Best Sudoku Apps in 2026: iPhone, iPad and Android

The best sudoku app in 2026 for most people on iPhone and iPad is Sudoku Royale: a calm, classic sudoku app with no ads, no subscriptions, and no in-app purchases. It covers six difficulty levels from Easy to Extreme, a Daily Challenge with streaks, an 88-level Journey that teaches techniques, drills, a built-in coach, and a weekly belt league, with live matches as an optional extra. If you want a massive puzzle library, Sudoku.com is the volume pick. If you want in-puzzle teaching, Good Sudoku stands out. And on Android, where Sudoku Royale is not available yet, Sudoku.com, Andoku 3, and Brainium are the ones to try. We tested every major sudoku app on iOS and Android to bring you this honest comparison: no filler rankings, no affiliate bias, just real evaluations based on puzzle quality, input methods, design, and monetization.

How We Tested

We spent over 100 hours across eight sudoku apps, completing puzzles at every difficulty level and evaluating the overall user experience on phone and tablet. We looked at five key criteria:

• Puzzle quality: Are the puzzles well-constructed with unique solutions? Is there good variety across difficulty levels?
• Input method: How fast and intuitive is it to enter numbers and notes?
• Depth: Is there a daily puzzle, a way to learn techniques, and something to measure progress against?
• Design: Is the app visually clean, responsive, and pleasant to use for extended sessions?
• Monetization: How does the app make money, and does it get in the way of gameplay?

The Best Sudoku Apps at a Glance

1. Sudoku Royale: Best All-Round Classic Sudoku App

Sudoku Royale is plain, classic sudoku done well, with everything most players end up needing two or three apps for. The Play tab has unlimited puzzles at six levels: Easy, Medium, Hard, Expert, Master, and Extreme. Easy and Medium are open from the start, and the rest unlock as you solve the level below. Levels are graded by the hardest technique a puzzle needs, so an Extreme puzzle really does ask for simple colouring or a Jellyfish. There is no mistake limit and no countdown in Classic; a timer runs in the corner if you want a personal best, and you can ignore it.

A new Daily Challenge unlocks every day at midnight UTC, the same puzzle for everyone, with streaks, a leaderboard, and an archive back to January 2026. If you want sudoku with real levels, Journey is a map of 88 levels in 10 chapters that takes you from nearly finished boards to XY-Wings. When you get stuck, a hint names the technique that finds the next cell and links to the lesson, the Dojo drills turn a technique into something you spot without searching, and Sensei Royale, the built-in coach, works out which technique is costing you the most time and gives you one assignment to fix it. Every puzzle you finish also earns shurikens in a weekly belt league from White to Black.

Input is the other standout. With slide to select, you press a cell and slide into the 3x3 box that matches the digit you want, so your thumb never leaves the board. You can also pick a digit first and tap cells, whichever suits the moment. The board is anchored low on the screen for one-handed play.

Live matches are there if you ever want them, and you never have to touch them. Duel, Battle Royale, and Tournament all play on one shared grid where a correct cell is filled for everyone, with a skill rating of their own. Nothing in the solo side of the app depends on them.

Strengths: No ads, no subscriptions, no in-app purchases; six levels up to Extreme; a real teaching path; fast, flexible input; optional live play.

Weaknesses: iPhone and iPad only (no Android yet); classic 9x9 only, so no Killer or other variants; the Daily Challenge, hints, and leaderboards need a connection.

2. Sudoku.com: Best for Solo Puzzle Volume

Sudoku.com by Easybrain is the most popular sudoku app in the world, with over 46 million monthly visits to its web platform and tens of millions of app downloads. That popularity is well-earned: the app delivers a polished, reliable sudoku experience with an enormous puzzle library spanning multiple difficulty levels.

The daily challenges and seasonal events keep players coming back, and the hint system is helpful without being patronizing. The app uses a standard tap-to-place input method that works fine for casual play. For a deeper look at how it stacks up, see our guide to Sudoku.com alternatives.

