Every sudoku app comparison we have written, in one place. Each page compares apps on what their App Store listings say (price, ads, paid options, ratings, devices) and on what the apps do when you play them. We make Sudoku Royale, a classic sudoku app with no ads and no in-app purchases, so we say where other apps do something better and where ours is missing a feature. Short on time? Start with the best sudoku apps overall, the best sudoku apps with no ads or the Sudoku.com alternatives.
The biggest sudoku apps at a glance
| App | Price and ads | Paid options listed | US rating | Last update | Devices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sudoku Royale | Free, no in-app purchases | None listed | 4.8 from 11 ratings | October 23, 2026 | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision |
| Sudoku.com | Free, ads (remove for $14.99) | Sudoku.com No Ads $14.99 | 4.8 from 1.87 million ratings | October 16, 2026 | iPhone, iPad |
| PeopleFun Sudoku | Free, ads (remove for $2.99) | Ads Free Subscription $2.99 | 4.8 from 663,589 ratings | September 15, 2026 | iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision |
| Sudoku: Brain Puzzle Games | Free, ads (remove for $4.99) | Sudoku Weekly Subscription $1.99, Sudoku Monthly Subscription $4.99, Sudoku Yearly Subscription $15.99 | 4.8 from 313,688 ratings | October 22, 2026 | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision |
| Brainium Sudoku | Free, ads (remove for $11.99) | Remove Ads $11.99 | 4.8 from 161,164 ratings | June 29, 2026 | iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision |
| Sudoku by Staple Games | Free, ads, no in-app purchases | None listed | 4.8 from 104,454 ratings | October 7, 2026 | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision |
| Tripledot Sudoku | Free, ads, no in-app purchases | None listed | 4.7 from 104,197 ratings | October 22, 2026 | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision |
From each app's US App Store listing, checked October 26, 2026. Prices and paid items change, so check the listing before you buy.
Head-to-head
Sudoku Royale against one other app, feature by feature.
- Sudoku Royale vs Sudoku.com: Which Sudoku App Is Better?: Sudoku Royale and Sudoku.com compared on ads, price, difficulty levels, hints, daily puzzles and learning, with the App Store facts for both apps.
- Sudoku Royale vs Brainium Sudoku: Calm Solving, Compared: Two calm sudoku apps side by side: what Brainium's paid ad removal costs, how the hints differ, levels, notes, iPad support and which suits you.
- Sudoku Royale vs NYT Sudoku: Free App or Subscription?: NYT Sudoku's three daily puzzles against Sudoku Royale's free daily challenge and unlimited practice: cost, difficulty, archive and who each one is for.
- Sudoku Royale vs Good Sudoku: Two Apps That Teach: Good Sudoku and Sudoku Royale both teach techniques instead of handing out answers. How their hints, lessons, price and puzzle tools compare.
- Sudoku.com vs NYT Sudoku: Unlimited Puzzles or Three a Day?: Sudoku.com's unlimited puzzles against NYT Sudoku's three daily grids in NYT Games: what you pay, difficulty, hints, stats and who each suits.
- Sudoku.com vs Brainium Sudoku: Hints, Notes and Ad Removal: Sudoku.com and Brainium Sudoku compared on one-time ad removal, teaching hints, auto notes, landscape play, daily puzzles and events.
- Sudoku.com vs Good Sudoku: Relaxing Play or Real Technique?: Sudoku.com and Zach Gage's Good Sudoku compared on puzzle depth, hints that teach, busywork tools, daily modes, price and how often each is updated.
- Sudoku Royale vs PeopleFun Sudoku: Scores or Skills?: PeopleFun's scored, ad-supported Sudoku against Sudoku Royale's free, ad-free levels and lessons: ads, undo, auto-check, hints, levels and leaderboards.
- Sudoku Royale vs OAKEVER Sudoku: Variants, Ads and Pricing: OAKEVER's Sudoku: Brain Puzzle Games against Sudoku Royale: killer sudoku, undo, offline play, its ad-free claim and subscriptions, hints and lessons.
- Sudoku Royale vs Tripledot Sudoku: Undo, Ads and Levels: Tripledot's undo, optional auto-check and mistake limit against Sudoku Royale's fixed rules, ad-free play, harder levels, daily puzzle and lessons.
