Comparison

Doodle Dots 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

Doodle Dots

Recreate the classic pencil and paper game of connecting dots to complete squares. Compete against friends or AI on various board sizes and difficulty levels. Enjoy a doodle-style aesthetic and save your progress.

Highlights
  • Connect dots to complete squares
  • Play against AI or another player
  • Multiple board sizes
  • Adjustable difficulty levels
  • Game state saved
  • Highlighted last move
Features
Read full description

Doodle Dots (Now FREE!!) Now you can play the classic pencil and paper game Dots (Boxes, Squares, Paddocks, Square-it, Dots and Dashes, Smart Dots) without having to hand draw all of those stinking dots by hand! The object of the game is to complete more squares, by connecting the dots, than your opponent. The player with the most square filled in with their color wins! Three different board sizes and difficulty levels makes this game challenging for all ages. Features in 1.4 - Game now saved when application exits - Lines are now colored red or blue - Last Move is highlighted Features in 1.3: - Bug Fixes Features in 1.2: - All gameplay options from paid version are now available in free version! - Minor bug fixes - Removed timer from promotion screen - Ads added to game screens Features in 1.1: - Minor bug fixes - Ad supported free version - Option to toggle sound on/off Features in 1.0: - Hand drawn doodle graphics - Two board sizes and difficulty levels - Use your own word or the extensive word dictionary - Support for two players - Play against your iPhone or iPod Touch A classic pencil and paper game done in “doodle” style. Doodle Dots is one of the five mini games (Hangman, Battleship, Tic Tac Toe and Word Search) found in Doodle Games. If you like Doodle Dots, check out Doodle Games in the AppStore! Doodle Games is a collection of some of your favorite pencil and paper games, brought to life on the iPhone.  This is the perfect game for your next road trip, boring meeting, or family gathering.    Play DoodleGames on your iPhone and save a tree!

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

Doodle Dots2 screens
The Mancala4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: The Mancala at 100% against Doodle Dots's 35%. The Mancala also leads on price (Free vs $0.99) and rating (4.8 vs 3.3). Doodle Dots's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 8 months). On in-app purchases 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

The Mancala is free to download; Doodle Dots costs $0.99 up front. 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 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Doodle Dots has 1.1K ratings behind it against 97, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 35% of Doodle Dots's written reviews are positive against 100% of The Mancala's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Doodle Dots ships an update every 6 weeks, The Mancala every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Doodle Dots versus The Mancala: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDoodle DotsThe Mancala
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating3.3 (1.1K ratings)4.8 (97 ratings) — better
Positive reviews35.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.1K — better97
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB207 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBig River GamesUNBALANCE Corporation

Customer experience

Doodle Dots

All ratings1,145 ratings
Positive48.7%
Neutral18.1%
Negative33.2%
Written reviews119 reviews
Positive35.3%
Neutral17.6%
Negative47.1%

The Mancala

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

Bugs and requests

Doodle Dots

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Lines not appearing where tapped
  • Incompatibility with certain devices
  • Frequent crashes and app exits

Requested features

4 requests
  • Undo button
  • Slower opponent mode
  • Instructions or tutorial
  • Ability to choose line type

The Mancala

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Doodle Dots

No in-app purchases

None

The Mancala

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Doodle Dots free?
Doodle Dots costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Mancala free?
The Mancala is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Doodle Dots or The Mancala?
The Mancala is rated higher. Doodle Dots averages 3.3 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while The Mancala averages 4.8 from 97 ratings.
Do Doodle Dots or The Mancala have ads?
The Mancala shows ads; Doodle Dots does not.
Which is updated more often, Doodle Dots or The Mancala?
Doodle Dots ships an update every 6 weeks, and The Mancala every 8 months. Most recently, Doodle Dots was updated on November 10, 2026 and The Mancala on November 3, 2026.

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