Crossmath Alternatives: Math Puzzles and Killer Sudoku

For the same equation grids, Arcadia Zen Math is the nearest swap: the same four operations, a calmer look and an offline mode, though it shows ads too. If what you want is fewer purchases, or a puzzle that stays interesting after you are quick at the sums, killer sudoku keeps a little arithmetic inside a deeper logic puzzle, and classic sudoku drops the arithmetic entirely. Sudoku Royale plays classic sudoku with no ads, no coins and no hints to buy.

Crossmath, by Guru Smart, has been on the App Store since 2023 and has 260,142 US ratings, so it clearly works for a lot of people. It is free with ads and sells a lot alongside the puzzles: Crossmath Premium at $7.99, coin packs, tickets and hint packs (100 Hints $5.99, 10 Hints $0.99, 30 Hints $1.99). The listing does not say what Premium includes, so read the offer in the app before paying.

The App Store facts

From each app's US App Store listing, checked October 26, 2026. Prices and paid items change, so check the listing before you buy.

How much math each one asks for

Crossmath players usually fall into two groups: people who enjoy the mental arithmetic, and people who enjoy the logic of fitting numbers into a grid. The table shows which apps serve which.

If you like the arithmetic

Arcadia Zen Math

Metajoy's game uses the same rules as Crossmath: fill the grid so every equation holds, multiplication and division first. Its listing points to a few differences: large numbers for easier reading, plant collections you grow as you solve, weekly and regional leaderboards, and an offline mode. Its listing shows no in-app purchases at all, so there are no coin or hint packs to be tempted by. The flip side is that there is also nothing to buy to remove the ads its age rating notes.

Number Match

Lighter than Crossmath: you clear pairs of numbers that match or add to 10. It suits short breaks better than long sessions. Easybrain sells a one-time No Ads item and a Premium Access item. Our Number Match alternatives page covers that corner of the genre.

Killer Sudoku by Sudoku.com

The best bridge from Crossmath to sudoku. Every cell sits in a cage with a target sum, so you are still adding (which digits make 17 in two cells? only 8 and 9), but the sums feed a logic puzzle with far more depth than a single equation. It has ads, removable with Killer Sudoku No Ads for $14.99. For other killer apps, see the best killer sudoku apps.

What Crossmath players already know about killer sudoku

• Sums with few combinations. A cage of 3 in two cells can only be 1 and 2; a cage of 24 in three cells can only be 7, 8 and 9. Spotting these is the same quick arithmetic Crossmath trains.
• Rows add to 45. The Killer Sudoku listing points this out: every row, column and box sums to 45, so a missing cell can sometimes be worked out by subtraction.
• No repeats. This is the new part. Digits cannot repeat inside a cage or a row, which rules out many sums that would be fine in Crossmath.

If you like the logic more than the sums

In Crossmath, an equation with one gap tells you the gap, so a lot of the work is the calculation itself. Sudoku has no arithmetic at all, which surprises many people (see is sudoku math or logic?). Its difficulty comes from how many cells depend on each other, and the hardest grids need patterns that span the whole board.

Sudoku Royale

Our app. Six levels from Easy to Extreme, with higher levels opening as you solve, and about half a million puzzles. Instead of hint packs there is one free hint, which lights up after you have been stuck for about 90 seconds and names the technique and the cell without giving the number. The Dojo drills those techniques against the clock, from hidden singles up to Swordfish and XY-Wing. No ads, no coins, no Premium, no account required. What it lacks next to Crossmath: any arithmetic, an Endless mode, undo, and an Android version. Notes are manual; there is no auto-notes power-up.

Sudoku.com

Classic sudoku with optional auto-check and notes that update themselves, per its listing. It is free with ads and a one-time No Ads purchase.

Nonogram.com

Number clues on the edges of the grid tell you how many squares to shade in a row. The only arithmetic is counting, and finishing reveals a picture. Ads and coin packs, like Crossmath. Our Nonogram.com alternatives page compares it with sudoku in detail.

When Crossmath is still the better pick

• You want to practice mental math. Sudoku will not give you any. Crossmath and Arcadia Zen Math will.
• You like an Endless run. Its Endless mode checks answers only when you submit and scores you on levels completed within two mistakes. Nothing on the sudoku side works that way.
• You want to choose a level per puzzle. Crossmath lets you pick Easy to Expert any time; in Sudoku Royale, higher levels unlock as you solve.
• You play on Android. Sudoku Royale has no Android version, so if you switch between phones, it cannot follow you.

Bottom line

Keep the math: Arcadia Zen Math, or killer sudoku if you want more logic around the sums. Drop the math and the shop: try Sudoku Royale from the Easy level. More puzzle apps are on the best number puzzle games page, and every sudoku matchup is on our sudoku app comparisons.