Not Evil Sudoku Reviews

Claims to be an ad free and "not evil" version of all the other sudoku games out there, but if you want to play more than one game a day, you have to buy premium. Frankly this is worse than games that have ads, because on those games you have unlimited plays and can purchase their version of "premium" to get rid of ads. I'd rather have ads and be able to play as much as I want, or even pay one of those other games to remove ads instead of a deceptive one like this.

Somehow, the Devs of NotEvilSudoku didn’t stop to think about the fact that maybe, just maybe, the only thing more annoying than ads, is paywalling NotEvilSudoku .

You can play one, Just one, game every three hours. Which in itself is pretty ridiculous. Not only that, it locks the entirety of the rest of NotEvilSudoku behind a subscription paywall. Just because an ad is for your own company, doesn’t make it “ad free.” NotEvilSudoku is a mediocre sudoku app with a steep price that doesn’t match the benefit.

But hey, at least there’s not “technically” ads.

… and you can only play one sudoku a day. Unless you pay 5 dollars.

The controls on this are really clunky. You tap a square and then input your number. Most other sudoku apps have a system where you tap a number then the squares you want to fill- it’s much, much easier that way. It’s really hard to keep track of what square you have selected.

The interface in general is really clunky. If you want to play a Hard sudoku you have to go into settings and switch to “Hard” … and wait for the next day. Notes/pencil marks are really clunky too. You can only have up to 4 pencil marks per square, and if you have more than 4 in a square then it simply hides the extra numbers. It becomes a real hassle if you didn’t realize that.

Putting down numbers does not remove pencil marks either. So you have to go through, tap on each individual square, double check you’re on Notes mode, and then remove pencil marks. Could not control any worse than that.

It was really insulting to find out that you could only play one a day. It was even more insulting when it asked me to pay 5 dollars to get the worst controlling sudoku app I’ve ever used. If this is what being “not evil” gets you then consider me a villain.

NotEvilSudoku claims to be “Not evil,” but only allows you to play 1 game a day unless you pay five dollars for unlimited. There’re also other features locked behind a paywall such as charts. Other apps might not have charts, and might have lots of ads; but they still let you play as much as you want. The amount to remove those ads is also as much as NotEvilSudoku’s paywall is.

NotEvilSudoku tries to make itself out to be not evil while falling prey to the same traps that other apps make. If you’re going to paywall your app, just add ads so people can play as much as they want. Although it’d be basically a copy of other apps in that way.

It’s sodoku. It’s good sodoku. That’s not what I’m complaining about. But calling it “Not evil” sodoku and the main point being no ads and acting like you’re better than the ones without ads is a step too far when you’re putting the puzzles behind a paywall. 10 hours is just too long in between sodoku puzzles, and I’d much rather just watch a 15 second ad instead. You could still get people to buy the pro version just for the stats, too. It’s not bad, but honestly I feel that acting like it’s better than any other free sodoku game that has ads is a lie.

I’ve enjoyed playing Sudoku on NotEvilSudoku. It has some nice features like auto removing notes when you fill in a number. The look of NotEvilSudoku is very pleasing as well. NotEvilSudoku limits you to one game per day unless you pay a one time fee to unlock the full version. This is fine and makes sense since NotEvilSudoku doesn’t run any ads and has to make its money somehow.

The problem I have is after I purchased the full version I’m unable to “Start over” or select “New Game”. The only way for me to get a new puzzle is to complete my current one. Which can be a problem when I get stuck on a particularly hard one.

After download bunch of sudoku apps, I like this one the best. There is couple features I would love to see. First one is to have an option to make the grid lines Separating each 3x3 area much brighter. Second, I would like an option that tell me I entered wrong number right away. Keep up an awesome work, thank you!

I love sudoku but I am very picky about sudoku apps. This one is great! The design is simple and easy to navigate. There are absolutely no ads which is always a plus. Upgrading to unlimited puzzles and other features is very inexpensive. I also really like the way the settings are set up. Fully recommend this if your looking for a good sudoku app with no gimmicks.

I really love this game. Only problem I have is that I just bought the plus version not realizing that buying the pro is much better, but since i’ve already bought the plus I have to pay the full price of the pro. I feel like there should be a cheaper price to upgrade from plus to pro. Other than that, it’s a perfect app!

If you want to play 1 sudoku a day on your phone and not have ads or other garbage this is the only sudoku app to use.

I checked out others but they are either un-useable due to ads or they collect all of your data.

The creator has been actively updating it and if you want unlimited sudoku instead of daily you can upgrade to a pro version.

I love NotEvilSudoku, it is certainly the best app i’ve ever found. Aside from the simple to navigate UI, minimalism, and the rick roll banner ad (I totally fell for it)- the statistics is something that any sudoku nerd needs. Seriously, I’ve deleted my other sudoku apps.

My only complaint is how the notes work. I’d like it to be more traditional, like put them in the typical order and spaces. I find the notes function hard to use since it’s a lot of visual information that’s hard to quickly read. With me at least, I don’t rely on reading the numbers themselves, but rather reading the location I expect them to be in, and find patterns/answers from there. Also, you can’t put more than 4 notes in it, which makes it kind of useless for me. As I start playing harder levels, I’d like it to use the notes, but don’t with NotEvilSudoku. If others like the way it is now, perhaps putting in a way to toggle which notes version they prefer.

