Best Killer Sudoku Apps for iPhone (2026)

For killer sudoku on iPhone, the best app depends on how much killer you play. If cages are all you want, Killer Sudoku by Sudoku.com is the only app here built around them. If you want killer next to classic sudoku and other variants, Sudoku: Classic Puzzle Games lists the widest mix, and Sudoku: Brain Puzzle Games offers killer as a side mode. Sudoku Royale, our own app, does not have killer sudoku at all: it is classic 9x9 only. We say that up front because this is a page about killer apps on a site that makes a classic one. Below are the apps whose App Store listings say they include killer puzzles, what each charges, and a short list of popular sudoku apps that do not.

What killer sudoku is

Killer sudoku keeps the normal rules (each row, column and 3x3 box holds 1 to 9 once) and adds cages: groups of cells outlined with dotted lines, each with a small sum in its corner. The digits in a cage must add up to that sum, and no digit repeats inside a cage. Most killer puzzles start with an empty grid, so the cage sums are the only clues.

That makes it part arithmetic, part logic. A two-cell cage that sums to 3 can only hold 1 and 2; one that sums to 17 can only hold 8 and 9. And since every row, column and box adds up to 45, you can often work out a single cell by subtracting the cages around it. Our guide to sudoku variants covers killer alongside X-Sudoku, jigsaw and the others.

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.

What each app offers a killer player

The picks

Killer Sudoku by Sudoku.com: best if you only play killer

Easybrain, the maker of Sudoku.com, publishes killer as its own app rather than a mode inside the classic one. It has 218,315 US ratings, all for an app that does nothing but killer. Its listing promises thousands of levels, daily challenges with trophies, seasonal events with medals, and hints and notes, and it says the app is meant to be approachable for beginners even though killer is harder than classic sudoku. It is free with ads; the paid item it lists is Killer Sudoku No Ads at $14.99, a single payment rather than a subscription. The catch: no other puzzle types, so classic sudoku means a second download. If you are weighing it against the rest, our Killer Sudoku by Sudoku.com alternatives page goes deeper.

Sudoku: Classic Puzzle Games: best for killer plus other variants

This app's listing names three variations beyond classic sudoku: Killer, X-Sudoku and Hyper Sudoku. Classic puzzles come in four levels, Easy to Expert, with a daily challenge, step-by-step hint guides, notes, an auto-check you can switch on, statistics and offline play. It shows ads. The listing describes an optional Sudoku Premium subscription (monthly or annual, in some regions) that removes ads and adds unlimited mistakes and 20 free hints a month; the prices it lists are Sudoku Premium $4.99, Sudoku Premium $39.99. The listing does not say how many killer puzzles there are or whether they have their own difficulty levels.

Sudoku: Brain Puzzle Games: best if killer is an occasional change

OAKEVER's app is mostly classic sudoku (its listing claims over 5,000 handcrafted puzzles at four levels) with Killer Sudoku and Letter Sudoku offered as extra modes. It is the only app here that lists undo and redo, and it also lists dark mode, offline play, global leaderboards and live multiplayer tournaments. Pricing is the busiest of the three: weekly, monthly and yearly subscriptions, battle tickets, and a Remove Ads item at $4.99. Its listing text says "ad-free game environment", but its App Store age rating says it contains advertising, so expect ads unless you pay.

Popular sudoku apps without killer

Many well-rated sudoku apps never mention killer in their listings. We checked Sudoku Master, Sudoku Now!, Sudoku by Mind The Frog, Sudoku: Daily Puzzles by Gamovation and Guru Smart's Sudoku Puzzle: none lists killer puzzles. Sudoku Master is the nearest thing to a variety app among them: its listing offers 6x6 and 16x16 grids beside 9x9, and sells No Ads at $6.99. That changes the grid size, not the rules, so it will not scratch a killer itch.

Sudoku Royale, if you also play classic

Sudoku Royale has no killer, diagonal, jigsaw or small-grid modes. It is here only because many killer players also solve classic puzzles, and for that half of your solving it is free with no ads, no purchases and no subscription. It has six levels from Easy to Extreme, and its hints name the technique to use (a hidden single, a naked pair) rather than giving away the number. Those techniques work inside killer cages too. It has no undo, and it runs on iPhone and iPad only. If that suits you, get Sudoku Royale for classic sudoku and keep a killer app beside it.

How to choose

• Killer every day, nothing else: Killer Sudoku by Sudoku.com. One payment removes the ads for good.
• Killer some days, other variants on others: Sudoku: Classic Puzzle Games. Check the regional Premium price on the purchase screen before subscribing.
• Mainly classic, killer now and then, and you want undo: Sudoku: Brain Puzzle Games, if its subscriptions do not put you off.
• Classic only, no ads, no payments: Sudoku Royale, accepting that killer is not in it.

For harder classic puzzles see the best sudoku apps for advanced players, for ad-free options the best sudoku apps with no ads, and for every other matchup the sudoku app comparisons hub.