Choose Sudoku.com if you want a relaxing, familiar grid to play every day, with optional helpers and seasonal events. Choose Good Sudoku if you want to get seriously good: its hints read your board and teach the next technique, and its hardest puzzles need moves like Swordfish and Jellyfish. Sudoku.com sells Sudoku.com No Ads for $14.99; Good Sudoku sells a Full Game Unlock for $4.99. Both are one-time purchases, and both apps can be played for free first.
The App Store facts
| App | Price and ads | Paid options listed | US rating | Last update | Devices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Good Sudoku | Free, in-app purchases | Full Game Unlock $4.99 | 4.2 from 1,332 ratings | July 21, 2025 | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision |
| Sudoku Royale | Free, no in-app purchases | None listed | 4.8 from 11 ratings | October 23, 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.
The rating counts are far apart: 1.87 million for Sudoku.com against 1,332 for Good Sudoku. That reflects reach more than quality. Sudoku.com is one of the most downloaded puzzle apps on the store; Good Sudoku is a designer's app from Zach Gage, known for Really Bad Chess and Knotwords, with a smaller, more dedicated audience.
Two different ideas of a sudoku app
Sudoku.com's listing is about unwinding. It promises thousands of classic puzzles "as good as with a pencil and paper", and presents its helpers (hints, auto-check, highlighted duplicates) as things you can switch on or skip. The app is designed so that you finish a puzzle and feel good, then start another.
Good Sudoku's listing is a short essay on how sudoku should be taught. It argues that most apps label difficulty vaguely, so it lists exactly which techniques each of its five levels requires. It runs a solver while you play: when you get stuck, it looks at the numbers and notes you have entered and points you at the technique you are missing. It also argues that counting candidates is busywork, and offers optional tools to take that counting away so you can look for patterns instead.
Feature by feature
| Feature | Sudoku.com | Good Sudoku |
|---|---|---|
| Puzzle library | Thousands of classic puzzles | Over 70,000 |
| Difficulty levels | Easier levels up to expert | Five, with the techniques for each listed |
| Hardest techniques named | Not in listing | XYZ-Wing, hidden quadruples, Jellyfish, Swordfish |
| Hints | Guide you when you get stuck | Solver reads your answers and notes, shows the next technique |
| Technique practice | Not in listing | Practice each technique outside puzzles, tracks what you learned |
| Notes | Update automatically when you fill a cell | Optional tools to reduce busywork |
| Mistakes | Auto-check, on or off | Arcade mode uses hearts, per a version note |
| Modes | Classic puzzles by level | Good, Arcade and Eternal |
| Daily puzzle | Daily Challenges with trophies | Three daily modes that get harder through the week |
| Leaderboards | Not in listing | Global leaderboards for the dailies |
| Events | Seasonal Events with medals | Not in listing |
| Your own puzzles | Not in listing | Custom mode: import and share |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision |
| Last update | October 16, 2026 | July 21, 2025 |
Difficulty and depth
If your goal is to solve puzzles that once felt impossible, Good Sudoku goes further. Its listing says the developers wrote their own generator to build intricate puzzles, and that the hardest need "wild techniques" such as XYZ-Wings, hidden quadruples, Jellyfish and Swordfish. Because each level names its techniques, you know what you are expected to find.
Sudoku.com's listing promises expert levels that give your mind "a real workout", but it does not say which techniques they ask of you. If you still solve mostly with hidden singles and pairs and enjoy it, Good Sudoku's depth may be more than you need. Our picks for advanced players cover the step beyond.
Price, ads and upkeep
Sudoku.com is free with ads; its age rating says so, and Sudoku.com No Ads at $14.99 removes them. Good Sudoku is free to download with a Full Game Unlock at $4.99. Its listing does not spell out what the free version leaves out, but an older version note mentions its "ad system", so expect ads before you unlock. Zach Gage also publishes Good Sudoku+ on Apple Arcade, which is the route if you already subscribe there.
Updates are worth a glance. Sudoku.com's last update was on October 16, 2026. Good Sudoku's last update was on July 21, 2025. It still runs and its daily tournament system was updated then, but it is a finished design more than a live service.
Where Sudoku.com is the better pick
- You play to relax. Optional helpers, no technique lessons unless you want hints, and an endless supply.
- You like events. Daily trophies and Seasonal Events with medals give you goals beyond the grid.
- You want an app that is actively updated. Compare the last update dates in the table above.
- You want to find your own mistakes. Turn auto-check off and solve as on paper.
Where Good Sudoku is the better pick
- You want to learn advanced techniques. Named techniques per level, a solver-driven hint and separate practice.
- You find candidate counting tedious. Its busywork tools exist for exactly that.
- You solve puzzles from books or newspapers. Custom mode imports them, and its hints work on standard puzzles.
- You want a daily with a global leaderboard. Three daily modes, ranked worldwide.
A third option: Sudoku Royale
Sudoku Royale takes Good Sudoku's view that a hint should teach, and makes it free: no ads, no unlock, no subscription. Its hint names the technique and the cell, then links to a lesson; an 88-level Journey teaches one technique per chapter up to XY-Wing; and the Dojo drills patterns against the clock. It does not reach Jellyfish, has no automatic notes, no undo and no puzzle import, and it is new, with 11 US ratings. Read Sudoku Royale vs Good Sudoku for the full comparison, or try Sudoku Royale for free. Our Good Sudoku alternatives and the comparisons page list the rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Good Sudoku better than Sudoku.com?
For learning advanced sudoku, yes: Good Sudoku names the techniques each level needs, its hints read your notes to show the next technique, and its hardest puzzles need Jellyfish and XYZ-Wing. For relaxed daily play with events, Sudoku.com is the easier fit.
How much do Good Sudoku and Sudoku.com cost?
Both are free to download. Good Sudoku sells a "Full Game Unlock" for $4.99, and Sudoku.com sells "Sudoku.com No Ads" for $14.99. Both are one-time purchases on the US App Store.
Which app has harder puzzles?
Good Sudoku's listing says its hardest puzzles need XYZ-Wings, hidden quadruples, Jellyfish and Swordfish. Sudoku.com's listing describes expert levels but does not name the techniques they require.
Is Good Sudoku still updated?
Its App Store listing shows the last update on July 21, 2025. Sudoku.com's last update was on October 16, 2026.
Can I import a newspaper sudoku into either app?
Good Sudoku can: its Custom mode imports puzzles and lets you share them, and its hints work on standard puzzles. Sudoku.com's listing does not mention importing puzzles.
Is there a free app that teaches sudoku like Good Sudoku?
Sudoku Royale is free with no ads or purchases. Its hints name the technique and the cell, and it has an 88-level Journey and timed technique drills. Its techniques stop at XY-Wing and Simple Colouring, and it has no automatic notes.