Best Sudoku App Without a Timer: Which Apps Let You Hide It

If you want sudoku with no clock at all, Stress Free Sudoku is the clearest choice: its listing says "No timers at all!". If you want a clock you can switch off, Sudoku: Daily Puzzles by Gamovation lists "Disable or enable a timer". Sudoku Royale is not the app for this: it shows a timer in Practice and in the Daily Challenge, and there is no setting to hide it. What it does offer is a Practice mode with no countdown and no mistake limit, so the timer there only records how long you took. Most other sudoku apps do not say either way, which usually means a timer is on screen.

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.

Timers, app by app

We only list what each developer says on its App Store page. Apps that promise "best times" or "completion times" are timing you, even when the listing does not mention a timer by name.

Why a visible clock bothers people

A timer changes how a puzzle feels even when nothing depends on it. You glance at it, notice you are slower than last time, and start guessing instead of reasoning. For players who use sudoku to wind down, that undoes the point. For players who are learning a new technique, it pushes them back to the methods they already know, because those are faster.

The other complaint is fairness to yourself: a puzzle that took twenty minutes because you stopped to make dinner looks like a bad solve in your stats. Apps differ in whether the clock stops when you leave, and listings rarely say.

Stress Free Sudoku: built around no clock

Stress Free Sudoku's whole pitch is the absence of pressure. Its listing promises "No timers at all!", full undo, five difficulty levels from Very Easy to Genius, and a dual keypad, one for answers and one for pencil marks. It highlights conflicts, lets you turn the highlights off, and saves your progress when you leave. Its age rating notes advertising, so expect ads. If the timer is the one thing you want gone, this is the app whose developer has made that promise in writing.

Gamovation's Sudoku: a timer with an off switch

Sudoku: Daily Puzzles by Gamovation takes the settings route: its listing says you can disable or enable a timer, and separately limit the number of mistakes you can make. That suits someone who sometimes wants to race and sometimes does not. Its listing also mentions boosters, clubs and daily gifts, so it is a busier app than Stress Free Sudoku.

Sudoku Royale and its timer, honestly

Sudoku Royale shows a small timer in the corner during Practice and the Daily Challenge. You cannot hide it. Here is what it does and does not mean:

• Practice has no time limit. There is no countdown, no mistake limit and no penalty for slow play. The clock records your time and that is all. If you leave a Practice puzzle, it is saved and the clock resumes from where it stopped. See Practice mode.
• The Daily Challenge is timed on purpose. It has a leaderboard with friends and the world, and each mistake adds 30 seconds. The clock stops while the app is in the background. If you do not care about the ranking, the time does not matter. More in the Daily Challenge guide.
• Journey and the Dojo are their own thing. Journey levels teach a technique each, and the Dojo drills are timed by design, since their job is to make you spot a pattern quickly.

The case for Sudoku Royale on this page is narrow: if what you actually dislike is being rushed, not the number itself, Practice never rushes you, and it has no ads or purchases (Free, no in-app purchases). If the number on screen is the problem, pick one of the apps above.

Playing calmly with any app

• Work in logic steps, not guesses. A clock tempts you to guess. A well-made sudoku can be solved by logic alone; our guide on solving without guessing shows how.
• Drop a level. If a puzzle feels like a race against the clock, it is often a level too hard. The techniques by difficulty chart shows what each level asks for.
• Ignore the stats. Times on a phone mix interruptions with thinking. They are a poor measure of how well you solve.

Where Sudoku Royale is still worth a look

• You want to learn, not race. The hint in Practice names the technique and the cell instead of giving you the number, and links to a lesson.
• You want no ads. Both apps that drop the timer carry advertising, per their age ratings. Sudoku Royale has none; see the no-ads guide.

If that trade sounds right, download Sudoku Royale and start in Practice. Otherwise Stress Free Sudoku is the pick. For a broader look at calm apps, see the most relaxing sudoku apps, the apps without a mistake limit and the comparisons page.