Sudoku: Daily Puzzles by Gamovation is a social, game-like sudoku app: clubs, world rankings, daily gifts, boosters and coins. It is free with ads, sells Remove Ads (listed at $3.99 and $6.99) and coin packs from $0.99 to $43.99. Sudoku Royale has no ads, no coins and nothing to buy, plus six levels and hints that teach. But Sudoku: Daily Puzzles lets you hide the timer, set a mistake limit and play its daily puzzle offline, which Royale does not.
The deciding question is whether you want a game around the puzzle, with clubs and rewards, or a quiet puzzle with a path to harder techniques.
The App Store facts
| 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: Daily Puzzles | Free, ads (remove for $3.99) | Remove Ads $6.99, 240 Coins $0.99, 2940 Coins $10.99 | 4.9 from 7,046 ratings | September 11, 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.
Feature by feature
| Feature | Sudoku Royale | Sudoku: Daily Puzzles |
|---|---|---|
| Ads | None | Yes, per its App Store age rating |
| Paid options | None | Remove Ads $3.99 or $6.99; coin packs $0.99 to $43.99 |
| In-game currency | Shurikens, earned only, for avatar outfits | Coins, sold in packs; boosters for hard puzzles |
| Difficulty levels | Six: Easy to Extreme | Four: Easy, Medium, Hard, Expert |
| Help when stuck | Hint names the technique and cell, links a lesson | Boosters; a solver shows the result |
| Learning | 88-level Journey, Dojo drills, Sensei coach | Tips to learn the app, for beginners |
| Notes | Manual, cleared from the row, column and box | Notes; a placed number is removed from them |
| Undo | No | Not in listing |
| Timer | Always shown | Can be turned on or off |
| Mistakes | Wrong numbers rejected; no limit in Practice | Optional mistake limit |
| Daily puzzle | Online only; streaks, leaderboard, archive | Online or offline |
| Social | Friends, leaderboards, weekly Belts league | Clubs, world rankings, profile with avatars |
| Account | Optional: Apple, email or Game Center | Optional: Google or Facebook |
| App languages | English only | 31 |
Coins, boosters and the ads
Sudoku: Daily Puzzles's listing describes daily gifts to collect and boosters "when you are stuck in a hard puzzle". Its in-app purchase list is mostly coin packs, from $0.99 up to $43.99. The listing does not spell out what coins buy, so check in the app before spending. The App Store shows Remove Ads at more than one price ($3.99 and $6.99) without saying how they differ. Apple's privacy label includes "Data Used to Track You".
Sudoku Royale has a currency too, but it is not for sale. You earn shurikens by solving and spend them on avatar outfits; they never change the puzzle or make it easier. There are no ads, no purchases and no subscription. If you would rather get unstuck by learning a move than by spending a booster, that difference matters.
Getting unstuck: boosters or lessons
A booster gets you past a hard spot. A solver that "will show you the result" ends the puzzle for you. Both are useful on a frustrating evening, but neither tells you why the answer was right.
Royale's Practice hint waits about 90 seconds, then marks one cell and names the technique that cracks it, a hidden single early on or a pointing pair later, and links to a lesson. The Journey teaches those techniques in order across 88 levels, and the Dojo drills each one against the clock. It also goes two levels past Expert, to Master and Extreme. The trade: hints need a connection, and Royale has no undo.
Control over the board
This is Sudoku: Daily Puzzles's strongest area. Its listing includes a timer you can disable, a score you can show, a mistake limit you can set, digits that disappear once all nine are placed, row and box highlighting, and a screenshot button for printing a puzzle. If you want to play the paper way, without a clock, you can.
Royale is more fixed. The timer always shows in the corner. Every number is checked as you place it and wrong ones are rejected, with no switch to turn that off. Practice has no mistake limit, and the daily allows three before your run goes unranked. If a visible clock spoils sudoku for you, see our sudoku apps without a timer.
The social side
Sudoku: Daily Puzzles lets you join a club and chat with other players, compare stats in world rankings, and, per a reviewer, play tournaments. It is the more sociable app. Royale's social layer is quieter: the Daily Challenge ranks you against friends and the world, and the weekly Belts league moves you from White to Black belt as you solve. There is no chat. Optional live matches are available if you want them.
Where Sudoku: Daily Puzzles is the better pick
- You want to hide the timer or set a mistake limit. Royale can do neither.
- You play the daily without a signal. Its daily works offline; Royale's does not.
- You enjoy clubs and chat. Royale has no clubs.
- You want the app in your language. It lists 31 languages; Royale is English only.
- You want more reviews behind your choice. 7,046 US ratings since 2022, against Royale's 11.
Where Sudoku Royale is the better pick
- You never want to see a coin shop. Nothing is for sale.
- You want harder puzzles. Master and Extreme sit above Expert.
- You want to learn the techniques. Hints, Journey, Dojo and coach teach instead of solving for you.
- You want no ads without paying. Get Sudoku Royale.
Bottom line
Sudoku: Daily Puzzles suits players who like a lively app with settings for everything and do not mind ads or a shop. Sudoku Royale suits players who want classic 9x9 with nothing to buy and a clear route from Easy to Extreme. For other options, see the alternatives to Sudoku: Daily Puzzles, our list of sudoku apps with no ads, and the comparisons hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sudoku: Daily Puzzles by Gamovation free?
Yes, with ads. The App Store lists Remove Ads at $3.99 and $6.99 and coin packs from $0.99 to $43.99. Sudoku Royale is free with no ads and no purchases.
What are coins and boosters for in Sudoku: Daily Puzzles?
Its listing mentions boosters for when you are stuck in a hard puzzle and daily gifts to collect, and its purchase list sells coin packs. The listing does not say exactly what coins buy.
Can you turn off the timer in Sudoku: Daily Puzzles?
Yes, its listing says you can disable or enable the timer and limit how many mistakes you can make. Sudoku Royale always shows a timer in the corner.
Which app has harder sudoku?
Sudoku Royale. Gamovation's app has four levels up to Expert; Royale has six, up to Master and Extreme, whose puzzles need techniques such as X-Wing and XY-Wing.
Does Sudoku: Daily Puzzles work offline?
Its listing says you can play daily sudoku offline and online. Sudoku Royale's Practice and Journey work offline, but its Daily Challenge, Dojo and hints need a connection.
Is Sudoku: Daily Puzzles good?
It holds 4.9 from 7,046 ratings on the US App Store. Reviewers like the clubs, points and daily challenges; complaints on its listing mention lost points and occasional freezes.