Formed vs Mahj Trainer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Formed
This app offers faith-informed content to guide Catholics and those they evangelize toward a fully Catholic life. It provides a comprehensive and customizable platform for spiritual formation and education, accessible anywhere. Empower your curiosity and grow in your faith journey with engaging resources.
- Faith-informed Catholic content
- Spiritual formation and growth resources
- High-quality videos and movies
- Comprehensive and diverse content
- Customizable learning experience
- On-the-go learning
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Formed guides Catholics and those they evangelize to a fully Catholic life through faith-informed content. As a faithful authority and helpful guide, which draws people closer to Christ, the Formed platform provides a captivating experience that is comprehensive, customizable, educates, and moves with you wherever you are in your Faith journey. Formed empowers and satisfies curiosity by forming Catholics for life. To access all features and content you can subscribe to Formed on a monthly or yearly basis with an auto-renewing subscription right inside the app.* Pricing can vary by region and will be confirmed before purchase in the app. In app subscriptions will automatically renew at the end of their cycle. * All payments will be paid through your iTunes Account and may be managed under Account Settings after the initial payment. Subscription payments will automatically renew unless deactivated at least 24-hours before the end of the current cycle. Your account will be charged for renewal at least 24-hours prior to the end of the current cycle. Any unused portion of your free trial will be forfeited upon payment. Cancellations are incurred by disabling auto-renewal. Terms of Service: https://watch.formed.org/tos Privacy Policy: https://watch.formed.org/privacy
Mahj Trainer
This app offers focused drills to help new players learn American Mah Jongg. Practice tile recognition, card reading, Charleston strategy, and judgment calls in short, interactive sessions. It provides a pressure-free environment to build essential skills before playing with others.
- Tile recognition drills
- Card section learning
- Charleston strategy practice
- Keep-or-throw judgment calls
- Interactive rack reading
- Spaced repetition for weak spots
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Practice American Mah Jongg in five-minute drills: tiles, Charleston strategy, rack reading, and keep-or-throw judgment, built for new players. Learned mah jongg on Thursday? Keep it. Mahj Trainer has no opponents, no timers, and no pressure: just quick, interactive reps that build the skills you need before sitting down at a real table. Think of it like practicing your serve without playing a match. WHY IT WORKS Most new players learn at a weekly game, then have no way to practice until the next one. Lessons fade. Mahj Trainer gives you quick reps you can run anywhere, even standing in line. FOUR FREE PRACTICE ROOMS THE TILE ROOM Meet every tile family: craks, bams, dots, winds, dragons, flowers, and jokers. Then quiz yourself on the rules everyone gets wrong: which dragon goes with which suit, what jokers can and cannot do, what a soap really means. THE CARD ROOM Learn the card's sections (2468, Consecutive Run, 13579, Winds and Dragons, 369, Singles and Pairs, and more) and how to spot them. Then practice reading racks: see 13 tiles and name the section they're chasing. THE CHARLESTON ROOM The part that scares every new player, minus the panic. Learn the rules and strategy of the pass, then work through real deals: pick 3 tiles to pass and compare your choice with the coach's, with the reasoning explained. THE TABLE ROOM Keep-or-throw judgment calls: when to hold a flower, when to swap for an exposed joker, what an opponent's exposure tells you, and which discards are safe. MAHJ+ (optional upgrade) Everything above stays free, forever. Mahj+ adds practice that never runs out: PLAY A HAND deals thirteen tiles off a real wall, then grades every discard and shows the arithmetic behind it. No opponents and no bots, so nothing can feel rigged. Everyone gets one free hand a day. ENDLESS PRACTICE deals a freshly generated rack every time, so section reading never repeats and never runs dry. FIX MY MISTAKES remembers what you got wrong and brings it back on a spaced schedule, so weak spots actually close. TIMED CHALLENGE gives you ninety seconds of mixed reads and a personal best to chase. EXTRA PRACTICE SETS in every one of the four rooms, with fresh questions, racks and deals in the same drills you already use. THE MASTER TABLES, where advanced Charleston strategy, a defense school, and expert rack-reading drills wait for players moving past the basics. New drills are added all year. BUILT FOR NEW PLAYERS Flashcards with the "why" on the back. Streaks to keep you practicing between games. Original practice hands that teach the category system, so your skills transfer to any year's card. Mahj Trainer is an independent training app. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Mah Jongg League. For official hands and values, get the current NMJL card. SUBSCRIPTIONS Mahj+ is available as an auto-renewing subscription (Monthly or Yearly, both with a 7-day free trial) or as a one-time Lifetime purchase. Prices are shown in the app before you buy and vary by region. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions. Terms of Use (Apple's standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/. Privacy Policy: https://jackwallner.github.io/mahj/privacy-policy.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Formed at none against Mahj Trainer's shown. Formed also leads on ratings volume (14K vs 38) and review sentiment (99% vs 75%). Mahj Trainer's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Formed sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Mahj Trainer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Formed holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Formed has 14K ratings behind it against 38, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 99% of Formed's written reviews are positive against 75% of Mahj Trainer's.
Formed ships an update every 2 months, Mahj Trainer fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.
| Parameter | Formed | Mahj Trainer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (14K ratings) — better | 4.7 (38 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 98.6% of reviews — better | 75.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 14K — better | 38 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #187 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 67 MB | 32 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Augustine Institute, Inc. | Jack Wallner |
Customer experience
Formed
Mahj Trainer
Bugs and requests
Formed
Reported bugs
2 issues- Occasional app crashes or freezes
- Playback issues when switching between audio and video
Requested features
4 requests- Improved search and browsing functionality
- Ability to save progress and resume content
- More content in languages other than English
- Integration with smart TVs and other devices
Mahj Trainer
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Formed
- FORMED Subscription7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- FORMED Subscription7 Days trial$99.991 Year
- Formed - 099$0.99
- Formed - 1499$14.99
- Formed - 1599$15.99
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- Formed - 1699$16.99
- Formed - 1799$17.99
- Formed - 1899$18.99
- Formed - 1999$19.99
Mahj Trainer
- Mahj+ Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Mahj+ Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
- Mahj+ Lifetime$89.99






