables don't load for some users
- Certain complex/intensive tables error out or run at low FPS

**Requested features**

- List of most played tables
- Ability to reposition DMD
- Option to skip startup checks for some tables
- Ability to edit table scripts on the app
- Direct link to table depository


### Thunder Buddy Sudoku

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thunder-buddy-sudoku/id6813772737)

This logic puzzle game offers a guided Sudoku experience with a built-in coach that explains techniques. It features thousands of puzzles, daily challenges, and multiplayer modes to play with friends or against an AI.

**Highlights:** Thousands of graded Sudoku puzzles, Hints that teach techniques, Daily Challenge puzzles, Multiplayer Buddy Duel mode, Offline practice against AI, Customizable themes and accessibility options

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support, Fun Camera support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |
| Thunder Buddy Pass | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Visual Pinball free?

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

### Is Thunder Buddy Sudoku free?

Thunder Buddy Sudoku is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Visual Pinball or Thunder Buddy Sudoku?

Thunder Buddy Sudoku is rated higher. Visual Pinball averages 4.3 out of 5 from 74 ratings, while Thunder Buddy Sudoku averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Visual Pinball or Thunder Buddy Sudoku have ads?

Thunder Buddy Sudoku shows ads; Visual Pinball does not.

### Which is updated more often, Visual Pinball or Thunder Buddy Sudoku?

Visual Pinball ships an update fortnightly, and Thunder Buddy Sudoku every 3 days. Most recently, Visual Pinball was updated on October 30, 2026 and Thunder Buddy Sudoku on October 31, 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.*