Mancala+ vs Mancala
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Mancala+
Experience the classic African board game with a digital twist. Challenge a computer opponent with adjustable difficulty or play against a friend. Offers standard Kalah rules with options for starting seeds per pit.
- Play against AI opponent
- Local multiplayer mode
- Selectable difficulty levels
- Adjustable starting seeds per pit
- Standard Kalah rules implementation
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Play the classic African board game against a challenging computer opponent, or another person! Features: - Selectable difficulty level - Human vs. iPhone or Human vs. Human - Select from 3 to 6 starting seeds per pit This version of Mancala uses standard Kalah rules: - Each player's pits are filled with a preset number of seeds - On any given turn, a player may sow seeds from any of their pits, proceeding counterclockwise around the board, skipping the opponent's store - If the last seed lands in the player's own store, the player gets a free turn - If the last seed lands in an empty pit on the player's side, and the opposite pit contains seeds, the player captures both the single seed, and all seeds in the corresponding pit on the opponent's side - When either player has no seeds in any of their pits, the other player's seeds move into their store, ending the game - At the end of the game, the player with the highest number of seeds in his or her store is the winner COMING SOON: - More advanced Mancala rule sets, including Oware
Mancala
This app offers a classic Mancala board game experience with adjustable AI difficulty and a built-in strategy coach. Enjoy smooth animations and a distraction-free interface for endless strategic play, playable offline.
- Three AI difficulty levels
- AI thinks up to 10 moves deep
- Built-in strategy coach
- Undo moves and learn
- Elegant wooden board design
- Offline play
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Experience one of the world's oldest and most beloved board games, beautifully reimagined for iPhone and iPad. Mancala - Stone & Pit brings the timeless strategy of the ancient pit-and-pebble game to your fingertips. Whether you're a lifelong fan or discovering Mancala for the first time, this is the definitive mobile version. PLAY YOUR WAY - Three CPU difficulty levels: Rookie, Sharp, and Counter - Challenge yourself against an AI that thinks up to 10 moves deep - 2-Player Pass & Play: share one device and take on a friend - Track your record: wins, losses, and streaks for each difficulty TRAINING MODE - Built-in strategy coach analyzes every move - See scoring breakdowns, capture opportunities, and extra turn options - Undo moves and learn from mistakes BEAUTIFUL & INTUITIVE - Elegant wooden board design with smooth stone animations - Four handcrafted board themes - Sound effects and haptics, with a mute toggle - Clean, distraction-free interface - Easy to learn, endlessly strategic NO HASSLE - No account required - No internet connection needed to play - One-time purchase to remove ads forever Mancala has been played for over a thousand years. Now it fits in your pocket.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Mancala at 4.4 against Mancala+'s 3.1. Mancala also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 55%) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). Mancala+'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On price 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. Mancala sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Mancala+ asks for nothing beyond the download.
Mancala holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mancala+ has 565 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of Mancala+'s written reviews are positive against 75% of Mancala's.
Mancala+ ships an update every 3 months, Mancala every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mancala+ | Mancala |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.1 (565 ratings) | 4.4 (14 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 55.1% of reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 565 — better | 14 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 3.1 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 0 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Spiny Software | Esbro Labs LLC |
Customer experience
Mancala+
Mancala
Bugs and requests
Mancala+
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes on certain iOS versions
- Incompatible with newer iOS updates
- Incorrect game mechanics and rule enforcement
Requested features
5 requests- Add instructions and tutorial for new players
- Provide option to slow down animation speed
- Allow listening to music during gameplay
- Implement online/multiplayer mode
- Add more difficulty levels and customization options
Mancala
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Mancala+
No in-app purchases
Mancala
- Remove Ads$3.99