- Sudoku Royale vs Sudoku by Staple Games: Two Simple Apps: Two minimal classic sudoku apps compared: ads, difficulty levels, what the hint does, the daily challenge, notes and which one suits how you play.
- Sudoku Royale vs Guru Sudoku: Undo, Hints and Paid Plans: Guru Smart's Sudoku Puzzle: Brain Games against Sudoku Royale: undo and auto-check, paid hint packs versus teaching hints, levels, 6x6 grids and ads.
- Sudoku Royale vs Sudoku Blast: Ads, Subscriptions and Hints: Sudoku Blast and Sudoku Royale compared: ads, what Blast's subscription listing says, hints, difficulty, daily puzzles, languages and older iPhones.
- Sudoku Royale vs MobilityWare Sudoku: Free, Arcade or Ad-Free: MobilityWare's free Sudoku Color with ads and its Apple Arcade version against Sudoku Royale: cost, colored grids, levels, hints and learning.
- Sudoku Royale vs Sudoku Master: Offline, Grids and Ads: Sudoku Master and Sudoku Royale side by side: full offline play, 6x6 and 16x16 grids, the cost of removing ads, difficulty levels and technique lessons.
- Sudoku Royale vs Sudoku Face Off: Two Ad-Free Sudoku Apps: Sudoku Face Off's live races with friends against Sudoku Royale's solo classic app with optional live games: formats, solo modes, hints, offline and price.
Alternatives to popular sudoku apps
Leaving an app over ads, a subscription or a missing feature? What else to try.
- Best Alternatives to Sudoku.com in 2026: Tired of ads? The best Sudoku.com alternatives ranked: Sudoku Royale, Good Sudoku, Brainium, NYT Sudoku, sudoku.coach, and more.
- Killer Sudoku by Sudoku.com Alternatives (2026): Other killer sudoku apps, and classic sudoku apps without ads, for players leaving Killer Sudoku by Sudoku.com. Prices, paid options and what each does.
- Brainium Sudoku Alternatives, Compared (2026): Want more than Brainium Sudoku? Calm, ad-free alternatives compared, plus Sudoku Royale vs Brainium and Brainium vs Sudoku.com side by side.
- Best Alternatives to NYT Sudoku in 2026: Don't want the NYT subscription? The best free and paid alternatives to NYT Sudoku ranked by puzzle quality, features, and price.
- Best Alternatives to Good Sudoku: Looking beyond Good Sudoku? The best alternatives for technique training, free puzzles, and daily play, plus how its hints compare to a coach.
- PeopleFun Sudoku Alternatives Without the Subscription: PeopleFun's Sudoku sells ad-free play as a subscription. Alternatives compared on ads, one-time prices, levels, hints and daily puzzles.
- Meowdoku Alternatives: Logic Puzzles Without a Premium Plan: Meowdoku is a cat placement puzzle with weekly, monthly and yearly premium plans. Logic and sudoku apps compared for players who want no subscription.
- Sudoku by Staple Games Alternatives, Compared: Staple Games' Sudoku is simple, free and shows ads. Alternatives compared for players who want no ads, more levels or hints that explain.
- Tripledot Sudoku Alternatives Without Ads: Tripledot's Sudoku is a clean classic grid that shows ads. Sudoku apps compared for players who want the same puzzle without them.
- Best Alternatives to Sudoku Face Off: Sudoku Face Off is turn-based and basic. Here are the best alternatives for real-time competitive multiplayer sudoku, solo puzzle volume, and learning.
- Oakever Sudoku Alternatives: Variants, Offline, No Tickets: Alternatives to Oakever's Sudoku: Brain Puzzle Games, picked by what you use it for: killer and other variants, offline play, tournaments or harder puzzles.
- Guru Sudoku Alternatives With Free Hints That Teach: Guru's Sudoku Puzzle: Brain Games sells Pro plans and hint packs. Alternatives compared on how hints work, what they cost, undo and harder levels.
- Sudoku Blast Alternatives Without Ads or Subscriptions: Leaving Sudoku Blast over ads, subscriptions or easy puzzles? Alternatives compared by reason, with hints, levels, daily puzzles and how each one charges.
- Sudoku :) by Maple Media Alternatives, Compared: Alternatives to Sudoku :) by Maple Media for players who want no ads, a daily puzzle, hints or levels above Expert, with undo and pricing compared.