I have never left a written review for an app, but I really love this one, so I’m invested in making it perfect and if the devs changed this one thing, I’d be over the moon. Either way, this is still going to be the only sudoku app I’ll use.

I’ve been looking for a good time-killer / brainless app that doesn’t have an insane amount of adds, is impossible to play without becoming a whale, or tracks your data. Which I would THINK is not that much to ask for, but APPARENTLY it is. NotEvilSudoku is a lifesaver and I would love to see more like it from the same developer (eg: not evil minesweeper, not evil solitaire, maybe even a few originals!) the $4 is well worth supporting a developer that doesn’t use insanely scummy practices

I really love NotEvilSudoku - I’ve been using the free version for a few months now. The one puzzle per day didn’t bother me so much as I’m not an avid sudoku player, I only do one puzzle before bed usually. No ads is STELLAR (wish/hope more phone games are like this). I also really appreciate the different levels of difficulty and various customizable features like turning on/off the number highlights. I never felt particularly good at sudoku when I was young (I hadn’t picked up sudoku in a decade!!) but the way NotEvilSudoku is structured has helped me learn new strategies & increase the challenge based on what settings I use. Less important but NotEvilSudoku works in dark mode settings which just adds to my contentment. I just paid the one time $5 for the upgraded version (to support the developer) and am curious to try the features that unlocks too.

I don't even know where to start. Between all the handy features, the sleek interface, the privacy-forward development, lack of bugs or glitches, offline capability and cute icons (waffles stole my heart) I'm not sure what I love most. I don't have high expectations for simple apps like this but Not Evil takes the crown. I start every day by playing one round to help get my brain going. This perfect app is one of my keys to having a great day. I was not compensated for this review & I don't know the dev, I just LOVE NotEvilSudoku. Thank you!!!

I try to avoid anything less than 4.5, but in reading the reviews it’s just people upset with the $5 price tag for unlimited puzzles. I’m more upset with searching through so many Sudoku apps and having them riddled with ads, subscription based, all the while still tracking, harvesting, and selling my data. Even many of the paid ones still tracking and sell data. I am more than happy to pay a one time $5 fee over all the other options on NotEvilSudoku Store

I did come into NotEvilSudoku knowing I'd purchase the upgrade if it worked well, as I'd rather support developers with transparent pricing/no tracking or ads. You might have a different experience if you're looking for a "truly free" app, as you are limited to one puzzle a day.

I was really impressed! I love that it's possible to turn off assists and solve it like an old paper sudoku. The haptic feedback is a nice touch. I love that you can set your own daily puzzle notification time, since my sleep schedule is cursed.

I'm happy with the difficulty. I've played a lot of sudoku where "medium" was a cakewalk, but these have been consistently challenging.

It would be nice if I could track the number of mistakes I've made in puzzles over time. I'd also love to see a "warm" mode similar to other sudoku apps, or more variety in colors I can pick.

I look forward to seeing any updates or new apps from this developer in the future!

Not Evil, true to its name, is maybe the best puzzle app for the iPhone. Supported by the community, without running ads, it runs well and receives regular good updates. The puzzles are good and well generated, and the recent daily puzzle and leaderboard is a great addition. It also sorts the leaderboard by people who use move by move verification and people who don’t, allowing users to see their placement among their peers. I’ve been using NotEvilSudoku regularly for well over two years now and I’m still very happy with it. I was very happy to (optionally) pay for pro user status to support a great app. Thank you for providing fun and distractions without crushing ads!

It takes a bit of customization to get NotEvilSudoku tuned to your preferences. I personally recommend turning on Speed Demon (beta), >4 notes (forgetting the actual setting name) and fixed note positions - it is worth noting some of these are under settings > advanced. The number placement can be a little janky at times (speed demon helps a ton) but it’s perfectly functional.

Honestly I’m just glad to have an app that isn’t bogged down by ads. The default experience is one game a day which is fair but you can pay 5 USD which permanently gives you unlimited games and more cosmetic tweaks - unlimited games alone makes it worth imo, the rest is icing.

Dev, thank you for making this; I hope more devs follow in your footsteps of less evil monetization.

I’ve tried many sudoku apps, and this is the best one I’ve found! It has a simple-to-navigate display, helpful game features, and just a cool design in general. There are no ads and no selling of data, which is a huge plus! Of course, this means to unlock all the features of the game and unlimited games daily you will need to make a one-time purchase. I personally feel that one game per day is enough to practice and to have fun with, just like Wordle or any other daily habit, but unlimited games is definitely a huge plus for other free sudoku apps. It’s up to you whether to make the purchase or not, but I think it’s worth it due to it’s features, design style, and simplicity.

Overall, good game and worth the time and the optional purchase. If you’re looking for a simple and fun sudoku app, you’ve come to the right place!

Randomly (today) in my study hall I was incredibly bored and decided to look through my recommended games, saw this and sighed “why not… they all have ads so whatever”, but I read through the images on the store and saw that there are no ads😳 “no way”, way.

Played my first sudoku without ANY sort of ads, was down that I only got to play one a day so I bought premium.

Current experience so far: Very Much Worth the moola-moola, green cheese, fat stacks, bread, dead presidents and so on 😁🎉