Sudoku Royale vs Sudoku Now!: Undo, Hints and Ads Compared

Sudoku Now! and Sudoku Royale are both recent sudoku apps whose hints teach a technique instead of just giving you a number. Sudoku Now! has more conveniences: unlimited undo, full offline play, an Auto-Complete step and an app in 11 languages. It is free with ads, removed by its No-Ads Pack at $12.99. Sudoku Royale has no ads and nothing to sell, an Extreme level above Master and a full course of lessons and drills, but no undo, and its daily puzzle needs a connection.

In short: if you want every comfort and are happy to pay once to clear the ads, Sudoku Now! is a strong app. If you want to get better at sudoku without paying anything, Royale gives you more structure to do it.

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.

Feature by feature

How the two hint systems teach

Both apps sell themselves on hints that explain. Sudoku Now!'s listing says its smart hints "not only show the next move but teach solving techniques", and an update in July 2025 added a Learning Mode meant to take players "from beginner to expert". One reviewer on its listing says they did not know sudoku had techniques until the hints showed them.

Sudoku Royale's hint holds back more. In Practice, a bulb lights after about 90 seconds without progress. Tap it and the app marks a cell and names the pattern you are missing, a naked pair or a pointing pair for example, without telling you the number. It links to the lesson for that technique, so the next time you can spot it yourself. Around the hints sits a structured course: the Journey (88 levels, one technique per chapter), the Dojo with timed drills up to XY-Wing and Simple Colouring, and a coach that pulls positions from your own games. Royale's hints do need an internet connection.

Undo, mistakes and how you enter numbers

This is where Sudoku Now! pulls ahead for many players. It lists unlimited undo, and its candidates update as you play, so a wrong guess is easy to take back. Its update notes add an Auto Focus Mode and an Auto-Complete feature, though they do not describe how it works. Its Instant Input Mode is a quick way to enter or pencil in numbers, which the listing calls unique. A reviewer on the listing describes losing games to three slips of the finger near the end, so a mistake limit seems to apply in at least some modes; the listing itself does not describe one.

Sudoku Royale has no undo. Every number is checked as you place it, and a wrong one is rejected, so the board never holds an error you have to hunt for later. Practice has no mistake limit at all. The Daily Challenge gives you three lives, adds 30 seconds per mistake, and lets you finish unranked if you run out. For entry, you can pick a cell then a number, arm a number and tap cells, hold a number key and swipe, or use slide-to-select on the grid. Notes are manual: there are no automatic candidates.

The ads, and what you pay

Sudoku Now! is free and earns from ads. Its only listed purchase is the No-Ads Pack at $12.99, a one-time payment. Reviews on its listing are blunt about the ads before you pay: one describes an ad that takes several taps to get past, and says many players have made the same complaint. Apple's privacy label for the app includes "Data Used to Track You".

Sudoku Royale has no ads, no purchases and no subscription, and its listing has no "Data Used to Track You" section. You can play as a guest without an account. The only shop sells avatar outfits for shurikens, a currency you earn by solving. Download Sudoku Royale to see the difference for yourself.

Daily puzzles and long-term goals

Sudoku Now! wraps its daily challenges in seasonal events with collectible medals, and an update added streak continuation to its Daily Challenge. Royale's Daily Challenge is one puzzle a day, ranked against friends and the world, with a best streak and an archive back to January 2026. For a longer goal there are Belts, a weekly league from White to Black belt fed by every solve. If you want to race someone, optional live matches are there too, but nothing in the app requires them.

Where Sudoku Now! is the better pick

• You lean on undo. Unlimited undo is listed; Royale has none.
• You play on planes or underground. Sudoku Now! says no internet is required. Royale's Daily, Dojo and hints need a signal.
• You want automatic candidates. Sudoku Now!'s notes update for you; Royale's notes are entered by hand.
• You want the app in your language. It lists 11 languages. Royale's app is English only.
• You trust a larger crowd. It has 10,049 US ratings since 2025, against Royale's 11 since 2026.

Where Sudoku Royale is the better pick

• You will not pay to remove ads. There are none to remove.
• You want a course, not only hints. Journey, Dojo and coach are all free.
• You want a level above Master. Extreme puzzles need techniques like X-Wing.
• You want to see how you rank. The daily leaderboard and weekly Belts give a clear measure.

Bottom line

Sudoku Now! is the more complete toolbox, and paying once for its No-Ads Pack makes it a calm app. Sudoku Royale is the better teacher and costs nothing, as long as you can live without undo and play the daily with a connection. If you are leaving Sudoku Now! for other reasons, our Sudoku Now! alternatives sort the options by what you would miss, and the comparisons hub lists every other matchup.