Comparison

Sudoku vs Sudoku Explained

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

Head to head
About

Sudoku

Features
Read full description

Sudoku, the daily way. A brand-new puzzle every morning, a hint system that actually teaches you, and a clean board that gets out of your way. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned solver, this is Sudoku built to make you better. A PUZZLE EVERY DAY • Fresh Daily Challenge with a calendar to keep your run going • Build streaks and watch your stats climb over weeks and months • Five difficulties, from relaxed Easy to brutal Extreme (Expert & Extreme unlock with Pro) HINTS THAT TEACH, NOT CHEAT Most apps just hand you the answer. This one shows you WHY. Our visual hints highlight the exact row, column, or box to focus on and walk you through real techniques — single candidates, hidden singles, pointing pairs, X-Wings and more — step by step, so next time you spot it yourself. BUILT TO FEEL GREAT • Satisfying animations when you complete a row, column, or box • Smart notes to pencil in candidates • Mistake tracking so you can play safe or push your limits • A How to Play guide that gets you started in seconds PLAY YOUR WAY • Fully playable offline — no signal required • Compete on the Game Center leaderboard, split by difficulty • Available in English, Svenska, Deutsch, Español, Français, Italiano and Português Train your brain a little every day. Download and start your streak today. Sudoku Pro (optional one-time purchase) unlocks the Expert & Extreme difficulties, Statistics, unlimited Hints and full Daily history. Terms of Use (EULA): https://vinterstudio.com/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://vinterstudio.com/games/sudoku/privacy

About

Sudoku Explained

Features
Read full description

Stuck on a Sudoku? Learn why the next move works. Sudoku Explained helps you recognize the patterns behind each solution. Hints explain the logic using your actual board, and guided practice lets you try techniques yourself. PLAY AT YOUR LEVEL Choose from five difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, Hard, Expert, and Evil. Every difficulty is free, with a daily puzzle to come back to. UNDERSTAND YOUR NEXT MOVE Get three free explained hints each day. Each hint names the technique and explains why the digit belongs there. LEARN THROUGH PRACTICE Explore 14 solving techniques with worked examples and practice boards that check your moves. One complete technique lesson is free each day, with a different lesson available tomorrow. FOCUS ON THE PUZZLE No ads. No accounts. Play offline on iPhone and iPad. GO FURTHER WITH ONE PURCHASE An optional one-time purchase unlocks the full techniques library, all worked examples and practice boards, unlimited explained hints, and the 30-day activity chart. No subscription.

Screenshots

Sudoku3 screens
Sudoku Explained4 screens

Verdict

The call

Sudoku and Sudoku Explained are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Sudoku sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Sudoku Explained sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Sudoku versus Sudoku Explained: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSudokuSudoku Explained
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB2 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperPehr Andreas VesterlundSTEFAN BODRUG

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Sudoku

One-time1
  • Sudoku Pro$3.99
1 purchases

Sudoku Explained

One-time1
  • Full Version$4.99

Questions

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

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