Comparison

Mahjong by Microsoft vs hocus 2

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

Head to head
About

Mahjong by Microsoft

Engage in hundreds of strategic tile-matching puzzles with beautiful backgrounds and relaxing sounds. Earn points, complete daily challenges, and unlock new content. Customize your game and train your brain with this classic experience.

Highlights
  • Hundreds of Mahjong puzzles
  • Daily challenges
  • Earn points and collect achievements
  • Unlock new tile sets and backgrounds
  • Customize game board
  • Bookmark favorite puzzles
  • Brain training
Read full description

Escape in the tranquil beauty of Mahjong by Microsoft where hundreds of tile matching puzzles are ready to solve in the popular game of strategy, memory, and skill. Play among gorgeous backgrounds, relaxing sounds, and unique themes to match any mood. Relax as you earn points by completing mahjong puzzles at your own pace. Use HINTS or SHUFFLE tiles for ease of play. Earn extra points when you solve puzzles without HELP, or match the same suit of mahjong tiles in a row to create a chain bonus. Choose a higher LEVEL of DIFFICULTY to earn even more points! Unlock NEW mahjong tile sets & backgrounds as you level up. Customize your board or bookmark your FAVORITES to play again and again. Five (5) DAILY CHALLENGES available for you to complete each day. Achieve Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond, or a Perfect Badge for completing ALL challenges EVERY DAY of the month! Choose from Classic Challenges, Golden Tiles, Lightning Tiles, Match Attack, or Score Attack. For even MORE excitement, turn on the timer to challenge your speed, or find Quick Play matches. No matter how you play, enjoy a peaceful journey in Mahjong by Microsoft. • Hundreds of Puzzles to Solve • 5 Unique Daily Challenges Every Day • Earn Points & Collect Achievements • Enjoy ENDLESS FUN! • New Tile Sets & Backgrounds • Bookmark Favorite Puzzles to Play Again • Customize Your Game Board • Train Your Brain with Tile-Matching Fun • Relax among Tranquil Scenes & Soothing Sounds Sign-in with a Microsoft Account to save your progress, collect achievements, and play across multiple mobile devices. Upgrade to Premium on iPhone and iPad. You can purchase the Microsoft Mahjong Premium Subscription for $1.99 per Month or $9.99 per Year. Benefits that come with a Premium Subscription include: • Removing advertisements from your game • Play Daily Challenges from previous months NOTE: Premium Subscription grants premium experience on mobile only. It is non-transferrable to other platforms. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account on confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews monthly or annually depending on the subscription type purchased. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period ($1.99 monthly, or $9.99 annually, depending on the subscription type purchased). You can turn off your auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings after purchase. If auto-renewal is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period, you will not be charged for the next period. All cancellations will take effect at the end of the current period. For more information visit: https://aka.ms/MicrosoftMahjong_support © Microsoft 2025. All Rights Reserved. Microsoft, Microsoft Casual Games, the product logos and Mahjong, and the Mahjong logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Acceptance of Microsoft Services Agreement and Privacy Statement are required to play. (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/servicesagreement, https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/privacy/privacystatement) Microsoft account registration required for cross-platform play. Game offers in-app purchases. Persistent internet connection required. Features, online services and system requirements may vary by country and are subject to change or retirement over time.

About

hocus 2

Experience a puzzle game with dynamic mechanics and creative solutions. Explore 85 handcrafted levels featuring new illusion combinations and unique challenges.

Highlights
  • 85 hand-crafted creative levels
  • 9 different mechanics
  • Dynamic gameplay
  • Illusion combinations
  • Creative solving possibilities
Features
Read full description

hocus. is continues. This time everything is dynamic. It has new mechanics and illusion combinations with so many creative solving possibilities. • 85 hand-crafted creative levels • 9 different mechanics • designed & developed by Yunus Ayyıldız • music by Benjamin Tissot

Screenshots

Mahjong by Microsoft4 screens
hocus 24 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Mahjong by Microsoft at Free against hocus 2's $2.99. Mahjong by Microsoft also leads on ratings volume (2.5K vs 22). hocus 2's advantage is review sentiment (86% vs 47%) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On rating 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Mahjong by Microsoft is free to download; hocus 2 costs $2.99 up front. Mahjong by Microsoft sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. hocus 2 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Mahjong by Microsoft against 4.4 for hocus 2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mahjong by Microsoft has 2.5K ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 47% of Mahjong by Microsoft's written reviews are positive against 86% of hocus 2's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mahjong by Microsoft ships an update every 3 months, hocus 2 every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Mahjong by Microsoft versus hocus 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMahjong by Microsofthocus 2
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating4.5 (2.5K ratings) — better4.4 (22 ratings)
Positive reviews46.8% of reviews85.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.5K — better22
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size129 MB107 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMicrosoft CorporationGAMEBRAIN YAZILIM TEKNOLOJILERI ANONIM SIRKETI

Customer experience

Mahjong by Microsoft

All ratings2,468 ratings
Positive87.9%
Neutral4.2%
Negative7.9%
Written reviews380 reviews
Positive46.8%
Neutral17.6%
Negative35.5%

hocus 2

All ratings22 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral4.5%
Negative4.5%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral9.5%
Negative4.8%

Bugs and requests

Mahjong by Microsoft

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Tiles getting stuck and unable to complete puzzles
  • Wrong puzzles loading when selected
  • Daily challenges not downloading properly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Landscape mode support
  • Option to disable animations
  • More puzzle packs and content updates
  • Sync progress with Xbox account
  • Premium version without ads

hocus 2

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Mahjong by Microsoft

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly Subscription$1.991 Month
  • Yearly Premium Subscription$9.991 Year
None

hocus 2

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Mahjong by Microsoft free?
Mahjong by Microsoft is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is hocus 2 free?
hocus 2 costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Mahjong by Microsoft or hocus 2?
Mahjong by Microsoft is rated higher. Mahjong by Microsoft averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2.5K ratings, while hocus 2 averages 4.4 from 22 ratings.
Do Mahjong by Microsoft or hocus 2 have ads?
Mahjong by Microsoft shows ads; hocus 2 does not.
Which is updated more often, Mahjong by Microsoft or hocus 2?
Mahjong by Microsoft ships an update every 3 months, and hocus 2 every 2 weeks. Most recently, Mahjong by Microsoft was updated on October 18, 2026 and hocus 2 on October 17, 2026.

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