Hush or PeopleFun Sudoku? Ads, subscription and levels compared

PeopleFun Sudoku, listed as “▻Sudoku – Classic Brain Game”, is free to download. Its listing says it contains advertising, and it shows an “Ads Free Subscription” in-app purchase. It offers four levels: Easy, Medium, Hard and Expert. For other head-to-head pages, see all app comparisons.

Choose PeopleFun Sudoku if you are comfortable with an ads-free subscription and want a free app with four levels. Choose Hush if you want no ads and no subscription at all, and puzzles rated by the techniques they need.

Quick comparison

The table below shows the main differences. The sections after it explain each point and note where we could not verify a detail.

Competitor details from public App Store listings and price databases, checked November 2026. Prices vary by region and can change. Sources: App Store – ▻Sudoku – Classic Brain Game; App Pricing Lab – PeopleFun Sudoku.

Ads and price

PeopleFun Sudoku. The app is free, and its listing says it contains advertising. The listing shows an “Ads Free Subscription” in-app purchase at $2.99. It does not show the billing period, so we cannot say how often it is charged. The listing shows a rating of 4.7.

Hush. There are no ads and no subscription. The optional Hush Plus costs $4.99 once, is non-consumable, and includes Family Sharing. It unlocks unlimited Hard and Expert puzzles and all colour moods. Easy and Medium are free without limit, and the daily puzzle is free every day.

The two apps take different routes. PeopleFun removes ads through a subscription. Hush has no ads in the first place and no subscription to cancel. Read how Hush pricing works.

Difficulty and puzzles

PeopleFun Sudoku lists four levels: Easy, Medium, Hard and Expert. We could not verify how it rates these levels, so we cannot say whether they are based on the same techniques Hush uses.

Hush rates each level by technique:

• Easy needs only singles. The how to solve sudoku guide covers the basics.
• Medium adds locked candidates and naked and hidden pairs. See hidden pairs.
• Hard adds naked and hidden triples, naked quads, and the X-Wing.
• Expert needs at least one of Swordfish, XY-Wing or XYZ-Wing. For the top level, see Expert sudoku.

Every Hush puzzle has exactly one solution and never needs guessing. The supply of puzzles is practically endless.

Design and features

Beyond its four levels and the ads-free subscription, we could not verify PeopleFun Sudoku’s features from the sources we checked. This section therefore describes Hush in detail, and you should check PeopleFun’s listing for its feature set.

Hush has no mistake limit and keeps its tools simple:

• Notes that clean up. Notes tidy themselves when you place a number, and “fill in all notes” is available.
• Highlights. Row, column, box and matching numbers are highlighted.
• Hints that place one number. A hint fills in the correct digit for the selected cell, or for the cell with the fewest options.
• Private statistics. Solved and flawless games, best and average time and a day streak, stored on your device only.
• Play aids. Undo, hints and pause are all available. The game is always saved.
• iPhone Duo and iPad. On iPhone Duo the app is compact when closed. Opened, the board sits on the left with a large number pad on the right. The iPad works in all orientations.
• Calm design. Hush is always light, with soft colors and gentle haptics. The four colour moods are Sage (free), Morning, Dune and Lavender (in Hush Plus).

Privacy and offline play

Hush has no account, no sign-up and no email. Its App Store privacy label says “Data Not Collected”, and it has no tracking and no analytics. All puzzles ship with the app, so Hush plays fully offline. The only network use is Apple’s purchase system, when you buy or restore Hush Plus.

We could not verify PeopleFun Sudoku’s data practices or whether it works offline. Check its App Store details before you decide.

What you might miss with PeopleFun Sudoku

PeopleFun Sudoku has strengths that Hush does not match:

• A possibly lower cost. If the subscription has a low price and you only want to remove ads for a short time, it could cost less than Hush Plus. The listing does not show the billing period, so check it before you compare.
• A rating on the listing. PeopleFun Sudoku’s listing shows a 4.7 rating. We do not cite ratings for Hush.

If a low subscription price matters most to you, PeopleFun Sudoku may be the better choice.

Where Hush is better

• No ads and no subscription. Hush has no ads in any version and asks for one optional payment.
• Difficulty by technique. Each level is defined by the solving techniques it needs, with guides for each step.
• Fully offline play. All puzzles ship with the app, and Hush needs no account.
• No data collection. Hush’s privacy label says “Data Not Collected”.
• Built for iPhone Duo. The board and a large number pad sit side by side when the device is opened.

The verdict

PeopleFun Sudoku is a reasonable free option for players who accept ads or an ads-free subscription and want four levels. Hush is the better fit if you want no ads, no subscription, and puzzles whose Expert level needs at least one of Swordfish, XY-Wing or XYZ-Wing. If you are unsure, try the free Easy and Medium levels in Hush first. You can also read the PeopleFun Sudoku alternative guide, or compare with Hush vs Brainium Sudoku.