Comparison

Mahjong by Microsoft vs Tether

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

Tether

Features
Read full description

Tap to throw out a rope. Swing. Let go at exactly the right moment and fly. That is it. That is the whole game. You will understand it in ten seconds and still be arguing with it six hundred caves later. TETHER is a one-tap rope physics game about a fragile ball of plasma in a cave full of things that want it dead. There is no run button, no jump, no second chance. There is a rope, a swing, and the instant you let go. ◆ ONE TAP IS THE WHOLE CONTROL SCHEME Hold near an anchor and a rope snaps out. Your core swings on real pendulum physics momentum you build is momentum you keep. Drag to re-aim mid-flight. Release to fling. Release clean, on a true tangent, and the swing pays you double speed. Every cave is one question: where do you let go? ◆ 600 HAND-TUNED CAVES Not randomly generated mush. Every cave is built and then machine-verified to be genuinely beatable before it ever reaches you no impossible rooms, no lucky-bounce nonsense. Pure skill, from the first swing to the last. The deeper you go, the more the world stops playing fair: - Gravity flips, twists, and dies completely - Anchors that crumble the instant you grab them - Boost pads, tractor beams, winches and slingshots - Lasers on a clock, spinning blades, drifting mines, dark matter - Phase walls that are not there until they are - Wormholes, quantum gates and rooms that rewind - Heavy liquid, molten slag, moving wind, orbiting planets - Twin ropes one tap, two anchors, one very small window ◆ FIVE ERAS, FIVE WORLDS Cyber Cyan. Molten Core. Neon Abyss. Electric Slag. Aurora Nebula. The cave does not just get harder as you descend it changes colour, changes rules, and changes what your rope even means. ◆ BUILT TO FEEL GOOD IN YOUR HANDS Every swing has weight. Time slows when you scrape past a blade. The screen kicks when you land a perfect release. Sixty frames a second of glowing, humming, high-contrast neon running smoothly on your iPhone and iPad. ◆ PLAY IN THIRTY SECONDS OR THREE HOURS Caves are short. Deaths are instant tap once and you are straight back in, no menus, no waiting. Five hearts, and they refill on their own while you are away. Perfect for a quick break, dangerous for an evening. Chase your best score. Collect coins. Thread the void. One tap. One rope. Miss, and you are dust. Download TETHER and take the swing! ======================================================== Official Links & Community: - Privacy Policy: https://abtrivix.com/privacy/ - Terms & Conditions: https://abtrivix.com/terms/ - Official Website: https://abtrivix.com/ Follow us for updates, tips & new levels: - X (Twitter): https://x.com/abtrivix - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abtrivix - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61591684252933 - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyx5hC2B_pry52u6T-oBnTw

Screenshots

Mahjong by Microsoft4 screens
Tether4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tether at none against Mahjong by Microsoft's 2. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Mahjong by Microsoft sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Tether asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Mahjong by Microsoft versus Tether: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMahjong by MicrosoftTether
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2.5K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews46.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings2.5K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 months—
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size129 MB82 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMicrosoft CorporationAtul Tripathi

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

Tether

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

Tether

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Mahjong by Microsoft free?
Mahjong by Microsoft is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tether free?
Tether is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Mahjong by Microsoft or Tether have ads?
Both Mahjong by Microsoft and Tether show ads.

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