By Easybrain
Report updated Apr 15, 2026
Sudoku.com - Number Games
For casual gamers and puzzle enthusiasts of all skill levels looking for a convenient, stress-relieving way to exercise their brain on the go.
Sudoku.com - Number Games is a challenged games app that is free with in-app purchases. With a 4.8/5 rating from 1.8M reviews, it faces significant user friction. Users particularly appreciate core gameplay & ui, though excessive ad frequency remains a common concern.
What is Sudoku.com - Number Games?
Current Momentum
v7.12 · 3w ago
MaintenanceSudoku.com is currently in maintenance mode, focusing exclusively on performance and stability improvements.
Active Nemesis
Sudoku - Classic Sudoku Puzzle
By Guru Puzzle Game
Other Rivals
7-Day Rank Pulse 🇺🇸
GamesRating Pulse 🇺🇸
Recent User MoodAI-powered deep analysis surfacing high-signal insights. Still in beta, accuracy improves daily. For informational purposes only.
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
How Is The App's Momentum Right Now?
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What Are The Key Features?
Provides a recurring daily puzzle with unique trophies to encourage long-term retention
Time-limited events that allow players to win unique medals and badges
Automatically updates notes in cells as numbers are filled in
Includes custom ninja-themed stickers for use in iMessage
How much does it cost?
- Free-to-play with ad-supported gameplay
- In-app purchase for ad removal ($18)
The app utilizes a high-volume ad model but has set an aggressive $18 price point for ad removal, which users perceive as 'greedy' compared to the casual market standard.
Who Built It?
Easybrain
Providing casual gamers and puzzle enthusiasts with accessible, meditative brain-training experiences to decompress and stay mentally active.
Portfolio
13
Apps
Who is Easybrain?
Easybrain has established a dominant position in the meditative puzzle category by digitizing classic pen-and-paper logic games with high-fidelity production values. Their moat is built on a massive content library—often exceeding 10,000 assets per title—and a sophisticated live-ops engine that utilizes seasonal events to drive retention in traditionally static genres. The primary strategic tension lies in their aggressive monetization strategy, where high-friction ad-serving is balanced against premium-priced ad-removal tiers, testing the limits of user tolerance in a highly competitive utility-game market.
Who is Easybrain for?
- Adults
- Seniors seeking stress relief
- Memory exercise
- Creative outlets through low-intensity
Portfolio momentum
The publisher maintains an exceptionally high development cadence, having shipped 73 updates across its 27 active apps in the last six months.
What other apps does Easybrain make?
Logic Puzzles - Clue Game
Brick Blast - Ball Breaker
Groovepad - Music & Beat Maker
Art Puzzle - Jigsaw Games
Easy Words - Word Puzzle Games
Number Sums - Numbers Game
What do users think recently?
High confidence · Latest 100 of 1.8M total reviews analyzed
How did the latest release land?
What is the recent mood?
Recent user voice shows a frustrated sentiment. Users appreciate core gameplay & ui, but report excessive ad frequency and malicious ad content.
What Users Love
What Frustrates Users
What is the competitive landscape for Sudoku.com - Number Games?
How's The Games Market?
How does it evolve in the Games market?
| Category | Chart | Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Free | #85 | ▼3 |
| Board | Grossing | #85 | ▲2 |
The rivals identified
The Nemesis
Head to Head
The target app should defend its 'Relaxation' niche while considering a 'Brain Training' mode or tab to neutralize Guru's utility-first positioning.
What sets Sudoku.com - Number Games apart
Superior brand recognition and cross-promotion within the massive Easybrain puzzle ecosystem.
Broader 'Relaxation' and 'Stress Relief' marketing angle which appeals to a wider casual demographic than Guru's 'Brain' focus.
What's Sudoku - Classic Sudoku Puzzle's Edge
Specific utility features for 'solving' puzzles that appeal to users who get stuck on difficult grids.
Higher recent update velocity suggests more active A/B testing of UI and monetization flows in the current quarter.
Contenders
Explicit 'Free Solver' positioning in the bundle ID and title to capture high-intent search traffic for puzzle help.
Legacy scale advantage allows for massive organic discovery despite lower recent feature innovation.
Distinctive '▻' branding and minimalist UI design that differentiates it from the 'Classic' grid look of the target.
Leverages the 'Wordscapes' user funnel, targeting word-game players with cross-genre puzzle ads.
Minimalist '▦' icon and title strategy designed to stand out in crowded App Store search results.
High update frequency focused on ad-load optimization and retention mechanics typical of Tripledot's portfolio.
Peers
Subscription-based 'Games' bundle model vs. the target's ad-supported standalone model.
Editorial-led puzzle quality and 'Daily Streak' mechanics that drive significantly higher daily habit formation.
Hybrid gameplay (Sudoku grid + Tetris block clearing) that offers a more visual, less numeric experience.
Extreme update velocity (11 releases in 6 months) indicating a highly iterative product development cycle.
Friendly, approachable 'Sudoku :)' branding targeting a less competitive, more casual 'hobbyist' demographic.
Frequent maintenance updates to ensure compatibility across older iOS devices, catering to a legacy audience.
Hyper-focus on 'Daily Puzzles' as the primary entry point, creating a calendar-based engagement loop.
Higher average rating (4.94) suggests a highly polished, bug-free experience for a smaller, dedicated user base.
The outtake for Sudoku.com - Number Games
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- Massive scale (1.8M+ ratings) providing high ASO authority
- Strong live-ops via Seasonal Events and Daily Challenges
- Clean, preferred UI for core Sudoku gameplay
Critical Frictions
- Aggressive mid-game ad interruptions
- High $18 ad-removal price point
- Lack of Dark Mode for night-time play
Growth Levers
- Introduce 'Brain Training' utility mode to counter Guru Puzzle Game
- Implement 'Solver' tools to capture high-intent search traffic
- Introduce a lower-priced ad-removal tier
Market Threats
- Malicious ad content damaging brand trust
- NYT Games' subscription bundle model
- Competitors with higher update velocity (Tripledot, Guru)
What are the next best moves?
Eliminate mid-game ad interruptions
Mid-game ads are the #1 complaint theme and a primary driver for immediate uninstalls and negative sentiment.
Audit and vet ad network providers
Multiple reports of 'hacker' and 'virus' pop-ups are creating a security risk and damaging brand reputation.
Implement Dark Mode
A consistent user request to reduce eye strain; its absence is a feature gap compared to modern app standards.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- Puzzle Solver tools (available in Guru and Oakever)
- Dark Mode (requested by users, standard in modern peers)
- Subscription bundle model (available in NYT Games)
Key Takeaways
If I were the PM, I would immediately pivot from aggressive mid-game monetization to a 'clean gameplay' promise to protect the app's massive 1.8M-rating moat. While the app is currently climbing grossing charts (#83), the 'Upset' sentiment and reports of malicious ads pose a terminal risk to retention that competitors like Guru and NYT are positioned to exploit.
Where Is It Heading?
Declining
User sentiment is 'Upset' due to mid-game ads and malicious pop-ups, indicating a high churn risk.
v7.12.0 (Mar 2026) focused only on stability, suggesting a lack of recent feature innovation.
Rankings show a #12 Free position, indicating strong current organic reach despite sentiment issues.