- MobilityWare Sudoku Alternatives: No Ads, No Arcade: Sudoku Color shows ads and MobilityWare+ needs Apple Arcade. Calm, readable sudoku apps compared on ads, hints, levels and how they charge.
- Sudoku Puzzle World Alternatives: No Ads, Harder Levels: Alternatives to NewsLeap's Sudoku Puzzle World for players who want no ads, levels above Expert, hints that explain or bigger numbers.
- Sudoku Master Alternatives: No Ads, Lessons or Variants: Leaving Sudoku Master? Alternatives sorted by reason: no ads or premium plans, apps that teach techniques, and killer or other variants, with offline support.
- Sudoku Now! Alternatives: Fewer Ads, Undo and Offline Play: Leaving Sudoku Now! over its ads? Alternatives compared on undo, offline play, hints that teach, harder levels and what each charges to remove ads.
The best sudoku app for you
Picked by what matters to you, with the limits of each app stated.
- Best Sudoku Apps in 2026: iPhone, iPad and Android: Best sudoku apps in 2026 for iPhone, iPad and Android, compared: ad-free picks, offline play, iPad tips, and a 10-point checklist for choosing.
- Best Free Sudoku Apps With No Ads (2026): The best free sudoku apps with no ads and no in-app purchases, what free really means, and how to check any app for ads before you download it.
- Best Sudoku Apps Without a Subscription: Many sudoku apps now sell weekly or yearly plans. Apps compared by how they charge: free with no purchases, one-time ad removal, or a subscription.
- Best Offline Sudoku Apps: What Really Works Without Wi-Fi: Which sudoku apps work offline, and which parts still need a connection: daily puzzles, hints, levels and leaderboards, app by app.
- Best Sudoku Apps for iPad in 2026: Sudoku apps that run on iPad, compared: which support landscape, keyboards and Mac, what they cost, and which ones show ads on the big screen.
- Best Sudoku Apps for Seniors: Big Numbers, No Ads: What makes a sudoku app easy for older players: readable numbers, no pop-up ads, simple input, no account. Apps compared honestly, limits included.
- Best Sudoku App for Beginners: Learn as You Play: The best sudoku apps for beginners compared on easy levels, hints that explain, lessons and mistake checking, with what each one costs.
- Best Sudoku App for Hard Puzzles and Advanced Players: The best sudoku apps for advanced solvers: Master and Extreme levels, technique drills, a coach that finds your weak spots, and variant puzzles compared.
- Best Daily Sudoku Apps: Streaks, Archives and Leaderboards: Daily sudoku apps compared: how many puzzles a day, whether you can replay past days, streaks, leaderboards and what the daily puzzle costs.
- Best Killer Sudoku Apps for iPhone (2026): Killer sudoku apps compared on price, ads and paid options. Which classic sudoku apps also include killer puzzles, and which, like Sudoku Royale, do not.
- Best Multiplayer Sudoku Apps & Sites: The best ways to play sudoku with other people: live 1v1 duels, playing with friends, group races, turn-based apps, and tips for sudoku for two.
- Best Apps for Competitive Sudoku Players: Where to play competitive sudoku in 2026: ranked apps, live races, online contests and the World Championship, plus how ratings work and tips to win.
- Best Sudoku App to Play With Friends: Live, Turn-Based or Daily: Sudoku apps that let you play friends: live duels, turn-based games a friend can join in a browser, friend leaderboards and weekly leagues, compared.
- Best Two-Player Sudoku Apps: Same Room, Apart or Turn-Based: Two-player sudoku on iPhone: Bluetooth games with no internet, live online races, turn-based play in a browser, and what to do with only one phone.
- Best Free Sudoku Apps: Which Kind of Free Is Each One?: Free sudoku apps sorted by the deal: no ads and nothing to buy, ads you cannot remove, paid ad removal or plans, and which ones carry a tracking label.
- Best Sudoku Apps With Leaderboards and Game Center: Sudoku apps with leaderboards compared: daily puzzle rankings, friend boards, score and event leaderboards, Game Center support and how mistakes count.
- Best Sudoku App for Learning Techniques: From Hard to Expert: Apps that teach sudoku techniques past the basics: structured courses, timed drills, hints that name the pattern, and how far up each one goes.
