What is the best Numbrix app for iPhone?
For true Numbrix (a 9x9 grid filled 1 to 81 with no diagonals) the closest iPhone app we found is Numbrix: Number Chain Puzzle; for a calmer, ad-free puzzle with the same one-path rule but sums instead of counting, there is Sumthread, which we make. We checked both, plus Number Chain - Logic Puzzle, against their US App Store listings in November 2026. Our app is in this comparison, so read it with that in mind.
Proof first: what Sumthread actually shows
1234- Ordered target sums. Here 9, then 12, then 12. You must hit them in that order, which is the part Numbrix fans will find new.
- START. The path begins on this tile. Like Numbrix, it may only move up, down, left or right.
- Amber checkpoint. 4 + 2 + 3 = 9 locks ring #1 and the count restarts from zero for the next target.
- Undo, Hint, Reset. Solve with zero hints and zero undos and the board earns the Clean Weave seal.
123- Daily Thread. One fresh 4x4 board each day. The closest thing to a daily newspaper puzzle.
- Local history. Your streak and completions are stored on the device, not in an account.
- Hint-free record. The list notes when a board was completed without hints.
Same no-diagonal path, but the checkpoints are sums, not counted squares.
How Sumthread works, in 3 steps
Start on START
Drag or tap to adjacent tiles. Dashed borders show which neighbours you can reach next.
Watch the running sum
When it equals the active target, the tile locks with an amber ring and the next segment starts from zero.
Finish on the last tile
The final target must land on the last unused tile, so every square gets used, just as in Numbrix.
Numbrix-style apps compared: rules, ads and price
| Numbrix: Number Chain Puzzle | Number Chain - Logic Puzzle | Sumthread (ours) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Developer | Ikuhei Kure (site) | Ecapyc Inc. | Honest Little Apps |
| Goal | Fill 1 to 81 as one continuous chain | Make a chain from 1 to the highest number | Trace one path through every tile, hitting ordered target sums |
| Diagonals | No | Yes (also up, down, sideways) | No |
| Board | 9x9, 200 levels in 10 chapters (developer site) | Easy to challenging, endless free puzzles | 3x3 to 4x5, 5 curated collections |
| Daily puzzle | Yes, with a calendar of past days | Yes | Yes, Daily Thread (4x4) |
| Ads | Yes | Yes | None listed |
| Paid extras | Numbrix Premium $4.99 (removes ads, unlimited hints) | Hints and keys $0.99 to $9.99, Remove Ads $4.99 | None listed |
| Offline | Not stated | Yes | Yes, no account |
US App Store listings, checked November 2026. Prices change; check the listing before you buy anything.
Who should pick what
- You love the Parade puzzle exactly as it is: Numbrix: Number Chain Puzzle. Same 1-to-81 counting, same no-diagonal rule, plus daily boards.
- You like diagonals and endless boards, and ads don't bother you: Number Chain - Logic Puzzle, which plays more like Hidato.
- You want the path feeling without ads, in five minutes: Sumthread. Expect smaller boards and a bit of adding.
- You want pencil and paper: stick with the print puzzle in Parade on Sundays.
A mini story: the Sunday puzzle is done by ten
You finish the Numbrix in the paper before the coffee is cold. The pencil marks are all in the right places and the 81 lands where the clue said it would. Then the week stretches out with no puzzle in it.
On Monday you try a Sumthread Starter board on the train. The first surprise is that the numbers are already there. The second is that the old Numbrix habit still works: you look at the corners first, because a corner tile has only two neighbours and the path has to come in and leave somehow. By Wednesday you are on Deep Weave, and the new skill is noticing that a 6 next to a target of 9 leaves exactly 3 to find.
The corner habit transfers; the counting habit becomes a small sum.
Honest limits
- It is not Numbrix. You never write 1 to 81. If counting the chain is the joy, pick a real Numbrix app.
- Boards are small. The largest is 4x5, 20 tiles, against 81 in a 9x9 Numbrix. That is a design decision we made: we wanted a board to end inside a five-minute break, not to fill a Sunday morning.
- The collections are finite. Five curated packs plus one Daily Thread a day; there is no endless generator.
- Apple devices only. iPhone and iPad on iOS 18 or later, and Apple-silicon Macs. No Android.
Why a 4x5 board is still a real puzzle
Small boards can sound trivial to someone raised on 9x9 grids. So we counted. The calculator at the top enumerates every path that starts in the corner and visits every square exactly once, moving only up, down, left or right. These are the totals:
| Board | Squares | Corner-start paths |
|---|---|---|
| 3x3 | 9 | 8 |
| 3x4 | 12 | 17 |
| 4x4 | 16 | 52 |
| 4x5 | 20 | 160 |
| 5x5 | 25 | 824 |
A Numbrix grid narrows its far larger count with given numbers. A Sumthread board narrows its 52 or 160 candidates with the ordered targets: a path that overshoots a target early is dead, which is why the puzzle rewards looking two tiles ahead. Counted by our own search script in November 2026; the totals grow fast, which is why we stopped at 5x5.
160 possible routes; the targets turn most of them into dead ends.
Numbrix app questions
Is there an official Numbrix app?
Numbrix is the puzzle Marilyn vos Savant publishes in Parade. On the US App Store we found an app called Numbrix: Number Chain Puzzle by Ikuhei Kure; its listing does not say it is affiliated with Parade, so treat it as an independent app built on the same rules.
What is the difference between Numbrix and Hidato?
Both ask you to complete a chain of consecutive numbers. Hidato allows diagonal steps; Numbrix allows only horizontal and vertical steps. Number Chain - Logic Puzzle lets you drag diagonally too, so it plays closer to Hidato.
Is Sumthread a Numbrix app?
No. It keeps the Numbrix-style rule of one path through every square with no diagonals, but the numbers are already printed on the tiles. Your job is to choose the route so the running sum hits the ordered target sums in sequence.
Are these apps free?
All three are free downloads. Numbrix: Number Chain Puzzle and Number Chain - Logic Puzzle show ads and sell ad removal and extras. Sumthread lists no ads and no in-app purchases on its App Store page.
Can I play these offline?
Number Chain - Logic Puzzle says it plays without a connection. Sumthread says it is 100% offline with no account. The Numbrix: Number Chain Puzzle listing does not say either way.
How big are the boards?
Numbrix: Number Chain Puzzle uses 9x9 grids numbered 1 to 81, according to its developer's site. Sumthread boards run from 3x3 to 4x5, sized for a five-minute break.
Open Sumthread in the App Store
Keep your Sunday Numbrix. Add one small path on the weekdays.
Sumthread on the App Store · free, no ads listed
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