# Mahjong vs Mahjong Stand

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mahjong Stand at none against Mahjong's 13. Mahjong Stand also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Mahjong's advantage is ratings volume (33K vs 516). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Mahjong sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Mahjong Stand asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Mahjong against 4.6 for Mahjong Stand. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mahjong has 33K ratings behind it against 516, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of Mahjong's written reviews are positive against 66% of Mahjong Stand's.

Mahjong ships an update every 2 months, Mahjong Stand every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mahjong | Mahjong Stand |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (33K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mahjong/id455650659/reviews) | **[4.6 (516 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mahjong-stand-alone/id985880059/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **33K** | 516 |
| Positive reviews | 63.1% of reviews | **65.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 170 MB | 97 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Maple Media Apps, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1289801633) | [Hangzhou Moxing Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/673576239) |

## What reviewers say

### Mahjong

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mahjong/id455650659)

This single-player matching puzzle game challenges your mind with classic tile removal. Enjoy over 90 levels with classic or emoji-themed tiles. Features include time attack, unlimited undo, and hints.

**Highlights:** Over 90 Mahjong games, Time Attack Mode, Unlimited Undo & Redo, Hints and Autosave, Custom game options, Emoji-themed tiles

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Premium Annual | $6.99 | per year |
| Premium Annual | $12.99 | per year |
| Mahjong Membership | $14.99 | per year |
| Puzzle Pack #1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Puzzle Pack #2 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Puzzle Pack #3 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Puzzle Pack #4 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Puzzle Pack #5 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Puzzle Pack #6 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Puzzle Pack #7 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Mahjong Premium | $14.99 | one-time |
| Disable Ads | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Enjoyable gameplay
- 🧠 Mentally stimulating
- 🕰️ Challenging time-based objectives
- 📚 Variety of layouts and levels

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Excessive advertisements
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🔍 Small tile sizes on mobile
- 🔒 Paid content locked behind paywall

**Reported bugs**

- Unresponsive tiles
- Game freezes and crashes
- Incorrect move detection
- Persistent ads blocking UI

**Requested features**

- More free levels and layouts
- Option to lock game board in place
- Ability to favorite/save preferred layouts
- Improved performance and stability


### Mahjong Stand

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mahjong-stand-alone/id985880059)

Experience the unique flavor of Sichuan mahjong with this standalone game. Enjoy beautiful graphics, realistic voiceovers, and a smooth gameplay experience that captures the essence of Sichuan culture.

**Highlights:** Sichuan mahjong gameplay, Unique Sichuan flavor, Cultural immersion, Simple operation, Beautiful graphics, Realistic voiceovers

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good for learning Mahjong
- 👍 Suitable for beginners
- 👍 Offline play available
- 👍 Can practice and improve skills
- 👍 Simple and clean interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😠 Intrusive and unclosable ads
- 😠 Ads disrupt gameplay
- 😠 Forced ads upon entry
- 😠 Ads redirect to other platforms
- 😠 Game requires internet to start

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashes frequently
- Game gets stuck on ads
- App freezes and becomes unresponsive
- Bug during preparation for杠爆 (no response)
- Bug with remaining tiles (cannot 'piao')

**Requested features**

- Premium version to remove ads
- Option to view past rounds
- Adjust difficulty to be less punishing
- Clarify scoring for specific hands (e.g.,幺九份)
- Add multiplayer/online mode


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mahjong free?

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

### Is Mahjong Stand free?

Mahjong Stand is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Mahjong or Mahjong Stand?

Mahjong Stand is rated higher. Mahjong averages 4.6 out of 5 from 33K ratings, while Mahjong Stand averages 4.6 from 516 ratings.

### Do Mahjong or Mahjong Stand have ads?

Both Mahjong and Mahjong Stand show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mahjong or Mahjong Stand?

Mahjong ships an update every 2 months, and Mahjong Stand every 6 weeks. Most recently, Mahjong was updated on November 1, 2026 and Mahjong Stand on November 1, 2026.

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