- Best Sudoku App for Brain Training and Daily Practice: Sudoku apps for a daily mental workout compared with Elevate, Peak and Lumosity: routines, levels, drills, progress tracking and how each one charges.
- Best Relaxing Sudoku Apps: No Ads, No Countdown, No Stress: Calm sudoku apps compared on what breaks the calm: ads, visible timers, mistake limits, sounds and dark themes, with each app's limits stated honestly.
- Best Sudoku Apps With Dark Mode for Night Play: Sudoku apps with a dark theme compared: which follow the iPhone setting, which show bright ads at night, accessibility labels and tips for playing in bed.
- Best Sudoku App for Adults: Hard Puzzles, No Clutter: Sudoku apps for serious adult solvers compared on difficulty ceiling, hardest techniques, ads, tracking labels and how much game clutter sits around the grid.
- Best Sudoku App for Kids: Small Grids, Safe Settings: Sudoku apps for children compared on 6x6 grids, color puzzles, ads, in-app purchases and online play, with a parent's checklist and where Sudoku Royale fits.
- Best Sudoku App for Quick Games: Short Breaks, No Waiting: Sudoku apps for a five-minute break compared: easiest levels, autosave when you get pulled away, ads between puzzles, daily puzzles and short drills.
- Best Sudoku App for Your Commute: One Thumb, Patchy Signal: Sudoku apps for trains and buses compared: one-handed controls, portrait or landscape, what works in a tunnel, and which apps pop up ads between stops.
- Best Sudoku App Without a Timer: Which Apps Let You Hide It: Which sudoku apps have no timer or let you switch it off, per their App Store listings, and how Sudoku Royale's always-visible timer works in Practice.
- Best Sudoku App With Notes: Pencil Marks, Auto-Fill, Auto-Clear: Sudoku apps compared on pencil marks: manual notes, auto-clear when you place a number, auto-filled candidates and conflict highlighting, per each listing.
- Best Sudoku App With No Mistake Limit: Play Past Three Errors: Sudoku apps compared on mistake limits: which are unlimited, which make the limit optional or sell it, and how Sudoku Royale's Practice and Daily differ.
- Best Sudoku App With Streaks: Daily Habits Compared: Which sudoku apps keep streaks: daily streaks, monthly trophy tracks, weekly belt leagues and per-level streaks, and what happens when you miss a day.
- Best Sudoku App With Stats: Progress Tracking Compared: Sudoku apps compared by what their stats track: best times per level, error counts, leaderboards, and a skills radar that shows what to practice next.
- Best Sudoku App Without an Account: No Sign-Up Needed: Sudoku apps you can play without signing up: guest play, optional Apple or Game Center sign-in, iCloud sync, and what each app still collects.
- Best Private Sudoku App: App Store Privacy Labels Compared: Which sudoku apps track you? Every tracked sudoku app's App Store privacy label compared, what the labels mean, and why they are self-declared.
- Best Sudoku App for Mac: iPad Apps on Apple Silicon: Sudoku on a Mac: which apps run on Apple silicon Macs as iPad apps, which are not listed for Mac, and browser options for Intel Macs and keyboard play.
Puzzle and brain games next to sudoku
Number, block and brain-training apps, and when a sudoku app is the better pick.
- Number Match Alternatives: Number Puzzles Without the Ads: Liked Number Match but not its ads? Number and logic puzzle apps compared, from sudoku to Crossmath, with prices and paid options from the App Store.
- Blockudoku Alternatives: Block Puzzles and Real Sudoku: Blockudoku borrows sudoku's 9x9 grid but is a block game. Alternatives compared: other block puzzles, and real sudoku apps if you want logic.
- Woodoku Alternatives, With and Without Ads: Woodoku is a wood block puzzle on a sudoku-style grid. Similar block games and calm logic puzzles compared on ads, paid packs and what you actually play.
- Best Brain Games Without Ads (iPhone, 2026): Brain games and brain training apps compared on ads, subscriptions and what you get for free, from Elevate and Peak to logic puzzles like sudoku.
- Best Puzzle Games With No Ads on iPhone: The best ad-free puzzle games for iPhone, from free options like Sudoku Royale to premium picks like Monument Valley, The Room, and Good Sudoku.
- Best Battle Royale Puzzle Games in 2026: The battle royale format meets puzzle games. Tetris 99, Sudoku Royale, and every battle royale puzzle game compared.