# MahJong vs Mahjong Challenges

The clearest difference is rating: Mahjong Challenges at 4.8 against MahJong's 2.9. MahJong's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 34 months) and ratings volume (22 vs 4). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MahJong sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Mahjong Challenges sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Mahjong Challenges holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MahJong has 22 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 36% of MahJong's written reviews are positive against 29% of Mahjong Challenges's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

MahJong ships an update every 3 months, Mahjong Challenges every 34 months. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MahJong | Mahjong Challenges |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.9 (22 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mahjong/id340284226/reviews) | **[4.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mahjong-challenges/id636879476/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **22** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | **36.4% of reviews** | 29.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 34 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 318 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [baKno Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/295881975) | [Jose Varela](https://appshunter.io/developer/336500035) |

## What reviewers say

### MahJong

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mahjong/id340284226)

Experience an endless supply of unique tile arrangements for this classic Chinese game. Enjoy beautifully crafted 3D tiles and immersive music as you match pairs to clear the board.

**Highlights:** Infinite random tile arrangements, 10 unique tile and table sets, Hand-designed 3D tile art, Board rotation and zoom, Immersive soundtrack, Classic pair-matching gameplay

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MahJong 10 Game Sessions | $0.99 | one-time |
| MahJong Unlimited for One Month | $1.99 | one-time |
| MahJong Full Game Unlimited | $24.99 | one-time |


### Mahjong Challenges

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mahjong-challenges/id636879476)

Experience the classic Mahjong solitaire game with a timed challenge. Remove all tiles by matching pairs, utilizing unlimited undo, hints, and shuffles. Compete for high scores on 300 unique board layouts.

**Highlights:** 300 board layouts, Infinite Undo, Hints, Shuffle, Adjustable tile illumination, HD graphics, Guaranteed solvable puzzles, Score based on time, High score tracking

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 3 extra lives | $1.99 | one-time |
| Undo button | $1.99 | one-time |
| Hint | $1.99 | one-time |
| Double  time | $1.99 | one-time |
| Shuffle | $1.99 | one-time |
| Set of 5 lives | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MahJong free?

MahJong is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Mahjong Challenges free?

Mahjong Challenges is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, MahJong or Mahjong Challenges?

Mahjong Challenges is rated higher. MahJong averages 2.9 out of 5 from 22 ratings, while Mahjong Challenges averages 4.8 from 4 ratings.

### Do MahJong or Mahjong Challenges have ads?

Neither MahJong nor Mahjong Challenges shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MahJong or Mahjong Challenges?

MahJong ships an update every 3 months, and Mahjong Challenges every 34 months. Most recently, MahJong was updated on October 4, 2026 and Mahjong Challenges on October 6, 2026.

---

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