The free tier includes ads between puzzles, which can interrupt the flow. The premium subscription removes ads and unlocks additional features. There is no multiplayer of any kind.

Strengths: Massive puzzle library; reliable quality; daily challenges; available on iOS, Android, and web.

Weaknesses: Ads in free tier; subscription for the full experience; standard input method lacks innovation.

3. Good Sudoku: Best for In-Puzzle Teaching

Good Sudoku by Zach Gage and Jack Schlesinger reimagines the sudoku experience with AI-powered assistance that teaches you real solving techniques. Instead of just telling you the answer, Good Sudoku highlights patterns like naked pairs, hidden singles, and X-Wings in a way that helps you learn to spot them yourself. Our Good Sudoku alternatives guide compares its teaching style with the others.

The visual design is striking: colorful, artistic, and unlike any other sudoku app. The automatic pencil marks and candidate highlighting reduce tedium and let you focus on the logical deduction. It is a genuinely different approach to the game.

Good Sudoku uses a one-time purchase model, which many players prefer over subscriptions. Advanced players may find the AI assistance removes some of the challenge.

Strengths: AI hint system that teaches techniques; beautiful design; one-time purchase; no ads.

Weaknesses: iOS only; AI assistance may feel hand-holdy for experienced players; smaller puzzle library.

4. Brainium Sudoku: Best Minimalist Experience

Brainium Sudoku has been a staple on mobile for years, and it earns its reputation through a clean, no-nonsense approach. The interface is elegant and uncluttered, the puzzles are well-constructed, and the app respects your time. It is the sudoku equivalent of a well-designed notebook.

The app includes helpful features like error highlighting, pencil marks, and statistics tracking without overloading you with options. Daily challenges provide a reason to come back, and the difficulty range covers everything from beginner to expert.

Strengths: Clean, minimal design; good difficulty range; reliable puzzles; available on iOS and Android.

Weaknesses: Free tier has ads; does not innovate beyond the basics.

5. NYT Games: Best for Daily Ritual Players

The New York Times added sudoku to its Games suite alongside Wordle, the Mini Crossword, and Spelling Bee. The puzzles are curated with the same editorial rigor you would expect from the Times. Each day brings a new puzzle at varying difficulty levels, and the integration with other NYT Games makes it easy to build a daily puzzle habit.

The downside is the subscription model: NYT Games requires a paid subscription (or is bundled with a NYT news subscription). For dedicated puzzlers who already subscribe to the Times, it is a great bonus. For everyone else, it is hard to justify paying for just sudoku when so many excellent free options exist. Our NYT sudoku alternatives guide covers the free options.

Strengths: High editorial quality; part of a broader puzzle ecosystem; clean design.

Weaknesses: Requires subscription; limited puzzle volume compared to dedicated apps.

6. Sudoku a Day: Best for Quick Single Puzzles

Sudoku a Day does exactly what the name suggests: it gives you a single daily puzzle to solve. The focus is narrow but effective. The app is simple, loads quickly, and gets out of your way. It is ideal for players who want one puzzle per day as part of their morning routine, not an endless library.

Strengths: Focused daily experience; simple interface; no feature bloat.

Weaknesses: Only one puzzle per day in free tier; limited features; dated design.

7. sudoku.coach: Best Free Educational Tool

sudoku.coach is a web-based sudoku platform that doubles as a teaching tool. It explains every solving technique in detail, shows you step-by-step solutions, and lets you practice specific strategies. For players who want to understand the advanced strategies behind sudoku solving, it is one of the best free resources available.

The site is completely free with no premium tier. The interface works well on desktop but is less optimized for mobile play, and there is no app, so you are limited to browser access.

Strengths: Completely free; excellent educational content; technique explanations; web-accessible.

Weaknesses: No native app; web interface not optimized for mobile; needs a connection.

8. Sudoku Face Off: Best for Turn-Based Play With Friends

Sudoku Face Off offers turn-based 1v1 sudoku matches where players take turns placing numbers. You can challenge friends or get matched with random opponents, and matches play out over hours or days rather than in real time. If you want a relaxed way to play sudoku with friends, it works. If you want to play at the same moment as someone else, see our guide to multiplayer sudoku apps.

