# Mahjong by Microsoft vs hocus 2

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mahjong by Microsoft | hocus 2 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $2.99 |
| Rating | **[4.5 (2.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mahjong-by-microsoft/id1486892969/reviews)** | [4.4 (22 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hocus-2/id1532229040/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.5K** | 22 |
| Positive reviews | 46.8% of reviews | **85.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 129 MB | 107 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Microsoft Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/298856275) | [GAMEBRAIN YAZILIM TEKNOLOJILERI ANONIM SIRKETI](https://appshunter.io/developer/1822763537) |

## What reviewers say

### Mahjong by Microsoft

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mahjong-by-microsoft/id1486892969)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly Subscription | $1.99 | per month |
| Yearly Premium Subscription | $9.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 👍 Variety of puzzles and boards
- ⭐ Great visual design
- 💡 Challenging but rewarding
- 🕹️ Relaxing and enjoyable

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 📢 Intrusive and excessive ads
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🔒 Connectivity issues with daily challenges
- 🚫 Progress not syncing across devices

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


### hocus 2

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hocus-2/id1532229040)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*