Comparison

DoodleBack vs Sumoku

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

Head to head
About

DoodleBack

Transform iMessage into a fun drawing and guessing game. Pick a word, draw it, and send it to a friend to guess. Continue the drawing chain, earn points, and enjoy a unique way to connect.

Highlights
  • Play directly in iMessage
  • Thousands of word prompts
  • Custom prompt creation
  • Smart hint system
  • Undo/redo drawing tools
  • Score and streak tracking
  • Drawing history view
Features
Read full description

Turn iMessage into an easy to play drawing game! HOW IT WORKS • Pick a word prompt (or create your own!) • Draw it with your finger • Send to your friend to guess • They guess your drawing, then draw something back • Keep the streak going and rack up points! FEATURES • Play right in iMessage - no separate app needed • Choose from thousands of prompts across 4 difficulty levels • Custom prompts for inside jokes and personal challenges • Smart hint system to help when you're stuck • Undo/redo while drawing for perfect doodles • Track your score and streak • View your drawing history together • Beautiful dark mode support • Live message bubbles with drawing animations SCORING SYSTEM • Easy words: 2 points • Medium words: 3 points • Hard words: 4 points • Very Hard words: 5 points • Custom prompts: 1 point • Use hints to get unstuck (reduces points earned) No ads. Just pure drawing fun with the people you care about. Send your first DoodleBack today!

About

Sumoku

This logic puzzle game challenges players to fill grids with unique numbers, ensuring each cage sums to its target. It offers various grid sizes and difficulties, competitive leaderboards, and unlockable achievements. Smart tools and an in-game currency system enhance the gameplay experience.

Highlights
  • Multiple grid sizes and difficulty levels
  • Leaderboard competition
  • Unlockable achievements
  • AI bot battles
  • Pencil mode and hints
  • In-game currency system
Features
Read full description

I built Sumoku as a Christmas gift for my mom who does these number puzzles in her puzzle books. If you like Sudoku, you'll pick this up fast. Fill every row and column with unique numbers, and make every cage add up to its target sum. Free, no ads, no doomscrolling. Just the kind of brain workout that actually feels good. Hope you love it! Sumoku! Where Numbers Meet Strategy PLAY FOR FREE Sumoku is free to play. Optional in-app purchases are available for extra Mochis to spend on lives, hints, and Zen mode (skins, board themes and unlimited puzzles) SIX GRID SIZES (4x4 through 9x9) Sumoku is for beginners to advanced players. Start with approachable 4x4 grids and work your way up to brain-bending 9x9 puzzles. Each size offers Easy, Medium, and Hard difficulties, that's 18 unique challenge levels to conquer! COMPETE & CLIMB THE LEADERBOARD Connect with Apple's Game Center to track your scores across Classic, Time Attack, and Streaks leaderboards. Filter by grid size and difficulty to see how you stack up against players worldwide. Earn your spot on the podium! 100+ ACHIEVEMENTS TO UNLOCK From your first puzzle win to mastering 9x9 on Hard without mistakes, there's always a new milestone to chase. Achievements span Beginner, Scoring, Mastery, Speed, Streaks, Challenges, and more. BATTLE A BOT Test your speed against AI opponents in head-to-head Bot Battles. Choose your grid size and difficulty, then race to finish first. Bot Battles have their own scoring, can you outsmart the AI? SMART TOOLS Pencil Mode: Jot down candidate numbers as notes before committing Magnifier: Zoom into cages for a closer look on larger grids Hints: Use a hint to reveal a cell and keep your momentum going Auto-Notes: Let the game pencil in candidates on hard 8x8 and 9x9 puzzles Smart hints: Understand why a number was entered into a cage using Sumoku techniques Smart Input/ Pencil: When you select a cell, the keypad greys out the numbers that can't legally go there Lock-In: Submit all your pencil notes at once for a bold, high-risk play EARN & SPEND MOCHIS Earn Mochis by completing puzzles, achieving perfect Medium and Hard games, hitting score milestones, and maintaining daily streaks Spend them on extra lives and hints when you need a boost, or stock up in the Mochi Shop. BUILT FOR YOUR STYLE Dark Mode with a sleek, modern blue palette Clean design with smooth animations Auto-save so you never lose progress, even if you close the app Daily streak tracking and weekly recaps to keep you coming back Multiple active games — juggle different grid sizes at once Love puzzles? Challenge yourself with Sumoku and see how far your logic can take you!

Screenshots

DoodleBack4 screens
Sumoku4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: DoodleBack at every 9 days against Sumoku's every 6 weeks. On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. DoodleBack sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Sumoku sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for DoodleBack against 4.9 for Sumoku. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 45 and 18 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 94% of DoodleBack's written reviews are positive against 100% of Sumoku's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DoodleBack ships an update every 9 days, Sumoku every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and August 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
DoodleBack versus Sumoku: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDoodleBackSumoku
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (45 ratings)4.9 (18 ratings) — better
Positive reviews94.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings45 — better18
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB171 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBERG LLCKelsey Fargas

Customer experience

DoodleBack

All ratings45 ratings
Positive97.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive94.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.9%

Sumoku

Written reviews11 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

6 purchases

DoodleBack

One-time6
  • Handful (75 Coins)$0.99
  • Pouch (600 Coins)$4.99
  • Chest (1500 Coins)$9.99
Show 3 more
  • Cart (3500 Coins)$19.99
  • Vault (10000 Coins)$49.99
  • Pirate Ship (25000 Coins)$99.99
11 purchases

Sumoku

One-time11
  • 15 Stars$0.69
  • 20 Stars$0.99
  • 50 Stars$1.99
Show 8 more
  • 5 Extra Hints$2.99
  • 5 Extra Lives$2.99
  • 100 Stars$2.99
  • 10 Extra Hints$4.99
  • 10 Extra Lives$4.99
  • 500 Stars$4.99
  • Zen Mode$8.99
  • 1200 Stars$9.99

Questions

Is DoodleBack free?
DoodleBack is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sumoku free?
Sumoku is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, DoodleBack or Sumoku?
Sumoku is rated higher. DoodleBack averages 4.8 out of 5 from 45 ratings, while Sumoku averages 4.9 from 18 ratings.
Do DoodleBack or Sumoku have ads?
Neither DoodleBack nor Sumoku shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DoodleBack or Sumoku?
DoodleBack ships an update every 9 days, and Sumoku every 6 weeks. Most recently, DoodleBack was updated on September 25, 2026 and Sumoku on August 8, 2026.

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