Strengths: Turn-based multiplayer; social features; play with friends.

Weaknesses: Not real-time; basic design; limited features.

Best Sudoku Apps for Android

Sudoku Royale is an iPhone and iPad app, with no Android version yet, so Android players need a different pick. Sudoku.com is the safe default: the biggest library and active daily challenges, with ads in the free tier. Andoku 3 is the best value: free with minimal ads, and it adds variants such as X-Sudoku and Hyper Sudoku, though the interface is dated. Brainium Sudoku is the best-looking option, with a one-time purchase to remove ads. Enjoy Sudoku is the closest thing Android has to Good Sudoku: a paid, ad-free app whose hints explain which technique solves each cell. All four play regular puzzles offline.

Sudoku on iPad

An iPad makes sudoku feel closer to paper. Pencil marks are readable at a glance, patterns like X-Wings that span rows and columns are easier to see, and a tablet on a stand is kinder to your hands than a phone held for half an hour. Sudoku Royale runs on iPad in any orientation, and Good Sudoku's design shines at that size. A few tips:

• Use a stand. Angling the iPad at 30 to 45 degrees reduces neck strain and makes the grid easier to scan.
• Write full candidates. On a larger screen, pencil marks are practical even on medium puzzles.
• Use Split View to learn. Keep a technique guide open in Safari on one side and the puzzle on the other.
• Skip the Apple Pencil. Sudoku apps are built for finger input, and a finger is faster for tapping and sliding.

Many players use both devices: iPhone for the Daily Challenge on the go, iPad for longer sessions or technique study in the evening.

Playing Sudoku Offline

A sudoku puzzle does not need a server, but many apps still go online for daily puzzles, ads, sync, and subscription checks. In Sudoku Royale, Classic puzzles are cached on your phone and play offline on a plane or the subway, with no ads to load either way. The Daily Challenge, hints, leaderboards, and live matches need a connection. Good Sudoku, Brainium, and Sudoku.com all handle regular puzzles offline too; browser sites like sudoku.coach do not.

Before you rely on any app for a flight, test it: open it once online so it can finish setup, switch to airplane mode, play a full puzzle, and try every mode you plan to use. If an app suddenly feels calmer offline, it was showing you ads.

Sudoku on a Commute

Match the puzzle to the ride. In Sudoku Royale, a typical Easy board takes the median player around 8 minutes and a Medium around 9 or 10, so a short hop suits the Daily Challenge or an Easy puzzle, while a 30 minute train ride fits a Hard one. If you leave a board mid-solve, the app saves it and the Play button changes to Resume. Standing with one hand on a rail is the real test: apps that center the board make the top rows a stretch for your thumb, while a board anchored low, like Sudoku Royale's, keeps every cell in reach. Our guide to playing sudoku on iPhone covers one-handed play in detail.

Setting Up a Sudoku App for an Older Relative

If you are installing sudoku for a parent or grandparent, the business model matters as much as the puzzles. Pop-up ads and free trials that turn into subscriptions are the usual source of confusion and surprise charges.

• Choose an app with nothing to buy. Sudoku Royale has no ads, subscriptions, or purchases; Good Sudoku is a single one-time payment. If you pick an app with a remove-ads purchase, buy it during setup.
• Start on Easy. The first sessions should be about learning the app, not fighting the puzzle.
• Make the board comfortable. Try the light and dark themes, and raise the size under the iPhone's Display & Text Size settings.
• Show them one path in. Open the Play tab, pick a level, and solve. Everything else can wait.

A puzzle a day is a good habit at any age; our article on the benefits of sudoku covers what the research does and does not show.

