Comparison

POOLS™ vs Sudoku Zen

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

Head to head
About

POOLS™

This app offers a slow, reflective, and immersive experience focused on exploration and atmosphere. It evokes feelings of unease and curiosity through its unique environments, inspired by liminal spaces and internet phenomena. Discover changing worlds and subtle narratives without traditional gameplay mechanics.

Highlights
  • Slow, reflective exploration
  • Atmospheric and immersive environments
  • Inspired by liminal spaces
  • Unfolding narrative through exploration
  • Six distinct chapters
  • Unique sound design
Features
Read full description

Explore, admire and listen. That’s it. Uncanny. Relaxing. Unnerving. Eerie. Immersive. POOLS isn’t a traditional game. it’s slow, reflective, and intentionally uneventful, perhaps a bit like virtual museum. So take your time. Breathe. POOLS unfolds slowly, rewarding patience and quiet attention. No monsters chasing you or jumping at your screen. Yet it can feel oppressive at times by invoking quiet fears of getting lost, the dark, tight spaces and the strange beauty of liminal space architecture. There's no typical story. But as you explore and advance further, you start to notice that the game's world changes around you, deeper you go… Rooms look and feel… different. Base game features six chapters, each lasting 10-30 minutes. Inspired by the internet phenomena Liminal spaces, Found footage and The Backrooms, especially the Poolrooms concept. One of the original artists behind the Poolrooms concept is Jared Pike.

About

Sudoku Zen

Features
Read full description

Sudoku Zen offers a peaceful, focused puzzle experience for players of all skill levels. FEATURES: - Four difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, Hard, Expert - Clean, dark-themed interface for comfortable play - Lives system with 3 chances per game - Smart note-taking with auto-clear option - Track your progress with detailed statistics - Haptic feedback and sound effects - No ads with optional tip jar support DESIGNED FOR FOCUS: Whether you're a beginner or a Sudoku master, Sudoku Zen provides a distraction-free environment to sharpen your logic skills. TRACK YOUR JOURNEY: View your win rate, game count, and best times across all difficulty levels. Download now and find your zen through numbers.

Screenshots

POOLS™4 screens
Sudoku Zen4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Sudoku Zen at 13.0 against POOLS™'s 15.6. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. POOLS™ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Sudoku Zen sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
POOLS™ versus Sudoku Zen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPOOLS™Sudoku Zen
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (1.8K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews79.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.8K — better—
Update frequencyMonthly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.9 GB26 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperTensoriCHANG CHING YI

Bugs and requests

POOLS™

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Unable to move on iPad Pro
  • Glitches reported

Requested features

3 requests
  • Expand to different Backrooms-inspired themes
  • Add a multiplayer mode
  • Introduce more interactive elements (e.g., monsters, items to discover)

Sudoku Zen

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

POOLS™

One-time1
  • POOLS: Full Game$9.99
3 purchases

Sudoku Zen

One-time3
  • Small Tip (Coffee)$0.99
  • Medium Tip (Meal)$2.99
  • Buy me a feast$4.99

Questions

Is POOLS™ free?
POOLS™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sudoku Zen free?
Sudoku Zen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do POOLS™ or Sudoku Zen have ads?
Neither POOLS™ nor Sudoku Zen shows ads.

Other comparisons