Random Mahjong vs Pure Mahjong
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Random Mahjong
Experience a classic Solitaire Mahjong game with stunning, photorealistic 2D graphics. Enjoy unique, randomly generated levels or choose from 50 preset layouts. Perfect for beginners with small boards and a solution walkthrough.
- Unique random levels
- 50 preset layouts
- Beginner-friendly small boards
- Solution walkthrough
- Relaxing gameplay
- Undo and Shuffle
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Random Mahjong is a relaxed, classic Solitaire Mahjong game for iPhone and iPad. It has been played by tile matchers for years, and it still does exactly what it set out to do — no timers, no pressure, no fuss. Photo-realistic 2D tiles that look sharp rather than stale. There's no fancy 3D here; you get a classic 2D board with smooth camera panning and focus, so you're always up close to the play. Controls stay a joy rather than a chore, on both iPhone and iPad. At its heart is a random Mahjong generator, so a fresh, solvable board is waiting every time you play. Prefer something familiar? Fifty preset layouts are included. And the small 32-tile boards, paired with a solution walkthrough for every layout, make this a good place to learn the rules if you've never played the Solitaire or Shanghai variant of Mah-jongg before. FEATURES: - A unique board every time you play - 50 preset layouts when you want something familiar - Very simple to learn - Small 32-tile boards, ideal for beginners - Relaxing play with no time limits - Solution walkthrough available for every board - Level rewind for repeat attempts - Undo and shuffle - Auto-save and auto-continue - That "one more try" feeling Random Mahjong is now developed and supported by ElectroSoma Ltd. We will be keeping the game refreshed and maintained, as well as working on a sequel.
Pure Mahjong
Experience a unique Mahjong game inspired by the ancient Chinese 24 solar terms. Enjoy stunning, photo-based collages for each season and over 1,800 challenging levels. Relax with an uplifting soundtrack and discover daily new challenges.
- 24 solar term themes
- Photo-based collage art
- Over 1,800 unique levels
- Daily new levels
- Calorie-free fortune cookies
- Relaxing Chinese-themed soundtrack
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The Story Many people equate China with the lunar calendar, but the sun has also played a pivotal role in how the Chinese view life cycles. The ancient Chinese developed what is known as the 24 solar terms, which prescribed how people lived and worked, especially in rural areas. The solar terms originated between the 16th and 11th centuries BC and were perfected in their present form during the Western Han Dynasty (206-220 BC). Pure Mahjong explores each of these 24 solar terms over the course of the year – both the main screen and the game itself adjust to the season, displaying typical motifs and objects along with some interesting trivia. Design: a completely new approach with amazing results Every picture you see in Pure Mahjong is a lovingly created collage based on real photographs. Nothing like this has ever been used in a computer game, and the experience for the player is something completely different from the pixelated effects that pop up in even the latest titles. Each of the 24 seasons (called solar terms) has been created as a work of art, combining amazing and traditional sights from all over China according to the season. While the main screen introduces the current season, the Mahjong games themselves are displayed on 24 beautifully decorated changing backgrounds. Levels: Intelligent entertainment that can last minutes or hours With more than 1,800 individually designed levels, Pure Mahjong provides enough variety for months of challenging gameplay. While some levels can be solved in minutes, other may take hours to finally crack. There is a solution for every single level. As a special feature, you can compare your personal results with those of other players that have solved each individual level before you. On every single day of the year, four new levels await you to be solved. From (relatively) easy to very difficult, players can expect real challenges. For each solved level, the player is awarded with a calorie-free fortune cookie. More than 700 different messages await discovery! Music: A relaxing, uplifting soundtrack We’ve listened to hundreds of relaxing Chinese-themed songs for close to a year to create a soundtrack of more than 20 inspiring, unobtrusive tracks. The result is beautiful music that not only helps you concentrate and relax, but also completes the meditative experience of playing Pure Mahjong and stimulates your senses. The premium service is offered as a monthly or yearly subscription that renews automatically and can be managed via the iTunes account settings. The costs for the premium service are either $0,99 per month, $1,99 per quarter or $6,99 per year. View the privacy policy here: http://thebinaryfamily.com/privacy-policy/ – New subscribers can choose a one-week trial subscription at no cost. – Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period – Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal – Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's iTunes Account Settings after purchase http://thebinaryfamily.com/terms-of-use
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Pure Mahjong at 4.6 against Random Mahjong's 3.8. Pure Mahjong also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and ratings volume (343 vs 41). Random Mahjong's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, review sentiment, ads 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. Pure Mahjong sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Random Mahjong asks for nothing beyond the download.
Pure Mahjong holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pure Mahjong has 343 ratings behind it against 41, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Random Mahjong's written reviews are positive against 67% of Pure Mahjong's.
Random Mahjong ships an update monthly, Pure Mahjong weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Random Mahjong | Pure Mahjong |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (41 ratings) | 4.6 (343 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 63.6% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 41 | 343 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 22 MB | 446 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ElectroSoma Ltd | the binary family |
Customer experience
Random Mahjong
Pure Mahjong
In-app purchases
Random Mahjong
No in-app purchases
Pure Mahjong
- Premium Service Monthly7 Days trial$0.991 Month
- Premium Service Quarterly$1.993 Months
- Premium Service Annually$6.991 Year
Questions
Is Random Mahjong free?
Is Pure Mahjong free?
Which has better reviews, Random Mahjong or Pure Mahjong?
Do Random Mahjong or Pure Mahjong have ads?
Which is updated more often, Random Mahjong or Pure Mahjong?
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