Coming From Newspaper Sudoku

If you have solved in the paper for years, an app does not replace the puzzle you love. It is still sudoku: the rules are the same, and every technique you know transfers directly. What you gain is a puzzle at the difficulty you want whenever you want one, instead of whatever the editor chose; notes that never smudge; and times tracked for you, so you can finally see whether you are getting faster. Many solvers keep the morning paper for the ritual and use an app for everything else. Give the input method five puzzles before you judge it; most people find their rhythm by the third or fourth.

How to Choose a Sudoku App: A 10-Point Checklist

Puzzle quality is similar across the big apps. The differences you feel every day are in the controls and the business model. Test any app against this list in your first ten minutes, before you get attached to a streak.

1. Interruptions. Check the App Store listing for an In-App Purchases line and a Data Used to Track You section, and read recent one-star reviews for complaints about ads. Sudoku Royale: no ads, purchases, or subscription. More in sudoku apps without ads.
2. Input that fits how you play. Cell first (tap a cell, then a digit) and number first (pick a digit, then tap its cells) each win at different stages. Sudoku Royale supports both at once; see number first vs cell first.
3. Tidy notes. Look for a clear Notes toggle and automatic removal of a candidate when you place that digit. Some apps auto-fill every candidate, which saves time but skips the part where you learn to see patterns. Sudoku Royale cleans up notes but does not auto-fill them.
4. How mistakes are handled. Some apps leave wrong digits until you check, some show them in red, and some reject them. Also check for a mistake limit that ends the game. Sudoku Royale rejects wrong digits, so there is no undo button, and Classic has no mistake limit.
5. Highlighting. Row, column, and box shading on the selected cell, plus lighting up every copy of a digit, cut scanning time.
6. Help when you are stuck. A hint that fills in a digit gets you moving; a hint that names the technique teaches you something. Check whether hints are limited or sold.
7. Difficulty range. Beginners need truly easy puzzles and experienced solvers need ones that demand real technique. Our difficulty guide explains what the labels usually mean.
8. Offline play. Open the app in airplane mode before you depend on it.
9. Comfort. Dark mode for night solving, separate music and sound switches, and a layout you can manage with one thumb.
10. A reason to come back. A daily puzzle, streaks, and stats turn sudoku into a habit. Some people want more: technique training, a league, or the option to play someone live.

If auto-filled notes or an undo button are must-haves, one of the other apps above will suit you better.

Which Sudoku App Should You Choose?

The right app depends on your play style. Here is a quick decision guide:

• You want one ad-free app that covers everything: Sudoku Royale gives you six levels, a Daily Challenge, Journey, drills, and a weekly league on iPhone and iPad, free.
• You want the largest puzzle library: Sudoku.com has more puzzles than you could solve in a lifetime, with good quality and daily challenges.
• You want to learn sudoku techniques: Sudoku Royale's Journey and coach, Good Sudoku's in-puzzle hints, and sudoku.coach's written explanations each teach in a different way.
• You want a clean, simple experience: Brainium Sudoku and Sudoku Royale both keep the board front and center.
• You want a daily puzzle ritual: NYT Games or the Sudoku Royale Daily Challenge give you one curated puzzle per day.
• You play on Android: Sudoku.com, Andoku 3, or Brainium.
• You want to play against people sometimes: Sudoku Royale's optional live matches, or Sudoku Face Off for turn-based games. See our multiplayer guide.
• You want it completely free: sudoku.coach and Sudoku Royale both offer full experiences without requiring payment. See our free and ad-free sudoku apps guide for more options.

The Bigger Picture: Sudoku Apps Are Getting Better

The sudoku app landscape has changed dramatically in recent years. A decade ago, most sudoku apps were simple grid implementations with minimal features. Today, we have hints that teach techniques, structured learning paths, innovative input methods, and beautiful design systems.

The most welcome shift is in business models. More players now look for apps with no ads and nothing to buy, and the best apps are proving that a calm board and a fair price can coexist. Input is changing too: the traditional tap-cell-then-tap-number approach is being challenged by faster alternatives like slide to select.

Regardless of which app you choose, the quality floor for sudoku apps in 2026 is remarkably high. The challenge is no longer finding a decent sudoku app: it is choosing between several excellent ones.