Comparison

Mancala Ultimate vs The Mancala

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Mancala Ultimate

Experience a classic board game of strategy and collection. The goal is to gather more stones than your opponent by strategically distributing them across holes. Capture opponent's stones and aim for bonus turns to secure victory.

Highlights
  • Traditional Mancala gameplay
  • Strategic stone distribution
  • Opponent stone capture
  • Bonus turn mechanics
  • Single-player and multiplayer options (implied by 'opponent')
Features
Read full description

This is based on the traditional group of games played in various parts of the world. To win the game you need to collect more stones than your opponent. Each player has six holes in front of them and a collection hole on their right. To play the game a player chooses one of the holes in front of them and picks up all the stones inside it. They then deposit one stone in every hole, moving counter-clockwise. Each player skips their opponent's collection hole. If the last stone is deposited in the player's collection hole, that player gets another turn. If the last stone is deposited in an empty hole in front of the player, it gets captured along with any stones in the opposite hole and gets deposited in the collection hole. The game ends when all six of the holes in front of either player are empty. If there are any stones left in front of the other player, they get captured and deposited in the collection hole of that player.

About

The Mancala

Experience an ancient board game of strategy and collection. Learn the simple rules with built-in guides and challenge yourself across ten difficulty levels. Enjoy beautiful graphics and customize your game board.

Highlights
  • Learnable rules with help feature
  • Play against AI or a friend
  • 10 difficulty levels
  • Customizable board and stones
  • Undo and hint options
  • Game statistics
Features
Read full description

Enjoy the world's most ancient board game for free with The Mancala! Everyone can enjoy the game, we have provided a help feature to understand the rules. ■Mancala, Kalah Mancala, also known as Kalah is an ancient board game enjoyed by players all over the world. The object is to collect more stones than your opponent, and the rules are very simple. ■ How to Play We have provided a rule description for beginners. You can learn the rules easily, so everyone can start enjoying Mancala right now! ■ 2 Game Modes You can play against the computer, and also play against your friends sharing a device. ■ 10 Levels of Game Play There are 10 levels for games against the computer. The lower levels are perfect to learn the game, the higher levels will be tough even for advanced players! ■ Beautiful graphics There are three types of Board and Stones. Choose your favorite board and let's start playing. ■Other features - Undo - Hint - Statistics of games against the computer - 2 types of game music - Playing speed adjustment (Fast/Normal/Slow)

Screenshots

Mancala Ultimate2 screens
The Mancala4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: The Mancala at 100% against Mancala Ultimate's 33%. The Mancala also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.8) and ratings volume (97 vs 14). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Mancala holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Mancala has 97 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Mancala Ultimate's written reviews are positive against 100% of The Mancala's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mancala Ultimate ships an update every 5 months, The Mancala every 8 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Mancala Ultimate versus The Mancala: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMancala UltimateThe Mancala
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.8 (14 ratings)4.8 (97 ratings) — better
Positive reviews32.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1497 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 months — betterEvery 8 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size110 MB207 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMOBILEFUSION APPS LTDUNBALANCE Corporation

Customer experience

Mancala Ultimate

All ratings14 ratings
Positive42.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative57.1%
Written reviews70 reviews
Positive32.9%
Neutral12.9%
Negative54.3%

The Mancala

All ratings97 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral4.1%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Mancala Ultimate

No in-app purchases

None

The Mancala

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Mancala Ultimate free?
Mancala Ultimate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Mancala free?
The Mancala is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Mancala Ultimate or The Mancala?
The Mancala is rated higher. Mancala Ultimate averages 2.8 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while The Mancala averages 4.8 from 97 ratings.
Do Mancala Ultimate or The Mancala have ads?
Both Mancala Ultimate and The Mancala show ads.
Which is updated more often, Mancala Ultimate or The Mancala?
Mancala Ultimate ships an update every 5 months, and The Mancala every 8 months. Most recently, Mancala Ultimate was updated on October 24, 2026 and The Mancala on October 24, 2026.

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